Jammu and Kashmir, which used to be a ”terrorist hotspot”, has become a ”tourist hotspot” as 22 lakh tourists visited the Union Territory in 2022, nearly four time more than the previous highest, the Union Home Ministry said on Tuesday.
According to the ‘Year End Review 2022’ of the Home Ministry, released on Tuesday, the number of terror incidents in J and K decreased from 417 in 2018 to 229 in 2021, while the number of security forces personnel martyred has reduced from 91 in 2018 to 42 in 2021.
”Earlier, it was a terrorist hotspot and today it has become a tourist hotspot in Kashmir Valley. Earlier, maximum six lakh tourists used to visit every year, whereas this year till now, 22 lakh tourists have visited. This has given employment to thousands of youth,” the year end review said.
The ministry said there are no incidents of stone pelting in Jammu and Kashmir now as the government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is moving ahead on the path of development with firmness In the UT.
As many as 42,000 people succumbed to terrorism and in Delhi no one flinched an eyelid, but now under the leadership of Modi, there is complete control of the security forces on terrorism, it said.
There has been about 54 percent reduction in terrorist incidents, 84 percent in the deaths of security forces and about 22 percent in recruitment of terrorists in J and K, it added.
Under the Prime Minister’s Development Package for Jammu and Kashmir, about 63 projects have been built at a cost of Rs 80,000 crore in hydro-power electricity. The work of Kiru project at a cost of Rs 4,287 crore is under progress, the ministry said.
