PM Modi salutes the beneficiaries of national programmes in Srinagar

Srinagar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi had an interaction with some local achievers here on Thursday, who are setting examples for the youth of the country.

The first to interact with the Prime Minister at the Bakshi Stadium was Nazim Nazir, a youth from Pulwama district.

Nazim told the Prime Minister that he was studying in Class 10 when he had two beehives on the roof of his home.

“I would go up and tend for the bees daily after returning from school. My parents wanted me to be a doctor, but I loved beekeeping and wanted to make it my profession. This was in 2018, after which I got 25 bee boxes from the agriculture department on 50 per cent subsidy. I extracted 75 kg of honey from these 25 boxes, which I sold for Rs 60,000.

“Under the PMEG, I got a loan of Rs 5 lakhs and in 2020, I had 200 boxes. I also created a website of my own along with an online brand in 2023. I got the FPO certification and today I sell 5,000 kg of honey online. There are no hassles because payments are routed online”, Nazim told the Prime Minister.

He also said that he takes his honey bees to Rajasthan during the winter months where people give him free land to keep his boxes because his bees help their agriculture through cross-pollination.

PM Modi told him that while the country knows about Green Revolution, today Nazim has become the brand ambassador of ‘Sweet Revolution’ in the country.

The Prime Minister also told Nazim that he had shown a direction to the youth of the country, and for this, the PM salutes his courage and his parents.

When Nazim expressed his desire to click a selfie with the Prime Minister, a smiling PM Modi told him that he would ask the SPG for a photo at the end of the function.

Next to interact with the Prime Minister was Ahtisham Majid Bhat from Rawatpora in Srinagar.

While Nazim was personally present in the stadium, Ahtisham interacted with the Prime Minister virtually.

She told the Prime Minister that she has a group of four women, including herself, who are from different districts of the Valley.

“After I took admission in a food technology course, I wanted to explore innovations in bakeries that would suit health-conscious people and diabetics alike. I had six months of incubation training. Experts told me that there was a lot of paperwork involved in registering my unit and I would be exhausted by chasing those papers.

“After 2019, the digital single window service was introduced in J&K, and all my formalities were completed online. I didn’t have to run from office to office. Today, we make bakery products on order without compromising on quality.

“We sell bakery products worth Rs 2 lakh per month now. I want to start this unit in every district of J&K," she said.

PM Modi told her, “I will ask the Lieutenant Governor to support your mission because you have a big dream and you deserve all our support."

The last one to interact with the Prime Minister was Hamida Bano from Ganderbal district.

She told PM Modi, “I belong to Lar block in Ganderbal district. After I cleared my Class 12 exam, I noticed that the surplus milk in my neighbourhood was going waste without being properly utilised. I got one cow under the NRLM scheme.

“Today, I have six others who earn their livelihood with me. We process and sell milk, curd, and cheese without adding any preservatives. While a lot of milk products are sold by different people in the market, they mostly contain preservatives.

“This is the reason why my products last just 2-3 hours, while those with added preservatives last for 2-3 days. But people have now realised the value of our pure products and we face no marketing problems now."

PM Modi told Hamida that she is helping the nutrition of the country while at the same time taking care of the environment.

He also congratulated Hamida and her group for setting up a self-sustaining unit to show the way to the others in the country.