Centre to provide houses to 5 lakh homeless people in J&K: Chouhan
The Union government has identified around five lakh people in Jammu and Kashmir who do not have permanent homes and efforts are underway to provide them housing under a government scheme, Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said in Srinagar on Thursday.
Addressing a press conference, the Minister for Agriculture, Farmers’ Welfare, and Rural Development said that once the verification process is completed, the process of allotting houses will begin. Chouhan emphasised that the development of Jammu and Kashmir is crucial to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of Viksit Bharat.
Earlier in the day, Chouhan held a detailed review meeting with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah at the Civil Secretariat in Srinagar. He said several important decisions were taken in the interests of farmers and rural residents of the Union Territory.
The Minister expressed satisfaction over the variety of horticulture crops cultivated in the region, including apples, almonds and walnuts. He announced that a Rs 150-crore Clean Plant Centre will be established in Srinagar under the Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH).
“The Centre will focus on producing clean, disease-free planting material for apples, almonds, walnuts, and berries. Private nurseries will also be supported to ensure that high-quality, pathogen-free plants are made available to farmers,” he said.
Chouhan also stated that farmers in J&K who have received land allotments from the government but lack official documentation will be considered for inclusion under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme.
Responding to demands for a Regional Horticulture Centre in the Jammu region, the Minister announced that the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) would support Jammu Agricultural University with the necessary infrastructure.
Highlighting saffron as a symbol of Kashmir’s identity, Chouhan said the Centre will establish a tissue culture lab and nursery to boost saffron production. He added that the National Saffron Mission will be revised to suit local conditions and that a team of expert scientists will be formed to improve productivity and minimise losses.
To improve soil health and ensure better fertiliser regulation, Quality Control Laboratories will be established in Kathua, Baramulla, and Anantnag.
Chouhan also noted that 93% of houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) have already been completed. He assured that the remaining eligible beneficiaries—identified from the pool of five lakh applicants—will be allotted homes after verification.
“To alleviate rural poverty, women are being empowered through Self Help Groups under the National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM), with many becoming Lakhpati Didis and even Millionaire Didis, earning up to Rs 10 lakh annually,” he said.
On employment generation, Chouhan said targets have been set to ensure job availability through MGNREGA and that training programmes for the youth will begin soon. He further assured that no eligible farmer will be excluded from the benefits of the Kisan Credit Card scheme.
J & K