 Early Times Report
KATHUA, July 24: The Agriculture Department Kathua has launched the first-ever tea plantation drive in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir at Billawar. As part of this new initiative, over 20,000 tea saplings are being planted in the area.
The plantation drive was formally inaugurated by MLA Billawar, Satish Sharma, in the presence of Additional Deputy Commissioner Billawar Vinay Khosla, Chief Agriculture Officer Kathua Jatinder Kumar, Divisional Forest Officer Billawar Indu Sharma, Sub-Divisional Agriculture Officer Ravi Sharma, District SMS Sanjay Gupta and Sanjay Sharma, officers from allied departments, Ex-PRI members and a large gathering of locals.
Speaking on the occasion, MLA Satish Sharma lauded the efforts of the Agriculture Department for initiating such an innovative step in the hilly terrain of Billawar. He observed that the region's climate and soil conditions-particularly across the Shivalik range-closely resemble those of Palampur, a region renowned for tea cultivation. The saplings for the drive, he informed, have been sourced from Palampur.
Sharma appreciated the UT Administration and the Government of India for extending support to developmental initiatives in remote and rural belts. He called for greater community involvement and said, "If this pilot proves successful, more such plantation drives will be taken up across the region." He also highlighted the relevance of the green initiative "Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam 2.0", encouraging every citizen to plant trees in memory and honour of motherhood.
ADC Vinay Khosla, in his address, termed the initiative as a path-breaking move towards self-reliant rural communities. He urged the youth and farming community to become active stakeholders in such projects and emphasized the government's ongoing commitment to rural transformation under the Mission Yuva campaign.
CAO Jatinder Kumar appreciated MLA Satish Sharma for supporting the tea plantation initiative. He also briefed the gathering on several farmer-centric interventions being undertaken under the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP).
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