Mufti may meet Modi soon to finalise financial package

Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed is likely to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi soon to finalise the much-awaited financial package for the flood-ravaged state.

The PDP-BJP coalition government has been under flak for the delay in granting a relief package to people hit by the floods last year.

Government sources have said Mufti is likely to travel to Delhi in the coming days and finalise the much-awaited financial package of nearly Rs 70,000 crore, which is largely aimed at reviving the economy of the state.

The sources have said the funds will be spent over the next six to eight years on various development projects which have already been identified by the state government.

“The two leaders will finalise the outline of the package, which may be announced by the Prime Minister during his visit to state, likely to take place later this month,” the sources said.

“The package will also have some cash relief for the flood-hit victims and is largely aimed at revival of the economy,” they added.

In fact, the Jammu and Kashmir Government and the Union Finance Ministry have already done the spadework about the package.

J&K Minister for Finance Haseeb Drabu, who had been pursuing the package with New Delhi after formation of the PDP-BJP government in March, said in the Assembly on Friday that they were working on a comprehensive flood package and “the package was not an event, but a process”.

In September last year, Kashmir witnessed unprecedented floods, which created large-scale destruction. The flood waters submerged nearly 800 villages in the state for more than two weeks and left nearly 300 people dead.

The deluge left thousands homeless and official figures stated that nearly 3.5 lakh structures, mostly residential houses, were fully or partially damaged in the floods.

The previous state government headed by Omar Abdullah had submitted a package for Rs 44,000 crore for relief and rehabilitation of flood-ravaged people. The PDP-BJP government had later backed the package for relief and rehabilitation.

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