The first group of Union Ministers comprising Jitendra Singh, Arjun Meghwal and Ashwani Choubey will arrive in Jammu on Saturday to spread awareness about central schemes implemented after the removal of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.

The three are part of team of 36 Union ministers who will be visiting Jammu and Kashmir in the next five days and will be attending government functions in different parts of the newly created Union Territory as part of the Centre’s outreach programme, more than five months after Jammu and Kashmir was bifurcated into two states.

Jitendra Singh, Arjun Meghwal and Ashwini Choubey are scheduled to participate in three functions one in Jammu and two in Samba inKathua district and meet BJP leaders in Jammu.

On Sunday, 10 Union ministers are scheduled to arrive in Jammu. On January 21, Union Minister, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi will lead another delegation of ministers to Kashmir.

Brigadier (retd) Anil Gupta, a BJP spokesperson in J&K,told HT that the ministers will review the implementation of schemes after theremoval of Article 370. “Mostly these will be government functions like back tovillage programmes. They will make people aware about central schemes.”

In Kashmir the Union ministers will be traveling toSrinagar, Bandipore, Ganderbal and Baramulla districts where they will bemeeting government officials, BJP workers and civilians.

The government’s outreach comes on the heels of a two-dayvisit by a group of at least 15 foreign envoys to Jammu and Kashmir earlierthis month to see the government’s efforts to restore normalcy in the region.It was the first visit by diplomats since the abrogation of J&K’s specialstatus in August last year.

Officials privy to the details told HT that Union ministerof state for home, G Kishen Reddy will be attending functions at ManigamGanderbal and Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) Srinagar.

Sripad Naik, Union minister of state for yoga and ayurvedawill be attending an official function at SKICC where he will be briefed aboutthe ongoing projects of central government initiated in various fields.

Union minister of state Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti will bechairing a high level meeting of officials on January 23 and will be visitingto Faqir Gujri village which falls in Srinagar district. Union HRD MinisterRamesh Pokhral Nishank will travelling to Harwan area on the outskirts ofSrinagar.

Union law minister, Ravi Shankar Prasad will be traveling tonorth Kashmir’s Baramulla district where he will attend a government functionat Sopore and also chair a high level meeting of officials.

On Sunday, Union Minister, Smriti Irani is scheduled tovisit Katra, Piyush Goyal will visit Akhnoor, Meghwal will attend a programmeat Basholi, V Muraleedharan will visit Bilawar, Anurag Thakur will be atNagrota, Jitendra Singh will be at Udhampur and Ashwini Choubey is scheduled tovisit Samba.

The Centre has been trying to project that the situation inJammu and Kashmir is normal despite the internet being suspended. Earlier thismonth, the Supreme Court asked the Centre to review the restrictions and saidthat “freedom of speech and expression includes right to internet.”