https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Bringing Peace and Prosperity in Shopian

It took a compassionate IAS officer like Choudhary Mohammad Yasin to douse the anti-establishment sentiments in the restive Shopian district of Kashmir. And how well he has succeeded!
Indian Masterminds Stories

For a very long time, it was mainly the northern areas of Kashmir valley which bore the brunt of militancy and people’s resentment. Areas like Kupwara and Baramulla remained the hot-beds of anti-India activities. However, in 2009, the unrest started spreading in the southern area of the Valley- in particular Shopian. The gunning down of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani by the security forces in 2016 brought Shopian into sharp relief.

The anger against the establishment burst forth when an unruly crowd burnt down the office of the Shopian’s Deputy Commissioner (DC).

These were the general circumstances in Shopian when in 2019 Choudhary Mohammad Yasin was appointed the DC of this place. Since then, Mr. Yasin has been at the forefront of bridging differences between the people and the district administration. He has also taken measures to improve the livelihood of its residents, particularly the apple-growers.

TAKING CONTROL OF THE SITUATION

In an exclusive interview with Indian Masterminds, Mr. Yasin said, “Here in Shopian People respond to justice, which is also a tagline that is followed here. Before a judgment on an issue is made, people here want someone who can first listen to them and then act upon any injustice that might have been committed. There are two angles we have been working on Shopian: the law and order and the development work.”

DC Shopian visits Bohrihallan fire victims

Since Mr. Yasin has been posted as the DC in Shopian, there hasn’t been a single civilian killing in the district. Taking control of the law and order has led to a build-up of trust among people.

STRENGTHENING LOCAL ECONOMY

The major part of the economy in Shopian depends on horticulture, particularly the apple trade. Shopian, which is famous for producing the best quality apples, usually has a blooming business every year. But this business is concentrated in the hands of a few. Which leads to a big disparity in the income of its various residents.

Advisor Sharma visits Mega Fruit Mandi Aglar Shopian

Mr. Yasin said, “This year we undertook a serious step of shifting the current Mandi to a new place, which was 50 times bigger than the previous one. This step was taken to give space to everybody so that even a person having a small patch of apple orchard can sell his produce at the best prices in the market.”

Mr. Yasin visiting Aglar Mega Fruit Mandi

A new ‘Mega Fruit Mandi’ was launched in Aglar with a 31-crore project funded jointly under the Prime Minister’s Development Package (PMDP) and NABARD. The administration managed to operationalize only two phases out of the four, mainly due to factors like abrogation of Article 370, the protests which took last year to boycott the Mandis, and the untimely snowfall in the first week of November last.

Aglar Mega Fruit Mandi

But all is still not lost. Mr. Yasin said, “Despite losing a complete season last year which was overtaken by Covid19 induced lockdown this year, we managed to shift the Mandi to a new location. This was a good move. We have witnessed a boom in apple production as compared to 2018. This year, the Shopian district has witnessed “double profits’’ of around Rs1000 crore because people not only of Shopian but vendors from other areas also benefitted by selling their produce in the Aglar Mandi.”

He added, “this year the Mega Fruit Aglar Mandi of Shopia has become possibly the largest horticulture trading point in North India after Azadpur (in Delhi).” Not a small achievement for a district which till recently was reeling under public resentment, and a large credit for the turnaround goes to Ms. Yasin.

DEVELOPING SHOPIAN

Another program launched by Mr. Yasin is titled ‘Back to Village’, which again is a major success in Shopian. In this flagship program by the J&K government, senior officials are deputed for every `panchayat’ in which they stay there for a couple of days and gauge the demands of the people. The third phase of the program concluded this month while the previous two phases took place last year.

Back to Village program phase 3

An amount of Rs. 6 crores have been spent so far on 141 development works in 98 `panchayats’ of the Shopian district during the first two phases of the program. Mr. Yasin said, “The response was quite positive after we concluded the third phase of this program. The bridge between the people and the administration in terms of interactions has also increased considerably in Shopian.”

Principal Secretary PDD, Information Department visits Shopian.

Mr. Yasin has also been at the forefront to promote education in the district and is working effortlessly to enroll more and more youth in government jobs. He has also launched a civil service coaching program in the district Mr. Yasin said, “After launching the Hadaf program (for UPSC coaching), 600 applications were received which was quite unexpected keeping in mind the population of the district. Out of 600 applications, we shortlisted 100 aspirants and they were provided with content and coaching. Due to these efforts, two of our students have cleared the prelims exam this year.’’

Hadaf UPSC Coaching Program

Besides, Mr. Yasin has taken several other initiatives in Shopian. These have resulted in power availability in the tribal regions, construction of four school buildings and three health club centres, and 14 road projects under the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sadak Yojna (PMGSY).

Power station

Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
Mohan Yadav CM MP
Madhya Pradesh Aims to Be Global Wellness Hub: CM Mohan Yadav at Spiritual and Wellness Summit in Ujjain
UP Tourism
UP to Showcase Its Spiritual, Cultural Grandeur at PATA 2025 in Bangkok; Global Push for Tourism & Investment
Engineers India Limited EIL
Engineers India Ltd Expects 15–20% Rise in Turnover in FY26 Amid Record Order Book - Details Inside
BEL Bharat Electronics Limited
Bharat Electronics (BEL) & Tata Electronics Ink MoU to Boost Indigenous Semiconductor Solutions - Details Inside
Sanjay Malhotra IAS
RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra Cuts FY26 Inflation Forecast to 3.7%, Slashes Repo Rate to 5.5% - All Details Inside
ChhattisgarhGovt_resized
59 Police Officers Promoted in Chhattisgarh Police Department, Including 46 Inspectors to DSP Rank - Check Here
Hardeep S Puri: 11 Years of PM Modi
PM Modi’s 11 Years in Office: A Transformative Journey with Bold Strides in the Energy Sector
Karnataka
Karnataka ADGP Hemant Nimbalkar Transferred Amid Fallout from Bengaluru Stadium Stampede - All Details Here
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Monika Singh
Monika Singh’s Life Beyond the Bureaucracy | Video Interview 
IAS Tushar G Nikhare
Modernising Governance: A Digital Transformation in Gangtok
IMG-20250523-WA0036
Abhishek Singh's SECRET: Vipassana, Anthropology & Smart Answer Writing | Video Interview 
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
Divyanshu Pal Nagar IFS
5 Years, 5 Mains, 4 Interviews: How Divyanshu Pal Nagar Stumbled in CSE, Triumphed in IFS - A Lesson for Every Aspirant
Divyanshu Pal Nagar’s inspiring five-year UPSC journey shows how perseverance, disciplined self-study,...
ANUBHAV SINGH UPSC IFS 2024
9 Years, 8 Attempts, 7 Failures: How Anubhav Singh Cracked UPSC IFS 2024 with AIR 3 Against All Odds | Exclusive
Anubhav Singh’s inspiring journey to UPSC IFS Rank 3 showcases relentless perseverance, strategic preparation,...
Jogender Sihag
“I Cleared UPSC, But My Grandfather isn’t Here to Hear it,” Jogender Sihag, AIR 521, UPSC CSE 2024
"Life is short; make the most of it, whether in civil service or any other field. Just have a clear vision...
Social Media
Tiger jump Sundarban
Stunning Viral Video Shows Royal Bengal Tiger Making Spectacular 30-Foot Leap Across River in Sunderbans - See It Here
Retired Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer Susanta Nanda shared the clip online, which quickly went...
shubham kumar ias marriage
IAS Topper Weds BPSC Topper: Shubham Kumar Marries IRS Officer Priyangi Mehta in Patna; Wedding Video Goes Viral
Topper Couple Alert: Shubham Kumar, Priyangi Mehta’s Wedding Grabs Spotlight in Bihar
parveen kaswan elephant
Elephant Outsmarts Electric Fence! IFS Parveen Kaswan Shares Incredible Video!
In the now-viral 51-second clip, the intelligent giant approaches a wooden pole supporting high-voltage...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
Mohan Yadav CM MP
Madhya Pradesh Aims to Be Global Wellness Hub: CM Mohan Yadav at Spiritual and Wellness Summit in Ujjain
UP Tourism
UP to Showcase Its Spiritual, Cultural Grandeur at PATA 2025 in Bangkok; Global Push for Tourism & Investment
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Monika Singh
IAS Tushar G Nikhare
IMG-20250523-WA0036
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT