Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh on Saturday said that creating a separate district for the Basohli—Billawar region is top on “our agenda” and the issue will be pursued vigorously whenever the J&K government sets up the next District Reorganisation Committee. The Basohli—Billawar region is presently in the Kathua district of the Jammu division.

Interacting with people in Basohli, the Minister said that the J&K UT authorities have been asked to send a proposal for declaring Basohli a heritage town in a proper format so that it can be taken up by the Centre.

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Dr Jitendra Singh announced the setting up of an AIIMS Jammu Outreach Centre at Basohli, addressing a long-pending demand of the region.

The AIIMS Outreach Centre, the Minister said, will ensure 24×7 availability of super-speciality doctors and surgeons as well as Emergency services. He informed that discussions are already underway between AIIMS Jammu authorities and the Government of Jammu and Kashmir to finalise the location and to put in place a roster system for specialist medical personnel to serve the new branch. Director of AIIMS Jammu, Dr Shakti Gupta, had also updated him about it this morning, he said.

During the public interaction, Dr Jitendra Singh patiently listened to the grievances and demands raised by individual citizens and public delegations. Several issues were resolved on the spot, while in other cases, the Minister directed the concerned district officials to ensure swift and time-bound redressal.

Addressing the gathering, Dr Jitendra Singh emphasised that elected representatives have a responsibility not only to solve the genuine issues of the people but also to make them feel available, heard, and cared for. “The Public Durbar initiative is one of the most effective means of strengthening the bridge between the people and their government,” he said.

Dr Jitendra Singh also announced the widening of the Dhar Road, a key move to ensure smooth and secure movement of commuters as well as security forces, given its strategic significance. In addition, he informed the gathering that the much-anticipated Ujh Multipurpose Project is being revived. Apart from enhancing irrigation and power generation capacities, the project will also serve a critical security role, as the region has been identified as vulnerable to cross-border infiltration.

Reiterating the commitment of the NDA government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Dr Jitendra Singh stated that the aim is to deliver transparent and efficient governance to the doorstep of every citizen, transcending the barriers of region, caste, or political affiliation. He said these public outreach programmes are driven by the mantra of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas’.