CM Omar Abdullah to hold cabinet meetings in Pahalgam, Gulmarg to boost Kashmir's Tourism
In an effort to restore confidence and revive tourism, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah will chair a cabinet meeting today (Tuesday) at the popular tourist destination of Pahalgam in South Kashmir. The meeting aims to reassure visitors that Kashmir is safe and encourage travelers to return to the Valley.
Sources indicate that the CM and his cabinet colleagues will also meet with tourism stakeholders in Pahalgam to gather suggestions on how to revive tourism in the Valley in the aftermath of the April 22 attack.
Holding the cabinet meeting in Pahalgam is seen as a deliberate effort to send the message that there is no cause for concern and that Kashmir remains a safe destination for tourists.
This will be the first cabinet meeting of the Omar-led government during this tenure to be held outside the twin capitals of Srinagar and Jammu.
Following the April 22 militant attack on Pahalgam, in which 25 tourists and a local ponywala, who bravely attempted to disarm one of the attackers to protect tourists, were killed, as well as the subsequent four-day military skirmishes between India and Pakistan from May 7-10 during 'Operation Sindoor,' the tourism sector in the Valley has suffered substantial losses.
Immediately after the attack, tourists fled the area, and there was a widespread cancellation of bookings.
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Indian Express
4 minutes ago
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When the House met at noon for the Question Hour, BJP MP K Laxman sought to know the details of Viksit Krishi Sankalp Abhiyan from Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. When Chouhan rose to speak, the Opposition MPs raised slogans that the SIR exercise be stopped. Chouhan said he wanted to answer the question, but the Opposition protests continued. BJP MP Ghanshyam Tiwari, who was in the Chair, requested the protesting MPs to return to their seats. With the Opposition members unrelenting, the House was adjourned for the day. Vikas Pathak is deputy associate editor with The Indian Express and writes on national politics. He has over 17 years of experience, and has worked earlier with The Hindustan Times and The Hindu, among other publications. He has covered the national BJP, some key central ministries and Parliament for years, and has covered the 2009 and 2019 Lok Sabha polls and many state assembly polls. He has interviewed many Union ministers and Chief Ministers. Vikas has taught as a full-time faculty member at Asian College of Journalism, Chennai; Symbiosis International University, Pune; Jio Institute, Navi Mumbai; and as a guest professor at Indian Institute of Mass Communication, New Delhi. Vikas has authored a book, Contesting Nationalisms: Hinduism, Secularism and Untouchability in Colonial Punjab (Primus, 2018), which has been widely reviewed by top academic journals and leading newspapers. He did his PhD, M Phil and MA from JNU, New Delhi, was Student of the Year (2005-06) at ACJ and gold medalist from University Rajasthan College in Jaipur in graduation. He has been invited to top academic institutions like JNU, St Stephen's College, Delhi, and IIT Delhi as a guest speaker/panellist. ... Read More
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