Omar Abdullah meets Finance Minister, discusses steps to reduce dependency on Centre
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday met Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and discussed the economic and financial progress with a focus to generate revenues so as to reduce dependency on the Centre, officials said.
In the last few days, the Chief Minister has held several meetings in New Delhi, including with President Droupadi Murmu. He also attended the Power Ministers' conference chaired by the Union Minister of Power earlier this week.
Omar Abdullah wrote on Instagram that his discussion with the Finance Minister “centred around crucial economic matters concerning Jammu and Kashmir.”
“I passionately advocated for much-needed support from the Union Finance Ministry for the region,” he wrote.
A J&K government spokesperson said that these recent dialogues, culminating in today’s meeting with the Finance Minister, “reinforce the commitment to advancing the welfare and development of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.”
The spokesperson said Abdullah “expressed optimism that collaborative efforts with the Central government would enhance financial stability and promote sustainable development in J&K.”
The CM sought support of the Union Finance Minister to avail the multilateral funding for development of new tourism destinations in Jammu & Kashmir.
The Chief Minister also requested the Ministry of Finance to treat Jammu and Kashmir at par with North Eastern states for availing incentives in respect of Externally Aided Project (EAP) loans and making it eligible for special lending arrangement under the EAP loans.
Omar informed Sitharaman about the “difficult fiscal situation being faced by J&K and requested the Ministry to provide additional Central assistance of Rs 6,000 crore to bridge the resource gap in the UT budget for FY 2024-25.
This was the second tour of Omar Abdullah to New Delhi after taking over as the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir. In his first visit, Omar had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and several other ministers.
