PM MODI’S KASHMIR RALLY | Jammuites find success stories of Kashmir entrepreneurs inspiring

Jammu, Mar 7: “We just listened to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and saw him interacting with the entrepreneurs. It was motivating to see how he was boosting their morale. I found it quite inspiring to see confident entrepreneurs from Kashmir narrating their success stories while people from across the country were listening to them. Change is discernible in Jammu also. But I believe more Jammu youth should come forward to take benefit of government schemes to begin their start-ups.”

This was the first reaction from a group of youth gathered at the Convention Centre, Jammu, while speaking to the media.

They were part of the gathering which watched the Prime Minister’s live address from Srinagar virtually here on Thursday.

Convention Centre Jammu was one among several venues across the region where special arrangements were made to virtually connect people and employees from concerned departments to the rally venue or facilitate them to enjoy live feed of the Prime Minister’s address on the giant screens.

“We are excited to be here. Though we have come through our department yet we have enjoyed the live telecast along with our colleagues and common people, including some entrepreneurs. The Prime Minister has launched so many schemes; J&K is also one among major beneficiaries,” said Jasmeet Kaur, a government employee, while sharing her experience with the media.

Her other colleague Sunaina Tandon, from the department of Agriculture, was more eloquent.

“Yes, everyone wants to listen to the Prime Minister. We too have come to listen to him and see how he is promoting HADP schemes. How successfully they have been implemented in J&K UT – it is encouraging to find it. We’ve seen how people from the Kashmir division are coming forward to take advantage of these schemes.

There are many entrepreneurs - those who have started their own ventures related to dairy, processing, honey or other projects. All these success stories encourage youth, particularly unemployed, to come forward to take advantage of these schemes, start their own ventures and create their new success stories like we just witnessed in beekeeping, -the one which was narrated during the rally.

Department is providing so many benefits; financial and technical assistance. Everything is there viz., hand-holding, loans etc. More Jammu youth, like their counterparts in Kashmir division, should come forward to take benefit of these schemes instead of running only after government jobs,” she said.

Another government employee Sonika Bhardwaj, while responding to media queries, said, “We were invited here to listen to the Prime Minister and take cues. We’re motivated. We are thankful for the way he is working hard to make J&K prosper. Earlier he unleashed a development bonanza in Jammu and today it was the turn of Kashmir. It is heartening to see J&K developing and getting so much attention.”

Similar arrangements for common people and government employees of the departments, whose schemes and projects were part of the bonanza unleashed by the Prime Minister, were made in other districts as well.

In fact, the Prime Minister, at the very outset of his address in Srinagar, while quoting Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, had acknowledged that besides massive gathering at Bakshi stadium and outside it also, around one lakh people spread across 285 blocks were connected through technology and listening to him virtually.

“Not only this, the people from over 50 cities across the country were also virtually connected and watching the rally live. In fact, the whole country was today connected to Srinagar,” PM Modi had mentioned.