Srinagar, Feb 18 — The Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly on Tuesday approved grants totalling ₹8,68,102.86 lakh for key departments, with the largest allocations going to Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Agriculture, and allied sectors.
The grants were passed by voice vote after detailed deliberations in the House.
Of the total amount, ₹4,56,569.56 lakh was sanctioned for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, ₹2,42,386.40 lakh for Agriculture, ₹1,16,040.98 lakh for Animal and Sheep Husbandry, ₹69,648.23 lakh for Horticulture, ₹20,620.56 lakh for Fisheries, ₹26,611.42 lakh for Cooperatives, and ₹36,126.71 lakh for the Election Department.
Winding up the discussion on Demands for Grants, Agriculture Production, Rural Development, Cooperatives and Election Minister Javid Ahmed Dar described agriculture and allied sectors as the “lifeline of Jammu and Kashmir’s economy,” citing their role in sustaining rural livelihoods, employment generation and food security.
“Agriculture and allied activities contribute ₹41,273 crore to the J&K economy, accounting for nearly 19 per cent of the SGDP,” the minister said, adding that horticulture contributes 41 per cent, livestock 33 per cent and core agriculture 25 per cent.
Dar said capital investments under the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP) and J&K Climate-Resilient Infrastructure Programme (JKCIP) have expanded cultivable area by around 80,000 hectares. He said protected cultivation initiatives, including 332 hi-tech greenhouses and 848 polyhouses, have raised cropping intensity to 250 per cent.
Oilseed cultivation has increased from 1.4 lakh hectares to 2.1 lakh hectares, while honey production has crossed 3,895 metric tonnes, with over one lakh bee colonies distributed, he said.
On horticulture, the minister said fruit production has risen from 26.43 lakh metric tonnes to 26.92 lakh metric tonnes, with a target of 29.72 lakh metric tonnes by 2029–30. He said high-density plantations and new fruit nurseries at RS Pura, Marta and Lehwan are being developed to ensure the supply of disease-free planting material, while SKUAST Jammu has set up a state-of-the-art ex-situ gene bank for genetic conservation.
Dar said Controlled Atmosphere (CA) storage capacity is being expanded, with 15,000 metric tonnes added this year, and that mandis have been integrated with the e-NAM platform, enabling cumulative trade worth ₹1,721 crore. He added that the dairy, sheep and poultry sectors are being modernised through elite breed induction and new milk processing units.
Outlining rural development achievements, the minister said 387.37 lakh person-days were generated under MGNREGA, 15,093 PMAY-G houses were completed, and over 27,000 individual household latrines and nearly 2,000 community sanitary complexes were constructed. He also cited the rollout of solid waste and greywater management infrastructure in villages.
Under livelihood and skill initiatives, Dar said 1,427 rural youth were trained under Himayat 1.0, with 1,085 securing employment. He added that over 7.9 lakh women have been mobilised into 95,000 self-help groups, leveraging ₹3,020 crore in bank credit, while the Lakhpati Didi programme has created 2.01 lakh women entrepreneurs.
Announcing initiatives for 2026–27, the minister said the government will roll out an Aromatic and Medicinal Plants Mission with an outlay of ₹150 crore, expand weather-based crop insurance with a sum insured of ₹6,594.93 crore, provide subsidies for micro and sprinkler irrigation, and establish Centres of Excellence in every district.
Plans also include setting up 40 new CA storage units with an investment of ₹1,400 crore, seven new milk processing plants, and targeted support for sheep, dairy, honey, fisheries and sericulture clusters.
“These measures reflect the government’s vision to build self-reliant and prosperous rural communities while strengthening livelihoods, food security and balanced regional development across Jammu and Kashmir,” Dar said.