Minister Piyush Goyal met PRI members and industrialists' delegation at Pahalgam

Jammu and Kashmir: Union Minister of Textiles, Commerce & Industry and Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Shri Piyush Goyal visited Pahalgam on 18 October 2021.
 
The Union Minister also inspected the stalls put up by various departments including Animal Husbandry, District Industries, ICDS, Social Welfare, Horticulture, Sheep Husbandry, Handloom and Handicrafts Department during this visit.

Central Development Commissioner Handicrafts Shantmanu, Principal Secretary Industries and Commerce Ranjan P Thakur, Commissioner Secretary FCS & CA Zubair Ahmed, DDC President Anantnag, DC Anantnag, and other officers of district administration were present on the occasion.
 
Shri Piyush Goyal interacted with various officials at the stalls and displayed brief description of various products. He also inquired about the production of these products.

He particularly stressed promoting those products which can add to the export potential of the UT. He directed the district administration to extend all possible help to the local entrepreneurs and artisans to increase productivity.
 
The minister also distributed baby kits among newborn babies under the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao scheme. Grants were also distributed among the beneficiaries under the Ladlibeti scheme. He distributed acceptance letters among the beneficiaries for the purchase of milk vans. Tricycles were also distributed among specially-abled persons through Social Welfare Department.

The Union Minister met the recently elected delegations of PRI members who apprised the Minister of their active participation in the planning and execution process. The delegation appreciated the efforts of the district administration to involve them in the development decisions.
 
Appreciating the efforts of the district administration in starting the Panchayati Raj Institutions, Shri Goel assured early redressal of all the complaints raised to the Panchayati Raj Institutions.

He directed the district administration to plan homestay tourism in Pahalgam, which would boost the local economy and enhance the tourism potential of Pahalgam. He stressed on the role of Panchayati Raj Institutions as people's representatives and to take the grievances of the general public to the district administration.
 
Shri Piyush Goyal also met a delegation of industrialists from the Valley. The industrialists apprised the minister about the local problems being faced by the industry.

There was an in-depth discussion on the constraints in the export of Kashmiri shawls and the need for new industrial package and extension of the package to the existing industrial units to ensure their growth.
 
 
The Minister assured the delegation of all possible help from the Central Government to promote local industries. Taking immediate action on bottlenecks in export of shawls, directed the officials to set up testing facilities at Srinagar and Delhi airports as well as upgrade the local testing facilities with state-of-the-art machines.

He also proposed the establishment of a carpet village that would act as a showcase center for local crafts for visiting tourists and promote the local carpet industry on a global scale.
He emphasized on the fact that the local industry players should play to their strengths and setup units where the UT has a comparative advantage to ensure the sustenance of the industries being set up.
 
The minister is on a two-day visit and will inaugurate various development works.