Srinagar: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Thursday said he will not rest till he rids Jammu and Kashmir of the drug menace.
All the departments, be it the Social Welfare or the Health department, are working towards the drug-free goal, he said, addressing women farmers’ conference organised by the Indian Farmers Fertilizer Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) at Srinagar, an official press release informed.
“I have launched the ‘Nasha Mukt’ campaign on April 11 in Jammu, and we have decided that we will not rest till we eradicate the drug abuse problem,” Sinha said.
“When Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the ‘Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan’ in 2020, a lot of efforts were made in Jammu and Kashmir as well. Police are taking action on their part, more drugs are being seized, there are more arrests than earlier, and more cases are being registered,” he added.
Sinha said the anti-drug abuse campaign will also be launched in Kashmir in the first week of May.
“We will be launching the Kashmir chapter of the campaign on May 3. I request you sisters to come forward and contribute towards a drug-free Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.
The LG said the government alone cannot overcome this problem.
“We have seen women who have lost a child, or their daughter has fallen victim to drug abuse. We can get rid of this menace when the power of government is supported by the efforts of the people,” he added.
The LG highlighted the contributions of women farmers in agriculture and allied sectors and agri-entrepreneurship, saying that the global food system rests on women’s labor, yet it excludes them from prosperity.
He urged every cooperative, government stakeholder to ask, what challenge or barrier in women farmers’ lives can be eliminated immediately? By removing them one by one, we can honor their leadership and enrich society and the nation through direct market access, he said.
The LG said that the UN General Assembly has fittingly declared 2026 the International Year of Women Farmers, which was a long-awaited dream.
“I view International Women Farmers Year 2026 as a historic opportunity, proclaiming women as creators, not mere laborers, in agriculture’s growth. Prioritize women farmers in every scheme. I trust 2026 will sincerely recognize women’s roles in agriculture and allied sectors, fulfilling their aspirations,” the LG said.
The LG called upon technology innovators to prioritize technical tools for women farmers.
He stressed that the agriculture, horticulture, fisheries, and dairy departments must allocate resources to women farmers, while financial institutions design loan products enabling landless women farmers to access credit in their names.
“We must reinvigorate society with the resolve for women-led development in Jammu Kashmir, enabling women’s power to transform it. Significant strides in women empowerment since 2020 has set a national example and our women farmers empowerment project exemplifies the success,” the LG said.
The LG exhorted the stakeholders to grant women farmers and entrepreneurs recognition, resources, and agency to work on their terms.
“Empowered women farmers are bearers of climate resilience, building robust agri-ecosystems with quality seeds, digital tools, and market linkages from cooperatives,” he said.
The LG observed that through the Holistic Agriculture Development Program (HADP), Jammu Kashmir advances holistic, tech-driven, farmer-centric transformation for higher production, incomes, and sustainable agriculture. It has registered 14,782 women farmers.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched JKCIP on June 20, 2024, targeting climate-smart, market-oriented production; agri-economy ecosystems; sectoral development; and aid for vulnerable groups, women, and youth—registering 5,248 women farmers, the press release said.
It said the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi has over 90,000 women beneficiaries. Over 8,000 women farmers are registered in natural farming and central schemes; 4,472 in horticulture; 128 in sericulture; over 144,000 in SKUAST schemes; 27,500 in dairy; and more than 16,000 in sheep farming and fisheries. Across agriculture and allied sectors, nearly 3,11,000 women are registered.
“I recognize millions more unregistered women farmers; I urge them to join central schemes. I take pride in Jammu Kashmir’s self-help groups, women-led FPOs, and skill programs in mushrooms, horticulture, beekeeping, food processing, and dairy, empowering rural women as farmers, agri-entrepreneurs, and decision-makers. When women control production resources, inputs, and services in agriculture and allied sectors, they ensure food security,” the LG said.
The LG urged the IFFCO to establish farmers’ training centre, multi-facility farmers service centre, sheep production unit in J&K and provision of mobile soil testing machine to support local farmers.
