In his first visit to J&K since scrapping of Article 370, PM Modi to address panchayats in Jammu on April 24

File image of PM Narendra Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on April 24 visit Jammu where he will address panchayats across the country to mark the National Panchayati Raj Day. This will be Modi’s first visit to Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019.

The PM is also scheduled to launch development projects worth Rs 38,082 crore from Palli village in Jammu's Samba district that has been billed as India’s first carbon-neutral panchayat.

Officials said that some investors from the UAE would also be present among other industrialists at the event in Palli village. All 340 homes of Palli village will be powered by a 500 KV solar plant that was set up in 20 days.

READ : Gulf CEOs in Valley : All you need to know about UAE delegation visiting J&K

Investors from Gulf countries have reportedly  shown intent to invest about Rs 3,000 crore in the Union Territory (UT) across multiple projects. A  34-member business delegation from the UAE had visited the Valley on a four-day trip in March. The tour was  aimed at showcasing investment opportunities in J&K with a focus on entrepreneurship, and the tourism and hospitality sectors

The government revoked Jammu and Kashmir's special status under Article 370 and bifurcated it into UTs of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh on August 5, 2019.

The PM will also address the people and members of rural local bodies across India marking the National Panchayati Raj Day, observed every year on April 24  to provide an opportunity for leaders and others to directly interact with the representatives of the panchayats or village heads. The grassroots representatives elected in November-December 2020, when panchayat elections were held after 15 months in the UT, will also be present.

Also, read |  | J&K safe for business because of low crime rate, UT govt to visiting Gulf CEOs

“All the arrangements are in place to celebrate Panchayati Raj Diwas on April 24. PM Modi will be arriving in Jammu on this day where he will address Panchayati representatives. He will also inaugurate a series of projects. There will be a ground-breaking ceremony where he will inaugurate hydel power projects, besides other developmental projects,” a local news agency quoted the J&K Lieutenant Governor (L-G) Manoj Sinha as saying.

The PM, accompanied by Union Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Giriraj Singh, will also inaugurate the 8.45-km long Banihal-Qazigund road tunnel built for Rs 2,100 crore. The tunnel will reduce the distance between Jammu and Srinagar by 16 km and the travel time by almost two hours.

The PM will also lay the foundation of the 850-megawatt Ratle and the 540-megawatt Kwar hydel power projects been built over the Chenab river. These projects are expected to double the UT’s power-generation capacity in the next four years, according to the officials.

Also, read |  Fear grips panchayat members in south Kashmir after militant attacks

The visit will be keenly watched by local politicians who are expected the return of statehood J&K  and announcement of assembly elections. The erstwhile state has not had an elected government since June 2018 when the Centre’s rule was imposed following the collapse of the coalition government headed by People’s Democratic Party’s (PDP) Mehbooba Mufti after the ally Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) withdrew its support.

The politicians also expect that the PM will indicate continuation of his engagement with them, a move he initiated during his meeting with leaders from the UT in Delhi on June 24 last year.

The visit comes at a time when the J&K Delimitation Commission is about to complete its exercise to carve out seven additional Assembly segments in the UT, increasing the Assembly’s strength to 90 seats.