TOURISM TOUCHING NEW HEIGHTS
Those entities in Jammu and Kashmir and for that matter in the entire country, which used to say that scrapping of Article 370 has not brought any change in the Union Territory should open their eyes and see the revolutionary change in the tourism sector as it is for the first time in the history of independent India that region has recorded a tourist footfall of 1.62 crore in a year and still there are two months to go as 2022 is in its last quarter. There is no doubt that still a lot of scope is there to further enhance the tourism in J&K because it is a place with numerous bounties of nature and if somehow the potential of the region is fully exploited there is every likelihood that over ten times more tourists can turn towards this paradise on Earth. But the breaking of record in such a little time period after the end of contentious Article 370 is a big achievement and also a big slap on the faces of those who unnecessarily were criticizing the government for the steps it has taken to restore normalcy and peace in Jammu and Kashmir. It is anybody’s guess that improvement in tourism will help generate more employment avenues and would give a boost to the socio-economic condition of the people, which is the need of the time at the moment in J&K. It is pertinent to mention that the tourism industry in the Union Territory has been allocated Rs 786 crore, which has led to revolutionary changes in the sector and the scenario has been totally changed. With such a big amount in hand, the edifice for tourists has seen gigantic uplift and the results are before one and all. Going by the alibis of the successive governments, J&K would have never progressed in the tourism sector and except Dal lake, Gulmarg and Pahalgam, no other place was given any importance but the Modi Government has come up with a comprehensive plan and today places like Ramnagar are receiving tourist footfall and locals are catering to their needs and in return enjoying good fortune and prosperity. This change envisaged by the Modi Government deserves kudos and full support of the people and nothing is impossible if there is will power.