SRINAGAR: Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo on Friday announced that Jammu and Kashmir is eligible to secure thousands of crores in 50-year interest-free loans under the Government of India’s Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI) scheme, terming it a crucial opportunity to transform the UT’s infrastructure and governance landscape.
Chairing a high-level meeting with administrative heads and senior officials, Dulloo said the scheme is a “catalyst for sustainable development” and urged departments to adopt a mission-mode approach for project identification and timely submission of proposals to the Finance Department for Central approval.
“The SASCI scheme provides us with a unique chance to reimagine and rebuild Jammu and Kashmir with resilience, transparency, and innovation. We must make the most of this fiscal opportunity,” Dulloo stated, while stressing on addressing long-standing infrastructure gaps across key sectors.
The Chief Secretary directed all departments to prioritise time-bound projects that can be completed within the current financial year and emphasised focus on infrastructure-deficient sectors such as mining, urban development, and transport. He also called for identifying iconic tourism infrastructure projects for inclusion under SASCI.
Principal Secretary Finance, Santosh D. Vaidya, informed that Jammu and Kashmir is entitled to Rs 1200 crore under the “Untied” component of the scheme. Additionally, the UT can access Rs 210 crore under the Rs 10,000 crore earmarked as state share for Centrally Sponsored Schemes.
Under various reform-driven components of SASCI, J&K also stands to benefit from:
Rs 15,000 crore for affordable housing, mobility, and urban infrastructure,
Rs 5,000 crore for Urban Local Body reforms,
Rs 15,000 crore for capital expenditure incentives,
Rs 3,000 crore to scrap old government vehicles,
Rs 5,000 crore for mining sector reforms,
Rs 11,000 crore and Rs 5,000 crore for rural and urban land reforms respectively,
Rs 6,000 crore for financial management reforms,
Rs 18,000 crore for urban planning initiatives,
Rs 5,000 crore to establish digital libraries for children and adolescents at Panchayat and ward levels.
Dulloo further directed that all 122 Centrally Sponsored Schemes must transition to the SPARSH platform by November 2025 to comply with Ministry of Finance deadlines and strengthen fiscal transparency and monitoring.
The meeting laid the groundwork for UT departments to align strategically with SASCI, potentially unlocking transformative capital infusion to bridge infrastructure deficits and advance inclusive development across Jammu and Kashmir.
