{"id":18221,"date":"2026-04-27T18:09:44","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T18:09:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/?p=18221"},"modified":"2026-04-27T18:09:44","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T18:09:44","slug":"union-minister-announces-rs-4568-cr-package-for-jk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/2026\/04\/27\/union-minister-announces-rs-4568-cr-package-for-jk\/","title":{"rendered":"Union Minister announces Rs 4,568 Cr package for J&K"},"content":{"rendered":"

Srinagar, Apr 27:\u00a0<\/strong>Asserting that no village in Jammu & Kashmir will be left behind in the race for development, Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare and Rural Development Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday announced a mega package for the Union Territory, including Rs 4,568 crore rural livelihood funding, 330 new roads, housing assistance and major horticulture initiatives.<\/p>\n

The Union Minister began a two-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir on Monday. During his visit he will launch various development projects.<\/p>\n

Addressing a press conference here, Chouhan said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is committed to the progress of Jammu & Kashmir and wants every remote village to be connected with development.<\/p>\n

He said the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY)-IV Batch-II will be formally launched on April 28 at SKICC Srinagar in the presence of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Kumar Choudhary.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnder the scheme, 330 roads covering nearly 1,600 kilometres will be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 3,566 crore, benefiting 363 habitations across Jammu & Kashmir,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He said the roads will mainly connect far-flung and mountainous villages with all-weather access to schools, hospitals, markets, and employment opportunities. Approval letters for the projects will be handed over during the function, he added.<\/p>\n

Highlighting past progress, Chouhan said that since the launch of PMGSY in 2000, Jammu & Kashmir has witnessed the construction of 3,328 roads, a 19,851-kilometre road network and 257 bridges. He said the programme has transformed rural connectivity in the region.<\/p>\n

The Minister further said Rs 4,568.23 crore would be released as the Central share under the Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana\u2013National Rural Livelihood Mission (DAY-NRLM) for 24 States and Union Territories, with the release process taking place from Srinagar.<\/p>\n

He said the step reflects the Centre\u2019s resolve to strengthen women-led Self Help Groups and promote rural entrepreneurship.<\/p>\n

Chouhan also said Jammu & Kashmir currently has 96,000 Self Help Groups, 7,500 Village Organisations and around 650 Cluster-Level Federations.<\/p>\n

He said these institutions are playing a major role in women\u2019s empowerment, savings and income generation.<\/p>\n

The Minister said under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), nearly 5 lakh families in Jammu & Kashmir have been surveyed or have applied for housing assistance.<\/p>\n

After physical verification, eligible families living in kutcha houses will be provided permanent homes, he said. \u201cNo poor family should remain without a roof,\u201d Chouhan added.<\/p>\n

The Union Minister also announced a Clean Plant Centre worth over Rs 100 crore in Jammu & Kashmir to provide disease-free and quality planting material for apple and fruit growers.<\/p>\n

He said many orchards in Kashmir have become old and productivity has declined, making scientific replantation necessary.<\/p>\n

He also announced support for private nurseries, including Rs 2 crore for small nurseries and Rs 4 crore for large nurseries, along with a team of scientists for saffron, apple, and other crops.<\/p>\n

Chouhan said a team of agricultural scientists will also visit Jammu & Kashmir to study the decline in saffron production, low orchard productivity, suitable crops for the local climate, ways to increase farmer income and the expansion of modern horticulture.<\/p>\n

He said necessary steps would be taken in coordination with the UT government.<\/p>\n

On concerns over imported apples and tariffs, Chouhan said the Centre remains committed to protecting domestic growers.<\/p>\n

He said India produces around 26 lakh metric tonnes of apples, but domestic demand remains higher. \u201cWe will always safeguard the interests of our farmers,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The Minister said the Centre is simultaneously focusing on roads, agriculture, irrigation, skill development, employment, and rural enterprise.<\/p>\n

He said schemes such as PM-Kisan, Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, Agriculture Infrastructure Fund, e-NAM, MGNREGA and micro-irrigation projects are being strengthened in Jammu & Kashmir.<\/p>\n

Chouhan said the aim is to create sustainable opportunities for youth and women while building a developed and self-reliant Jammu & Kashmir\u2014(KNO)<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Srinagar, Apr 27:\u00a0Asserting that no village in Jammu & Kashmir will be left behind in the race for development, Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers Welfare and Rural Development Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday announced a mega package for the Union Territory, including Rs 4,568 crore rural livelihood funding, 330 new roads, housing assistance and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":18222,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18221","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18221","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18221"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18221\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18223,"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18221\/revisions\/18223"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18222"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18221"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18221"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18221"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}