Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has expressed his gratitude to the Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways Nitin Gadkari for giving approval to 19 mega road and tunnel projects worth 10, 637 crore with length of 296 kms for J&K UT.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has approved the Action plan of 2025-26 in respect of National Highways of J&K and sanctioned major projects include construction of Peer-Ki-Gali tunnel on NH-701A (Rs 3830 Cr), Construction of Sadhana tunnel on NH-701 (Rs 3330 Cr), Construction of Zaznar Shopian section of NH-701A (Rs 852 Cr), 4-L flyover from Lal Chowk to Parimpora (Rs 700 Cr), Construction of Trehgam Chamkote section of NH-701 (Rs 966 Cr), Construction of 4-Lane Magam Flyover on Narbal-Gulmarg section of NH 701-A (Rs 445 Cr), Construction of Qazigund Bypass (Rs 95 Cr), Construction of 2-L bridge over Rambiara at Shopian on NH-444 (Rs 71 Cr) and various other, including road safety projects.
“Many strategically important projects will improve logistical support and troops mobility. Projects will improve Infrastructure in the Union Territory and connect various tourist destinations. Construction of tunnels will reduce the travel time, ensure all-weather connectivity and spur economic growth,” the Lieutenant Governor said.
The Ministry has also sanctioned preparation of DPR/Feasibility Study for various NH works to be up in next 3 years. These include widening and upgradation of NH-444 from Srinagar to Qazigund (63 kms), Construction of 2L+PS road from Shopian to Magam on NH-701A (75 kms), Construction of 10.80 Km long Panjtarni tunnel including approach (31 kms), Development of Domail – Katra -Bamla of NH-144 to 4-L specifications (82 kms).
Deputy CM reviews Mission YUVA; emphasizes expanded collaboration
SRINAGAR, JUNE 23: A high level review meeting of Mission YUVA, the flagship youth entrepreneurship initiative of the Government of Jammu and Kashmir, was held today under the chairmanship of Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary at Civil Secretariat, Srinagar.
Advisor to Chief Minister, Nasir Aslam Wani; Administrative Secretary, Skill Development Department, Rajeev Ranjan; Secretary, Information Technology Department, Piyush Singla; Director, Skill Development Department and Mission Director, Mission YUVA, Shahzad Alam; Director, J&K Entrepreneurship Development Institute, Khalid Jahangir; Director Finance, Labour & Employment, Imtiyaz Ahmad Wani; Additional Secretary, Labour & Employment, Shahid Mehmood besides senior officials of the concerned department were present during the meeting.
The Mission Director presented a comprehensive progress report, highlighting the outreach efforts, institutional tie-ups and the financial disbursal status across all the districts. He apprised that the Mission YUVA has been designed on four pillars including Culture, Capital, Capacity Building and Connectivity. It envisaged creating more than 1.37 lakh new enterprises and 4.25 lakh employment opportunities across J&K, he added.
The Deputy Chief Minister, while appreciating the achievements recorded, so far, issued key directions to further strengthen the implementation framework of the Mission. He directed the concerned to involve all major nationalized banks, in addition to J&K Bank, to enhance the credit access and widen financial outreach for the aspiring entrepreneurs. He also suggested enhancing the incentives and financial support being provided under Mission YUVA schemes to make entrepreneurship a more viable and attractive option.
He also asked to involve J&K Entrepreneurship Development Institute (JKEDI) in preparation of Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) to ensure quality and viability of projects. He further asked to ensure provisions for land allocation to landless youth seeking to set up enterprises, especially under government schemes.
Emphasizing on creating startup ecosystems and neo initiative enterprises, the Deputy Chief Minister called for setting up a cross sectoral business support ecosystem for growth of entrepreneurship at all levels with generation of mass employment opportunities through enterprise creation.
The Deputy Chief Minister underscored the importance of timely hand holding, grassroots awareness campaigns and convergence with skilling and digital platforms to unlock the full potential of youth-led development in J&K.
Advisor to Chief Minister, Nasir Aslam Wani, while speaking on the occasion, stressed on greater coordination among the departments and institutions to translate the Mission’s vision into tangible opportunities on the ground.
