Confirming that the government of India is to announce mega developmental financial package around Rs 70,000 crore in July, Jammu and Kashmir government Sunday said that it was working on it from the last four months.Talking to Kashmir News service (KNS) Finance minister Dr Haseeb Drabu said, “It is true that government of India is announcing mega developmental package around Rs 70,000 crore to the Jammu and Kashmir. I cannot tell you the exact amount of package but I can say with the responsibility that it will be around the 70,000 crore which will be announced within the month of July.”He said that the Jammu and Kashmir government was working on this from last four months and that the Chief Minister himself sought this developmental package from the central government.
“Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Syeed sought the developmental package to the Jammu and Kashmir and we are thankful to the Union government that they have agreed to this mega package,” he told KNS and added that the funds will be spent over the next five years on different projects.Meanwhile, sources told KNS that the package is likely to be announced by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi before the Eid-ul-Fitr.“The prime minister Narendra Modi, along with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, will visit Jammu on July 17 to attend the centenary celebrations of the State leader Girdhari Lal Dogra .We are hopeful that PM will announce the package,” government sources told KNS.
Sources said that the package will be far higher than the one announced by the United Progressive Alliance government in 2004 under the Prime Minister’s Reconstruction Package of Rs. 24,000 crore (revised later to Rs. 36,265 crore) and is expected to be disbursed along the same lines.The projects will include a medical institute, affiliated to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, in Anantnag, an Indian Institute of Technology each in Jammu and in Kashmir, and an Indian Institute of Management in Jammu.Sources said the State government earlier put together several proposals, pitching for projects estimated at Rs 1,00,000 crore.Many development projects and reconstruction work have been held up in the State, as the government says its coffers are empty, blaming the previous government headed by the National Conference. (KNS)