1.06 Cr tourists visited J&K from Jan to July this year: MoS Home tells LS

New Delhi: An estimated 1.06 crore tourists have visited Jammu and Kashmir from January to July 3 this year, Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.
Responding to questions in the House, the minister also said nearly 30,000 people have been recruited in the public sector in Jammu and Kashmir since 2019.
“During the current calendar year i.e. from January 2022 till July 3, 2022, the tourist footfall in UT of Jammu and Kashmir increased significantly and estimated to be around 1,06,24,000,” he said replying to a written question.
Rai did not specify whether the number of tourists includes pilgrims visiting Vaishno Devi temple and Amarnath Cave.
He said 75 offbeat destinations have been identified for tourism across Jammu and Kashmir.
In order to attract private investors from across the country to invest in tourism infrastructure, the Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Policy, 2020, has been notified and tourism given the status of industry to encourage investment, he said.
Replying to another question, the minister said special recruitment rules were made and various departmental rules amended to accelerate the recruitment process in a transparent and time bound manner.
“Recruitments in the public sector have been carried out from the year 2019 onwards totalling 29,806,” he said.
On August 5, 2019, the central government abrogated Article 370, which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir, and bifurcated the erstwhile state into the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.