Jammu & Kashmir administration has released a report on the development initiatives in the union territory. The report titled ‘Jammu & Kashmir-Towards Peace, Progress Prosperity’. The report highlights the development on different parameters including governance, power sector, COVID management, education, agriculture growth etc. The report says that J&K has become the first state to devise a comprehensive district good governance index. As per the report, the union territory reported an overall increase of 3.7 percentage points over Good Governance Index in 2019, adding that it ‘performed strongly in the commerce and industry sector and improved its score in agriculture & allied Sectors, public infrastructure and utilities and judiciary & public safety.’
In terms of development, the J&K government said the union territory witnessed a record number of development projects completed in 2021-22, i.e., 50,726. Besides the construction of 3,284 Km roads under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, a total of 2,353 projects under the scheme have been completed in J&K since inception. J&K emerged as a new investment destination, coming out from the era of red tape to red carpet. It has received investment proposals worth more than Rs 52,000 crore with an employment potential of 2.37 lakh, the report said, adding that the union territory has become a top destination for ease of doing business.
The union territory of Jammu and Kashmir now boasts of a robus health infrastructure. Besides two new AIIMS, seven medical colleges, ten new nursing colleges comprising an infrastructure project worth more than Rs 7,000 crores, the report says the UT maintained momentum and growth during the COVID-19 pandemic. J&K achieved many landmarks in the field of education which includes establishing an IIT and IIM in the union territory in record time. The report stated that 50 new colleges were added while 25,000 college seats were increased in record time.
Jammu and Kashmir has been ranked third in monthly income of agricultural households and was ranked as the fifth best performing state/union territory in agriculture & allied sectors. According to the report, J&K carried out the largest ever recruitment drive in history, selecting more than 11,500 candidates which include special consideration for disadvantaged categories – widows, divorced women, judicially separated women and orphan girls. As part of the Centre’s outreach programme, 72 union ministers visited all the 20 districts of the union territory. They interacted with the public, administration and panchayati raj institutions. 100 new development works were inaugurated and 300 new foundation stones were laid.
