Modi makes first Kashmir visit since ending region's special status in 2019

NEW DELHI -- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday made his first appearance in Kashmir since his government scrapped the region's special status in 2019, dangling new economic development programs as the country gears up for a general election in April and May.

Appearing before over 30,000 people at a Srinagar stadium, Modi unveiled a 50 billion rupee ($603 million) agricultural economy program that promises to enhance the skills of about 250,000 farmers, among other measures to improve value chains and community welfare. He also launched multiple Kashmir tourism projects worth over 14 billion rupees, and spoke with beneficiaries of earlier development programs.