J&K’s Kishtwar will become north India’s major ‘power hub’

Tags: State News

Union Minister of State for Personnel, Jitendra Singh, announced that Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar will become North India's major "power hub" generating approximately 6,000 MW of power upon the completion of ongoing power projects.

An overview of the news

• The minister held a meeting to review the progress of various hydroelectric power projects in the Kishtwar and Doda districts of Jammu and Kashmir.

• NHPC chairman Rajiv Vishnoi, Deputy Commissioner Kishtwar Devansh Yadav, and officials provided updates on the projects during the meeting.

• The surplus power generated in Kishtwar will not only be utilized within the Union Territory but can also be availed by other states.

• He assured 100% reservation for locals in unskilled jobs and pledged to prioritize local talent for skilled manpower requirements in these projects.

• Singh highlighted the improvement in connectivity, stating that road travel time from Jammu to Kishtwar has reduced from over seven hours in 2014 to less than five hours currently.

• Kishtwar has been included in the aviation map of India and a sanctioned airport under the Centre's UDAAN scheme.

• Modi government aims to bring underdeveloped regions like Kishtwar, northeastern states, and hilly areas at par with more developed regions of the country.

Jammu and Kashmir

• Jammu and Kashmir was a state of India till August 2019, which was bifurcated on 31 August 2019 to form two union territories named Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

• Capital- Srinagar (May–October), Jammu (November–April)

• Lieutenant Governor -Manoj Sinha

• Legislative Council - 36 seats

• Legislative Assembly -89 seats