Srinagar, Jul 03 (KNO): In a significant move to strengthen Jammu & Kashmir’s agriculture and rural development landscape, Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare and Rural Development & Panchayati Raj, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Thursday co-chaired a high-level review meeting at the Civil Secretariat, Srinagar.
The meeting was also attended by Union Minister of State for A&FW Ram Nath Thakur, Minister for Agriculture Production, RDD & PR Javid Ahmed Dar, and Advisor to the Chief Minister Nasir Aslam Wani.
Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, Secretary DA&FW, GoI Devesh Chaturvedi, Secretary DARE, GoI Mangi Lal Jat, Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister Dheeraj Gupta, Joint Secretary Ministry of Rural Development, Additional Secretary DA&FW, along with senior officers from the Government of India and Jammu & Kashmir administration including Administrative Secretaries of Agriculture Production, PWD, RDD, and heads of departments of agriculture, allied sectors and rural development were present in the meeting.
Addressing the meeting, Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan reaffirmed the Government of India’s commitment under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the holistic development of Jammu & Kashmir.
“For Viksit Bharat, a Viksit Jammu & Kashmir is essential. I extend my full support to CM Omar Abdullah and his team and assure you that my office is just a call away whenever needed,” the Union Minister said.
Shivraj Singh Chouhan lauded the J&K Government led by CM Omar Abdullah for its achievements in agriculture and allied sectors and appreciated the momentum being built at the grassroots.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, in his welcome address, expressed heartfelt gratitude to the Union Minister for his prompt response and visit: “Your presence here today has truly won our hearts. We have always known you to be a positive and responsive leader, but I must admit—I did not expect such a swift and gracious response. A few days ago, during the NITI Aayog meeting, I had requested you to visit, especially after the Pahalgam incident, to reassure the people that the nation stands with us. Today, you are here with your full team, which reflects your deep commitment and solidarity.”
He added that face-to-face engagement, as opposed to formal correspondence, helps in quicker resolution of issues. “This meeting itself is a testimony to how much can be achieved through dialogue and collaboration,” he said.
Earlier in the meeting, Principal Secretary, Agriculture Production Department, Shailendra Kumar, and Secretary, Rural Development & Panchayati Raj, Aijaz Asad, gave comprehensive presentations on the performance and progress of their respective departments.
They highlighted implementation status, physical and financial achievements under various centrally sponsored schemes, GoI-supported and UT-specific schemes, including: PM-Kisan, RKVY, Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture; Rural infrastructure initiatives under MGNREGA, PMAY-G, NRLM, and PMAY
Key performance indicators, success stories from field-level beneficiaries, and use of digital governance tools for real-time monitoring were also showcased.
The meeting broadly reviewed sectoral achievements, discussed bottlenecks, and chalked out action plans to accelerate progress in both Agriculture and Rural Development sectors.
On the occasion, in the presence of the Chief Minister and Union Agriculture Minister, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Kudumbashree and JKRLM to establish 20 food service enterprises across all 20 districts of J&K. This initiative aims to empower women, Self-Help Groups (SHG) by creating local employment opportunities and building market-ready ventures.
Additionally, the dignitaries launched ‘Har Didi Ek Kahani’—a compendium of success stories of over 100 women SHGs who have become Lakhpati Didis through structured enterprise support, capacity building, and mentorship under the JKRLM framework.
The Union Minister and the Chief Minister jointly made commitment for grassroots empowerment, inclusive growth, and stronger centre-state collaboration to transform the rural and agricultural ecosystem of Jammu and Kashmir—(KNO)