Kupwara, December 29: Secretary to the Government, Tourism Department, J&K, Dr.Syed Abid Rasheed Shah, Friday visited Kupwara and participated in the grand concluding ceremony of Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra, a nationwide campaign aimed at spreading awareness and ensuring saturation of various flagship government schemes.
The event witnessed overwhelming response of people at MC Office, located at the picturesque district Headquarter, Kupwara which is nestled in the snow capped mountains and green thick forests.
The Mega VBSY event was attended by the Deputy Commissioner, Kupwara, Ms. Ayushi Sudan, Vice Chairman, District Development Council Kupwara, Haji Farooq Ahmad Mir, ADDC Kupwara, Altaf Ahmad Khan, CEO LBDDA Zargar Geelani, DDC Member Drugmulla, Adv. Amina Majeed, District Officers , representatives of local bodies, PRIs, besides the general public of Kupwara town.
Dr. Syed Abdi Rasheed Shah while addressing the gathering congratulated people of Kupwara for attending VBSY in a massive number despite cold weather conditions and said that it is testimony to the fact that people of Kupwara are warm and hospitable. He said that Kupwara is famous all over the world for its natural beauty and the intellect of the people, who are the true assets for the district. Secretary Tourism said that he hopes that Kupwara district will be among the top districts of the country due to the capabilities of its people and natural beauty it is bestowed with.
Shah congratulated the District administration Kupwara, led by Deputy commissioner Kupwara for achieving all the four goals of VBSY with grand success. He urged people to co-operate with the district administration and play an active role in making all the schemes of the government.
Earlier the Deputy Commissioner Kupwara, in her welcome address, said that VBSY aimed to ensure that every citizen benefits from government flagship schemes. DC congratulated Officers, field functionaries and PRIs for successfully organizing VBSY in all 385 Panchayat and 39 Municipal wards of the district.
“we got new ideas and valuable inputs from the ground during the VBSY which will be implemented in future”. DC said. She emphasised that there is vast presence and intervention of the schemes on the ground and urged people to seek the information regarding welfare schemes and benefit from them.
Vice Chairman, District Development Council Kupwara, Haji Farooq Ahmad Mir while presenting vote of thanks urged Secretary Tourism to play his role in developing tourism infrastructure in the district. He expressed gratitude to the secretary for promoting Lolab and getting it declared as the best offbeat tourist destination in the country. The Vice Chairman also demanded that a winter tourism festival should be organized in Lolab which is famous for its natural beauty, rich culture and heritage. He emphasised Kupwara is unique in terms of its potential for border tourism which needs to be taped .
The event commenced with Swagatt (welcome Address) by the Deputy Commissioner Kupwara, followed by the Prime Minister’s message played through the Information, Education and Communication (IEC) van. As part of the Viksit Bharat pledge, the participants reaffirmed their commitment towards the nation’s development. The ‘Meri Kahani Meri Zubaani’ segment showcased beneficiaries sharing success stories of schemes like PMAY(U),PMEGP, Schemes of Agriculture Department, where beneficiaries shared their success stories and experiences. Programme was followed by a beautiful cultural performance by the students of local schools and local artists which captivated the attention of the audience.
On the occasion, different government departments had established stalls to showcase their products and services. The Secretary Tourism along with Deputy Commissioner Kupwara and Vice Chairman, District Development Council inspected the stalls, interacted with the officers besides getting feedback on government schemes and also took part in a plantation drive.
