Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s scheduled visit to Jammu and Kashmir on January 9 has been deferred due to adverse weather conditions.
Shah was scheduled to attend the Vikasit Bharat Sankalpa Yatra in Jammu, inaugurate projects worth Rs 1,379 crore, including E-buses in Jammu city, and lay the foundation stone for projects worth Rs 2,348 crore.
He had plans to distribute appointment letters to those appointed on compassionate grounds, and his itinerary included a review of the security and development of Jammu and Kashmir.
His itinerary included travel to Dera Ki Gali in Poonch to meet the families of civilians recently killed in that area, following an attack where four soldiers died on December 21. He was also scheduled to undertake a review of the security situation in the region.
Shah was to address a rally at Gulshan Ground in the heart of the city as part of the ongoing Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra (VBSY). The yatra has been benefiting numerous people across Jammu and Kashmir and was expected to gain further momentum with the home minister's participation.
He was also planning to oversee a comprehensive review of development works in Jammu and Kashmir and initiate several new projects.
Shah had planned to preside over a high-level meeting at the Raj Bhawan, where he would conduct a detailed review of the development projects in Jammu and Kashmir. The meeting was supposed to be attended by LG Manoj Sinha, Union Home Secretary A.K. Bhalla, and senior civil administration officers.
On January 2 in New Delhi, Shah had reviewed the security situation of Jammu and Kashmir with top functionaries of the central government and Jammu and Kashmir administration.
In that meeting, he emphasised the need to strengthen counter-terrorism operations and eliminate the terror ecosystem.
Shah advised appropriate deployment of security agencies in vulnerable areas while stressing adherence to due procedures in counter-terror operations. Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, Chief of Army Staff (CoAS) General Manoj Pande, and top officials of intelligence and security agencies had attended the meeting.
In the last four years, numerous projects have been launched in Jammu and Kashmir under central schemes and the UT sector. Several works have been ongoing under centrally sponsored schemes and the Prime Minister’s Development Plan (PMDP), among others.
The UT administration has taken up multiple pending projects, some of which had been stagnant for several years.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is also expected to undertake a one-day visit to the UT by the end of January or the beginning of February. During this visit, Modi is likely to visit Jammu and Srinagar, announcing several new projects and inaugurating others.
