PM Modi addressed the Viksit Bharat Viksit Jammu Kashmir program in Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir today. He dedicated to the nation Holistic Agriculture Development Programme worth about Rs 5000 crores and launched multiple projects related to the tourism sector worth more than Rs 1400 crore under Swadesh Darshan and PRASHAD scheme including the project for ‘Integrated Development of Hazratbal Shrine’, Srinagar. The Prime Minister also launched the ‘Dekho Apna Desh People’s Choice Tourist Destination Poll’ and ‘Chalo India Global Diaspora Campaign’ and announced tourist destinations selected under Challenge Based Destination Development (CBDD) Scheme. distributed appointment orders to about 1000 new Government recruits of Jammu and Kashmir and will also interact with beneficiaries of various government schemes including women achievers, lakhpati didis, farmers, entrepreneurs etc.
Nazim Nazeer from Pulwama who is a beekeeper described his journey to the Prime Minister about expanding his business by availing benefits from the government where he bought 25 boxes for beekeeping at a 50 percent subsidy. He also threw light on his economic growth throughout the journey where he gradually expanded to 200 boxes for beekeeping by availing Rs 5 lakhs under Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme. This led to Mr Nazeer building a brand for himself and creating a website that further generated thousands of orders worth about 5000 kilograms across the nation, growing his business to almost 2000 beekeeping boxes and engaging about 100 youth from the region. He further informed the Prime Minister about receiving an FPO in 2023 which has only helped him grow his business. He also thanked the Prime Minister for launching the Digital India initiative that has transformed the fintech landscape in the country. The Prime Minister lauded Mr Nazim’s effort for leading the way to a sweet revolution in Jammu & Kashmir and congratulated him on his success. Upon the Prime Minister’s enquiry about getting initial support from the government to establish the business, Mr Nazim said that even though he faced initial difficulty, the Department of Agriculture came forward and supported his cause. Noting that the business of beekeeping is a fairly new sector, the Prime Minister highlighted its benefits and said that bees, in a way, work like farm laborers making it beneficial for crops. Mr Nazim said that landowners are ready to offer land for beekeeping at no cost as the process is also beneficial for the farmers. The Prime Minister suggested Mr Nazim research the honey produced in Central Asia around the Hindu Kush mountains and also asked him to look towards crafting a new taste for honey by growing specific flowers around the boxes as it is a niche market. He also mentioned similar successful efforts in Uttarakhand. Prime Minister Modi expressed delight at Acacia Honey’s price going up to Rs 1000 per kg from Rs 400 per kg due to high demand across the world. The Prime Minister lauded the clarity of thought and vision, and the courage shown by Mr. Nazim in running his business and also congratulated his parents. He said that Mr Nazim is also giving direction to the youth of India and becoming an inspiration.
