Who is Nazim Nazeer whom PM Modi called ‘friend’, took selfie with?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday (March 7) shared on his X handle a selfie with a Kashmiri entrepreneur, Nazim Nazeer, who he said impressed him with his good work.

“A memorable selfie with my friend Nazim. I was impressed by the good work he’s doing. At the public meeting he requested a selfie and was happy to meet him. My best wishes for his endeavours,” Modi said in the post.

It was the prime minister’s first visit to the valley after the abrogation of Article 370.

Who is Nazim?

Nazim, who has set up a successful beekeeping unit, was one of the few achievers selected to interact with Modi after his public rally at the Bakshi stadium in Srinagar.

During their interaction, he expressed his wish for taking a selfie with Modi.

Nazim, who is a beneficiary of the Centre’s Viksit Bharat scheme, said he started his beekeeping venture with two boxes as a hobby but soon availed a government scheme to increase the number of boxes to 25.

"The first extraction was 75 kg which earned me ₹60,000. I took a PMEGP (Prime Ministers Employment Generation Programme) loan of ₹5 lakh and added 200 boxes. The yield was good and through online marketing, we sold around 5000 kg of honey," he said.

He said he has now increased the number of boxes to 2,000 and added 100 more youths to his beekeeping venture.

"We got FPO membership in 2023. Now we earn ₹1 lakh per stall at different exhibitions," he added.

‘You brought sweet revolution’: Modi praises Nazim

While lauding the efforts of the young boy from Pulwama district, Modi said he has brought a "sweet revolution" in the beekeeping sector.

"We have heard of green revolution and white revolution but you have brought about sweet revolution," Modi said after listening to Nazim's story.

During the interaction, Modi asked Nazim what he wanted to become as a child. To this Nazim said while his parents wanted him to be a doctor or an engineer, he wanted a different career path.

“Your family recognised your potential. You could have become a doctor but you did not take that route. And by doing that, you led Kashmir’s sweet revolution. Many many congratulations,” Modi said.

Central Asia example

Lauding Nazim for taking up an a comparatively new sector which is also helping other farmers, Modi suggested him to use online resources to study how beekeepers in Central Asia were using different crops for rearing bees so that they get different flavours of honey.

“Central Asia honey is different, study it online. They rear bees in different crops for different flavours, he told Nazim.

Modi cited the example of Uttarakhand saying this was successful in the Himalayan state.

"You are giving direction to the youth of the country. You are becoming the strength of the country. I thank you," Modi said.

Modi also interacted with an all-girls group who set up their own bakery after undergoing a course in food technology.

‘Selfie with PM a joyful moment’

Speaking to reporters later, Nazim said youth like him who want to start their businesses should take a leap of faith. He, however, asserted that there is no shortcut to success and hard work is a must.

“I want to thank the entire administration for this event and then choosing me for an interaction with the Prime Minister. My message to those who want to start their businesses is to start small and nothing can stop you. There is no shortcut to success. You will have to work hard. When I started, there were only a few schemes, but now there are so many schemes from the government," Nazim said.

When asked about his interaction with Modi, Nazim for him it was a “joyful” moment when the prime minister agreed to take a selfie with him.