Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], November 22 (ANI): Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday inaugurated works pertaining to health, education, urban infrastructure and disaster management amounting to Rs 130.49 crore.

As per the Ministry of Finance, the Union Minister also laid the foundation stone for Union Territory (UT) Level Emergency Operation Centre and SCADA control building at Budgam, Kashmir --amounting to Rs 34.88 crore-- under the Jhelum and Tawi Flood Recovery Project (JTFRP) during her visit to the UT of Jammu and Kashmir.

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The sub-projects are part of the Jhelum and Tawi Flood Recovery Project (JTFRP) which is assisted by a credit of USD 250 million from the World Bank.

The project was started in Jammu and Kashmir in the aftermath of the devastating floods of September 2014 which severely affected low-lying areas of Anantnag, Srinagar and adjoining districts causing immense damage to housing, livelihoods and roads and bridges.

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"It has been under implementation by the government of Jammu and Kashmir as part of the Prime Minister's Development Package (PMDP) for Jammu and Kashmir since its effective date of 19.04.2016. The project aims at both restoring essential services disrupted by the floods and improving the design standard and practices to increase resilience," the Ministry said in a release.

"The high social impact of JTFRP was felt in the COVID-19 pandemic response by the Government of Jammu and Kashmir, wherein an amount of USD 50 million was allocated and utilized for the COVID-19 response, by activating the Contingency Emergency Response Component (CERC) under the project. Medical equipment worth Rs 290 crore and 30 oxygen generating plants at a total cost of Rs. 75 crore were procured thereby giving a boost to the health infrastructure to cope with the challenges posed by the pandemic," it added.

In a significant step towards the self-reliance of the artisans of Jammu and Kashmir, many artisan clusters were developed under this project with the objective of reviving the traditional crafts and providing gainful employment opportunities to youth.

"One major recent achievement of the project has been the enlistment of Srinagar city in the UNESCO world creative cities network. Srinagar became one of the 49 cities worldwide to join the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) under the Craft and Folk Arts category which is a moment of pride for all Indians," the Ministry added. (ANI)

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