Deputy Chief Minister, Dr Nirmal Singh today said that Katra is one of the ten iconic places in the country and sustained programme has been undertaken to ensure its holistic development so that the people living there and the pilgrims get requisite modern facilities.The Deputy Chief Minister was speaking after e- inaugurating Six ATMs of Jammu and Kashmir bank which have been installed en-route the holy cave.The ATMs have been installed at Niharika, Banganga, Adhkowari, Sanjichat, Himkoti and Manokamna Bhavan to provide facilities of easy access to cash.Minister of State for Finance and Planning, Information Technology, Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Ajay Nanda, Chairman Jammu and Kashmir Bank ltd, Mr Parvaiz Ahmed, senior officers of the Administration and JK Bank were present on the occasion.Referring to the initiatives taken by the Prime Minister in the economic and other sector, the Deputy Chief Minister said that these would ensure that our country comes up as one of the global powerhouses in every field and we should strengthen his efforts by contributing our bit as well.He said that we should also contribute actively by ensuring effective implementation of welfare programmes and also creating the requisite awareness about them.
Terming tourism as one of the major contributors of the state’s economy, the Deputy Chief Minister said that several programmes stand taken up to strengthen and augment the tourism related facilities and infrastructure in the Jammu division and also in the catchment areas of katra so that the pilgrims coming to pay obeisance can also be diverted to these tourist spots.Dr Singh said that government is also making concerted efforts to boost heritage tourism in the state and work on Tawi River Front Development Project, Tawi Lake Project, Mubarak Mandi Heritage complex, Ropeway project is being fast tracked which will help promote tourism in the region.Ajay Nanda highlighted various achievements of the government and said that sustained efforts are being undertaken to ensure all round development of the area.Chairman JK Bank in his welcome address enumerated the initiatives being undertaken by the bank in ensuring that the people of the state get quality banking facilities.