Srinagar, April 27 -- The Centre has approved over Rs 3,500 crore for road connectivity to villages across the Kashmir valley, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced on Monday.

Speaking on his first day of visit to Srinagar, Union Minister Chouhan said the amount - Rs 3,566 crore and nine lakh - is intended to link remote and far-flung villages, adding that infrastructure development in the region should now shift focus from trunk routes to rural habitations.

"You know that development works are being done. Train connectivity has come, but the villages should also prosper," the minister said.

He described the package as a "gift" from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP, asserting that the valley should not be l...