Srinagar, Jul 04: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday welcomed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal urging Amarnath pilgrims to spend at least 10 per cent of their travel budget on local products, saying the initiative could significantly benefit Kashmir’s economy if devotees are allowed to freely visit local markets.
Speaking to reporters, Abdullah described the Prime Minister’s call as “a very good suggestion” but said its success depended on giving pilgrims the freedom to step out of their buses and interact with local businesses.
“It is a very good statement. But they should be allowed to leave their buses and move around. Otherwise, how will they spend? They are being kept inside buses like prisoners and are not allowed to go anywhere. Let them explore a little so they can spend that 10 per cent of their budget here. That will benefit our people,” he said.
The Chief Minister said allowing pilgrims to visit markets would help local shopkeepers, artisans, pony operators, porters and other small businesses that depend on the annual Amarnath Yatra for their livelihood.
Prime Minister Modi, in his message to pilgrims, had urged devotees to adopt the “Vocal for Local” initiative by spending at least 10 per cent of their travel expenses on locally made products to strengthen the livelihoods of families and youth in Jammu and Kashmir.
Abdullah also welcomed the Centre’s decision to withdraw the proposed Monday-Tuesday closure of Srinagar Airport, calling it a major relief for Kashmir’s tourism sector.
“The proposed shutdown was proving very costly for us. Just yesterday, I spoke to people associated with the tourism industry, and many tour groups had already started cancelling their bookings,” he said.
He said he had raised the issue with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“As a result, there will be no closure of the airport on Mondays and Tuesdays. This is a big relief for us,” Abdullah said, adding that the government would now seek flight operations from Awantipora during the airport’s scheduled closure in October.
The Chief Minister also welcomed the removal of Punjab’s mandi tax on horticultural produce from Jammu and Kashmir, calling the earlier levy “an injustice.”
“Our produce was neither coming from Punjab nor being sold there. It was coming from Rajasthan. Imposing mandi tax on it was unfair to our people. We had consistently taken up this issue with the Punjab government,” he said.
