SRINAGAR: The Centre on Monday informed the Lok Sabha that six tourism projects sanctioned under the Swadesh Darshan Scheme for Jammu and Kashmir in 2016–17, at a total cost of Rs 519.58 crore, have been physically completed.
The information was shared by Union Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat in a written reply. He said that these projects aimed to strengthen tourism infrastructure and promote regional connectivity across key destinations in the Union Territory.
The projects include development of tourism circuits and facilities across several locations, such as Jammu, Srinagar, Pahalgam, Bhagwati Nagar, Anantnag, Salamabad Uri, Kargil, Leh, Rajouri, Shopian, Pulwama, Mantalai, Sudhmahadev, Zanskar Padum, Daksum, and the Ranjit Sagar Dam.
One of the key components also covered the construction of assets to replace those damaged during the 2014 floods, as part of the Prime Minister’s Development Package.
The minister, however, stated that no formal study has yet been undertaken to assess the scale of direct or indirect employment generated under these projects in the last five years.
As part of the reply, the Centre also informed the House that a total of 7.66 crore tourists, including 1.47 lakh foreigners, visited Jammu and Kashmir between 2020 and 2024. (KNO)
