Frequent parl study tours bring focus on J&K’s development, tourism

Srinagar, Jun 24: For Jammu & Kashmir, the past two months have felt like a revolving door of parliamentary delegations, with the seventh such group set to arrive in the Valley on Thursday (June 25).
Since the conclusion of the Budget Session of Parliament, the Union Territory has witnessed a steady stream of parliamentary delegations undertaking study tours. The Parliamentary Panel on External Affairs, headed by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, is currently visiting the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. Meanwhile, the Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Petroleum and Natural Gas is scheduled to begin its four-day study tour of Jammu & Kashmir tomorrow.
This will mark the seventh visit by a Department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee since the Budget Session ended on April 18.
According to details available, the Department-related Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth and Sports, led by MP Digvijaya Singh, visited Jammu & Kashmir immediately after the Budget Session. The committee reviewed educational reforms, youth engagement, and welfare initiatives in the Valley.
In the first week of May, the Department-related Standing Committee on Finance, headed by MP Bhartruhari Mahtab, visited Jammu & Kashmir to review key issues such as financial literacy, digitalisation, GST reforms, pension regulation, MSME growth, insurance coverage, and grievance redressal.
Soon after, the Department-related Standing Committee on Housing and Urban Affairs, led by MP Magunta Sreenivasulu Reddy, visited Jammu & Kashmir and assessed the progress of Smart City and other urban projects.
The Department-related Standing Committee on Home Affairs, headed by BJP MP Radha Mohan Das Aggarwal, visited Jammu & Kashmir from May 10 to May 15 to discuss various issues. The Department-related Standing Committee on Social Justice and Empowerment also visited the Union Territory in May–June as part of its study tour.
Cutting across party lines, legislators are optimistic that these visits will boost development in Jammu & Kashmir and promote it on the tourism map.
MLA Gulmarg, Farooq Ahmad Shah, termed the visits as positive, saying that parliamentarians can better understand the realities on the ground through firsthand experience.
“When parliamentarians visit J&K and witness the situation themselves, they become ambassadors of Jammu and Kashmir. This is a welcome step and will help project the region in a positive manner,” Shah said.
“Once they return, they will carry good impressions of Jammu and Kashmir and encourage others to visit. We are hopeful that this will have a positive impact on tourism and development alike,” he said.
Shah, who is also head of J&K Assembly’s petition committee, said that these visits also draw the attention of the Central government to the development needs of J&K.
“During these visits, they also examine developmental issues concerning J&K, which are later mentioned in their reports. Once the report is tabled, the concerned ministry has to submit an action-taken report on it,” he explained.
Echoing similar views, MLA Udhampur East R.S. Pathania said the visits would prove beneficial for the Union Territory.
“Jammu & Kashmir is getting positive projection through such visits, and it will certainly help,” Pathania said. (KNO)