Preparation in Full Swing, Security Tightened Ahead of PM's First Visit to J&K After Abrogation of Art 370 Today

Preparations are in full swing, and security arrangements have been strengthened ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Jammu and Kashmir’s Palli in the samba district scheduled for Sunday.

During the visit which is set to be his first after the abrogation of article 370 in August 2019, PM Modi will address panchayats across the country on ‘Panchayati Raj Diwas’ which is celebrated every year on April 24.

The Prime minister will address a gathering including more than 30,000 Panchayati Raj Institution (PRI) members of Jammu and Kashmir whereas PRIs from across the country will be connected virtually for the Prime Minister’s address.

As per reports, at Panchayat Palli in Jammu where the address will take place, an exhibition showcasing the latest innovations will be put up enabling farmers, sarpanches, and village heads to improve their income and their produce.

Sunday’s main event is being organized at Palli Panchayat in the Samba district of Jammu, where Modi will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of “multiple development initiatives worth around Rs 20,000 crore”, according to the PMO. He will also launch the Amrit Sarovar initiative, aimed at developing and rejuvenating 75 waterbodies in each district of the country, as part of the celebration of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.

PM Modi is also scheduled to inaugurate the Banihal Qazigund Road Tunnel, built at a cost of more than Rs 3,100 crore.

PM Modi will also be flagging off some key projects. Some of the innovations that will be showcased are geospatial technology for rural development and farmers, apps usable by farmers for the weather forecast for five days, lavender cultivation is famously known as the purple revolution, biotechnology innovations to increase the production of apple on the same land to increase farmers’ income, drone application for pesticide spray and waste treatment, the shelf life of fruits to be increased through atomic radiation, etc.

Notably, this is Modi’s first major visit to J&K since August 5, 2019, when the Centre removed J&K’s special status under Article 370 and split the state into two UTs. Modi had briefly visited J&K to celebrate Diwali with the armed forces in the Nowshera district on November 4, 2021. Before that, he had visited J&K in April 2019.

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