Tag: Srinagar

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Jammu & Kashmir Inks Pact With Lulu

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in the presence of Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha and LuLu group Chairman, Yusuff Ali MA is to set up a food processing & logistics hub in Srinagar, reports Asian Lite Newsdesk

Jammu and Kashmir government on Wednesday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with UAE-based LuLu Group to set up a food processing and logistics hub in Srinagar.

The MoU was signed in the presence of Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha and LuLu Group Chairman, Yusuff Ali MA.

LG Manoj Sinha also inaugurated Jammu and Kashmir promotion week at the LuLu Hypermarket in Dubai.

Speaking at the occasion, Lt Governor said, “Relations between India and UAE are long-standing and deep rooted. People-to-people contact and trade have seen momentum in the recent years under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”

“The world-famous GI-tagged saffron has been launched at LuLu Hypermarket, which I see as a major step towards boosting Jammu Kashmir and Dubai partnership. LuLu group is already importing apples from Jammu and Kashmir. And with saffron, we are adding Kashmir’s finest spice to the basket. I am certain that this new beginning will take our trade to unprecedented levels,” Sinha added.

He said the MoU with LuLu Group will expand the collaboration between Jammu and Kashmir and Dubai.

“Trade between Jammu and Kashmir and Dubai has remained steady, despite COVID-19 challenges and it reflects the resilience of our deep economic linkages. The MoU will further expand Jammu Kashmir-Dubai collaboration and Jammu Kashmir-LuLu Group partnership,” the Lieutenant Governor said.

Worth mentioning, Jammu and Kashmir rank first in the production of saffron, apple, walnut, and almond in India. The MoU with the LuLu group will help the union territory to reach out to shoppers at 190 LuLu Hypermarkets across the GCC and Egypt.

Indian Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai

The J&K week started on 3rd January in Indian India Pavilion at Expo 202 Dubai and will conclude on 13th January.

As part of the week, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha along with other government officials from the UT will hold various G2B, B2G and G2G meetings and invite global investors to invest across key sectors like tourism, handloom & handicraft, food processing among others.

The J&K delegation led by the LG will participate in various bilateral meetings during the week. A special speech on, ‘Development after UT’ will be hosted on 6th January where the Sinha will talk about the initiatives taken by the Government of J&K in ensuring growth across different sectors.

Given the prominence of J&K as a tourist destination, the UT will also participate in a joint session with Ministry of Tourism, Government on India on 12th January.

The vision of the UT of J&K is to promote balanced growth of industry and commerce through sustainable utilization of natural resources and development of human skills.

With this vision, the Government of J&K is working towards creating an enabling and entrepreneurial friendly environment which will facilitate the sustainable growth and development of industrial enterprises including Cottage and Village industries.

The UT is aiming to encourage new investment in industries and facilitate new entrepreneurs. With the focus on growth in these areas, the UT is also working towards encouraging and creating conditions that will enable the promotion of human resource skills, creation of new employment opportunities and development of new designs in the Handloom and Handicrafts sector.

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In October last year, Jammu and Kashmir administration had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Dubai government for real estate development, industrial parks, IT towers, multipurpose towers, logistics, medical colleges, super specialty hospitals and more.

The MoU will see discussions take place on a multi-modal logistics park and hub in Jammu, comprising warehouses and specialised storage solutions that will also encourage inter-modal transfer of containers, bulk and break-bulk cargo.

In December, the J&K government had signed a deal with University College Birmingham (UCB) at India Global Forum, Dubai to explore potential progression opportunities through institutional partnership with vocational colleges and universities in the valley.

As per an official release, for the first time, UCB has decided to set up an office in Jammu and Kashmir to tie up with local educational institutions, facilitate academic exchange programmes and enable students to secure admissions at reduced fees.

In a significant step towards developing the education sector in Jammu and Kashmir through this MoU, the administration aims to achieve skill development or upskilling of students in a variety of different subject areas and levels besides exploring opportunities for collaboration in teaching and research fields.

The objective of the MoU is to provide a framework within which the parties will seek to develop a formal relationship in exchange for undergraduate/graduate students, technical programs, academic mobility, teaching and research programs. The document would be valid for a period of three years. (with inputs from ANI)

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Srinagar earns UNESCO’s creative tag

”We prepared the dossier to highlight the genuineness of Srinagar’s claim to be recognised as an UNESCO heritage city…reports Asian Lite News.

J&K’s Srinagar city on Monday made it to the prestigious list of UNESCO creative cities network for 2021, for craft and folk art.

This was announced by UNESCO on its official website on Monday wherein 49 cities have joined the elite list.

“We have been trying to find a place for Srinagar city in the UNESCO list for the last four years,” Saleem Beg, convener of the J&K chapter of INTACH (Indian National Trust For Art And Cultural Heritage) told.

“We prepared the dossier to highlight the genuineness of Srinagar’s claim to be recognised as an UNESCO heritage city.

“The dossier went to UNESCO where it was thoroughly scrutinised. Then they sent us a list of queries which had to be replied in detail.

“In addition to this, there was a lot of bureaucratic process that had to be completed before we got the final recognition,” he added.

Beg said Srinagar had missed its place in the list in 2019 by a whisker.

“We were left out the last time in 2019 because we lost the slot to Film City in Hyderabad. This time there were two cities running in close competition for the prestigious place – Srinagar and Gwalior. UNESCO has finally decided to select Srinagar this time,” he said.

Beg credits the success of this effort to the team of local craftsmen and folk artists whose work has finally got global recognition.

Asked about what does the recognition mean in terms of advantage to the local crafts and folk art, he said: “It is a recognition of not only for our crafts and folk arts, but for Srinagar city as such.

“It is a global recognition towards which the world looks with interest. Our crafts and folk art are not something that has fossilised. These are growing and dynamic arts.

“The recognition will definitely give us a marketing edge.”

This year, the exercise of the dossier’s preparation began in the month of May. The Union Culture Ministry received four nominations – two from Madhya Pradesh (Gwalior and Indore), one from West Bengal (Kolkata) and one from J&K (Srinagar).

The Centre, however, rejected the application of Kolkata and Indore and forwarded only two nominations – Srinagar and Gwalior.

It recommended the nomination of Gwalior as creative city of music and Srinagar for creative city of craft and folk arts to UNESCO on June 29.

The announcements were finally made on Monday, rejecting the nomination of Gwalior and accepting that of Srinagar.

Kashmir to celebrate UNESCO WIN

Junaid Azim Mattu, mayor of J&K’s Srinagar municipal corporation (SMC) said on Tuesday that month-long celebratory events will be held to celebrate the UNESCO tag of creative city for Srinagar.

Speaking to the media, the mayor called it the biggest day for the entire Srinagar district.

Mattu said that serious efforts have been made by everyone concerned to ensure that Srinagar achieves this milestone.

“We have achieved this milestone after a lot of hardwork and dedication. We have been pursuing this since 2018 and finally after the hard work and serious efforts by SMC Commissioner and other officers concerned, we have finally achieved the milestone. It is the biggest day for whole Srinagar”, Mattu said.

UNESCO on Monday included Srinagar as a creative city for its craft and folk art. In the final list, Srinagar had to closely compete with Gwalior for this year’s slot in the UNESCO list.

The Dossier for Srinagar’s claim was prepared by the J&K chapter of INTACH (Indian national trust for culture and heritage) with the assistance of other concerned agencies.

Saleem Beg, convener of J&K chapter of INTACH said the effort to get Srinagar its UNESCO recognition was started four years back.

ALSO READ-UNESCO Designates Srinagar as ‘Creative City’

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UNESCO Designates Srinagar as ‘Creative City’

PM Narendra Modi said it is fitting recognition for the vibrant cultural ethos of Srinagar, reports Asian Lite News

In a major recognition of the crafts and arts of Jammu and Kashmir, Srinagar has joined the UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) 2021, under the Crafts and Folk Arts category.

The inclusion of Srinagar in the creative city network for the arts and crafts has paved a way for the city to represent its handicrafts on the global stage through UNESCO.

This was announced on UNESCO’s official website wherein 49 cities have joined this elite list. The exercise for UNESCO nomination was started by Jammu and Kashmir in 2018 however our nomination was not accepted then.

This year the exercise of Dossier preparation began in the month of May. The government of India Ministry of Culture received four nominations which included Two from Madhya Pradesh Gwalior and Indore and one from West Bengal (Calcutta ) and one from Jammu and Kashmir (Srinagar).

Srinagar
Houseboats and ‘shikaras’ anchored on the banks of Dal Lake, in Srinagar.(Photo: IANS)

The government of India rejected the application of Calcutta and Indore and forwarded only two nominations which included Srinagar and Gwalior. The Centre recommended the nomination of Gwalior for the Creative City of Music and Srinagar for the Creative City of Craft and Folk arts to UNESCO on June 29, 2021.

The nomination of Gwalior was rejected and that of Srinagar was accepted. This nomination is the global recognition of the rich craft legacy of Srinagar and will help us in attracting Craft Connoisseurs to Jammu and Kashmir and particularly Srinagar.

The UNESCO creative city network involves seven creative fields arts and folk art, media, film, literature, design, gastronomy and Media arts.

The dossier for nomination for Srinagar as the Creative city was first filed by Srinagar in the year 2019, however, only 2 cities, Hyderabad for Gastronomy and Mumbai for Film were chosen during that year.

Prior to the year 2019, only three Indian cities have been recognised as members of UCCN for creative cities namely, Jaipur (Crafts and Folk Arts) in 2015, Varanasi (Creative city of Music) in 2015 and Chennai (Creative city of Music) in 2017. For the year 2020 UNESCO did not call for applications for creative city network.

A Man pluck damage Apple from tree after Fresh snowfall from last night at Shopian in Jammu and Kashmir (Photo: Nisar Malik /IANS)

Chief Executive Officer, Jhelum Tawi Flood Recovery Project, JKERA, Dr Abid Rashid Shah, said that process of nomination of Srinagar under the UNESCO Creative City Network was undertaken and funded under the World Bank Funded Jhelum Tawi Flood Recovery Project. This is the recognition of the historical Crafts and Arts of the City.

“It is a proud moment for all of us. World Bank, Jhelum and Tawi Flood Recovery Project (JTFRP) and Department of Industries did a remarkable job in projecting the city in this regard,” said Dr Shah.

Director, Technical, Planning and Coordination, JTFRP, Iftikhaar Hakeem, said that credit must go to JTFRP, Department of Industries and line departments for taking up the task positively. He said consultants were hired and work was taken up in this regard to fulfilling all the requirements.

Modi congratulates people

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday congratulated the people of Jammu and Kashmir for Srinagar joining the UNESCO Creative Cities Network with a special mention for its craft and folk art.

He said it is fitting recognition for the vibrant cultural ethos of Srinagar.
“Delighted that beautiful Srinagar joins the @UNESCO Creative Cities Network (UCCN) with a special mention for its craft and folk art. It is a fitting recognition for the vibrant cultural ethos of Srinagar. Congratulations to the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” the Prime Minister said in a tweet.

Jammu and Kashmir Lt Governor Manoj Sinha said that the decision was ultimate recognition for artisans and weavers of Jammu and Kashmir.
He extended congratulations to entire J-K team including Srinagar Mayor Junaid Mattu and Commissioner, Srinagar Municipal Corporation Athar Aamir Khan.

“Srinagar included in @UNESCO Creative Cities Network in the crafts &folk art category. It is ultimate recognition for artisans & weavers of J&K. Congratulations to entire J&K team, @Junaid_Mattu Ji, @AtharAamirKhan & thanks to @EduMinOfIndia, @MinOfCultureGoI for all the support,” he said.

Sinha said that Prime Minister had always given special priority to Jammu and Kashmir.

“Grateful to Hon’ble PM @narendramodi for always giving special priority to J&K. Dossier of exceptionally rich art & craft legacy of Srinagar was meticulously prepared & submitted in June this year by @SMC_Srinagar with help of Kashmir INTACH,” he said. (ANI)

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