J&K govt passes grants amounting to over Rs 9,680 Cr for various departments

Jammu, Feb 17: The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly on Tuesday passed grants amounting to more than Rs 9,680.03 crore for the agriculture, rural development, cooperatives, election, animal and sheep husbandry, horticulture and fisheries departments in the Union Territory.

The House passed grants totalling Rs 45.65 crore for the rural development and panchayati raj department, Rs 2,423.86 crore for the agriculture department, Rs 1,160.4 crore for the animal and sheep husbandry department, Rs 696.48 crore for the horticulture department, Rs 206.2 crore for the fisheries department, Rs 266.11 crore for the cooperatives department and Rs 361.26 crore for the election department.

The grants were passed through a voice vote after daylong deliberations by legislators in the House.

Winding up the discussion on Demands for Grants, minister Javid Ahmed Dar described agriculture and allied sectors as the “lifeline of Jammu and Kashmir’s economy”.

Highlighting the economic significance of the agriculture sector, the minister informed the House that farming and allied activities contribute Rs 41,273 crore to Jammu and Kashmir’s economy, accounting for 19 per cent of the SGDP (Ministry of Statistics 2024-25).

“Of this, horticulture contributes 41 per cent, reaffirming Jammu and Kashmir’s leadership in high-value fruit production. Livestock contributes 33 per cent, while core agriculture accounts for 25 per cent, ensuring food security and sustaining traditional cropping systems,” he said.

“Public investment must translate into measurable prosperity at the grassroots level,” Dar added.