New Delhi, Dec 6: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday praised Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah for his “focused” and “determined” efforts to revive the J&K economy, which suffered a severe setback after the recent disruption to the region’s tourism sector.
Speaking at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit, Sitharaman reflected on India’s economic journey since 2019 — a period marked by global volatility and domestic challenges and highlighted the specific recovery measures underway in Jammu and Kashmir.
Without directly naming Pakistan, she referred to persistent troubles “at our borders through both state and non-state actors,” citing Jammu and Kashmir as a key example. She noted that the region had begun showing strong signs of economic improvement under Central rule when it faced a major external blow.
“The Centre went into the granular details of J&K’s economy clearing bottlenecks and pushing growth so it becomes buoyant,” she said. Sitharaman also pointed to the successful revival of J&K Bank, calling it “something the country can be proud of.”
The finance minister said the local economy had shown strong recovery momentum before it was halted by events such as the April 22 Pahalgam attack, where Pakistani terrorists killed 26 people, mostly tourists a severe setback to the tourism-driven economy.
“I must appreciate the Chief Minister of J-K, who met me twice and remained focused on restoring the economy after the tourism sector came to a standstill,” Sitharaman said.
She made the remarks in response to a question on the resilience of the Indian economy amid a turbulent global environment.