JK’s financial dependence on Centre has increased: CM
Srinagar: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday said Jammu and Kashmir’s financial dependence on the Centre has increased after it was made a union territory.
The chief minister was reacting to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s statement about the need for states to ensure fiscal discipline for reducing the debt-GDP ratio.
“Jammu and Kashmir is not financially self sufficient. We are largely dependent on the Centre for financial resources. This dependency, instead of reducing, has increased after we were made a UT,” Abdullah, who is also JK’s finance minister, told reporters here.
“As a state, we used to get state share from Central taxes which we do not get now. So, we have to directly transfer a lot of budgetary burden to the Centre.
“However, we have tried out best to ensure that there is laxity in financial discipline,” he said.
On promotion of adventure tourism in Jammu and Kashmir, Abdullah said his government was doing everything possible in this regard but places highest emphasis on safety and security of the people.
“We are doing our best… But we are also ensuring that there should be security and safety of the people. We saw recently, probably somewhere in Uttarakhand, that a man went for bungee jumping without tying the rope. We don’t want such a thing happening here,” he said.
Abdullah, on promoting hidden tourist destinations in Jammu and Kashmir, said there was a need to reopen the known destinations first.
“We are promoting tourism but so many destinations are still closed for tourists. When you go to Gulmarg, you cannot go too far from Gondola on either side, you cannot go to Drung. Doodhpathri destination is closed. Open all these places first,” he said.
On Kashmir’s electricity crisis, Abdullah said the power generation in the UT has fallen significantly due to decrease in water discharge in the river bodies.
“We know it is very cold here and people need to keep themselves warm but they should use the electricity judiciously,” he added.
The Chief Minister earlier addressed the 17th Annual Convention of the Adventure Tour Operators Association of India (ATOAI) at the Sher-i- Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC).
The 4-day national event being held in Srinagar from December 17 to 20, 2025, is aimed at positioning Jammu & Kashmir as a leading global destination for adventure tourism.
The Chief Minister highlighted that Jammu and Kashmir has remained pioneer in adventure tourism notably, in skiing mountaineering, trekking etc all across the globe.
Chief Minister emphasised that technology integration is essential to promote and realise advanced adventure tourism potential in Jammu and Kashmir. He laid stress on introducing artificial snow so as to start skiing early and to prolong duration of skiing calendar in Gulmarg which would also help in mitigating the effects of climate change resulting in lesser and delayed snowfalls.
The Chief Minister underlined that the Jammu and Kashmir Government is taking all necessary measures to ensure the continued growth of the tourism sector despite challenges faced during the current season. He also appreciated the leadership of ATOAI for providing Jammu and Kashmir an opportunity to host the prestigious national convention.
The Chief Minister expressed gratitude to the Union Tourism Minister for extending unwavering support to the tourism sector of Jammu and Kashmir.
CM said that climate change and global warming were real issues which need to be talked about and we need to take steps to conserve our environment for posterity. He said that we won’t be able to showcase Gulmarg without snow and our glaciers have also started receding at an alarming rate.
CM said that white water rafting, mountaineering, trekking, paragliding, rock climbing are key adventure tourism activities which can be promoted but cautioned operators to ensure high standards of safety and quality equipment to make adventure tourism safe and comfortable. He said that adventure tourism opens up new avenues of tourism in J&K and expressed hope that partnering with ATOAI will help to develop this sector in Jammu and Kashmir.
During the inaugural ceremony, the Chief Minister launched the Adventure Tourism Roadmap and Toolkit for Jammu and Kashmir and presented ATOAI Awards to achievers in the field of adventure tourism.
On the occasion, ATOAI President Ajeet Bajaj presented a piece of stone, collected from the summit of Mount Everest as a special souvenir to CM Omar Abdullah
Towards the end of the inaugural function, the Chief Minister presented and felicitated the awardees, including recipients of the ATOAI Awards, the Adventure Tourism Leadership Award, and Special Recognition by the Chief Guest. On the occasion, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah also launched the J&K Adventure Tourism Roadmap. (with inputs from PTI)
