Jammu, Jan 19 (PTI) Union Minister Smriti Irani on Sunday said that a textile unit would be set up in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district while asserting that a "new wave of development has just begun" in the Union territory.

As part of the Centre's public outreach programme, the minister for textiles and women and child development held public meetings at Moori village and at Spiritual Growth Centre in the district.

Responding to public demand for a textile unit in the district, she said, "A suitable unit would be set up immediately after a formal request by the district administration."

Appreciating the enthusiasm of people towards Panchayati Raj and other democratic institutions, the minister said all things are possible with dialogue and public participation.

"A new wave of development has just begun," Irani said.

Counting the achievements of the Central government, she said more than eight lakh farmers are being benefited under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi while around 24,000 saffron growers in Jammu and Kashmir have benefitted till date under the National Saffron Mission.

Under the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, more than 12 lakh gas cylinders have been distributed to poor households of the Union Territory. The ambitious Ayushman Bharat Yojana has already benefitted 50,000 residents of the UT while 3.5 lakh cards have been distributed, the Union minister said.

Irani said that over 140 district and sub-district level hospital projects have been identified for up-gradation in Jammu and Kashmir in addition to the two upcoming AIIMS with a Rs 2,000 crore corpus.

Union Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs Anurag Singh Thakur urged the people of the Union Territory to leave their past and contribute their efforts towards making a "new India".

"Jammu and Kashmir has suffered immensely due to the historical mistakes, and this has had a detrimental impact on its political, social and economic development," he said inaugurating various developmental projects at Nagrota in Jammu.

About the sports talent in Jammu and Kashmir, he said sports infrastructure would be upgraded to tap into the huge potential among the youngsters.

Thakur said the Block Development Council elections in the union territory was a historical step that made the local self-government a part of the decision-making authority of which "they have been deprived of for the last 72 years".

"The government wants grass root-level participation to become an integral part of democracy which can then empower people socially, economically and politically," he said.

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