Srinagar: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said all-round development has taken place in Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370 and exhorted the youth of Kashmir to ensure that they carry pens and laptops instead of stones and guns.
Addressing an event after the inauguration of the three-day Vitasta Festival here, Shah said those who have known only the history of Jammu and Kashmir in the last four decades think that this is a disputed or disturbed area.
“But Kashmir is a land which has borne the brunt of bloodshed in the past and emerged victorious and more stable and peaceful,” he said, adding that this land saw nearly 40,000 deaths due to terrorism in the last three to four decades but today the same Kashmir is celebrating Vitasta Festival and marching ahead.
The home minister chose the occasion to call upon the youth of Kashmir to think about the rich cultural heritage of the Valley.
“Those who handed over arms and stones to you, they were never your well-wishers. You should have pens, laptops and books in your hands and not stones,” he said, in an apparent reference to stone-pelting protests in the past.
He compared Kashmiri culture with the Vitasta (Jhelum) river and said, “If one knows the right history of Kashmir, hate has never been its part. Whosoever came to Kashmir was welcomed with open arms.”
The home minister also highlighted the all-round development in Jammu and Kashmir since abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution, which accorded special status to the erstwhile state, in 2019.
The festival is being organised on the ground of Sher-i-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) located on the bank of the famous Dal Lake.
Shah also said Jammu and Kashmir has accepted the changes effected after the abrogation of the provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution in August 2019.
“I appeal to the youth of Jammu and Kashmir to get involved with the process of development. There is no future in stone pelting and wielding a gun. Our future is in getting involved in the process of development. The nation and the whole world are waiting for you. You should lead development and change and give new dimensions to it. The people who handed you guns and stones are not your well-wishers. The government is giving you laptops, electricity, roads and developing tourism because they want your future,” he said.
Shah also talked of the government having ensured health insurance up to Rs. 5 lakhs to every resident of J&K. In the other states of India, he said “the facility at the government cost is available to the poor only, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi ensured that every resident of Jammu and Kashmir receives this benefit by extending its coverage to everyone here.”
Targeting Abdullah, Muftis and Congress, Shah said “I have seen a taunt-laced appeal from Abdullah Sahib where he said that India is the mother of democracy but it ends in Jammu and Kashmir.
“He is correct, but it happened during his father’s and grandfather’s rule. It was a time when democracy was held hostage by three families. They did not allow the elections of panchayats to take place, preventing people from becoming Panchs and Sarpanchs. They did not allow the tehsil and district panchayats to be formed.
“But now democracy has returned to Jammu and Kashmir where 35,000 elected representatives are now scripting the future of their villages, tehsils and districts by themselves. From them tomorrow Jammu and Kashmir will find their MPs, MLAs and even national leaders. But some people do not like this change because they want to have control of politics.”
He said “we have seen a drastic dip in the number of incidents of stone pelting. Strikes, bandhs and bomb blasts that disrupt normal public life are now under control. Today schools and colleges are running smoothly, new industries are being set up and 1.88 crore tourists visited Jammu and Kashmir in the year 2022 which is the highest figure of tourist footfall here,” he said.
“When I came here once we were told by an association that not everyone was allowed to buy a taxi; only the people whose fathers had a taxi could be the proud owner of taxis and earn a living. But now anyone who gets security clearance can buy a taxi. This is a very important source of employment. In the last two decades, no new hotels were built in Jammu and Kashmir. But I can assure you that in the next five years, especially in the valley, the number of hotel rooms will increase by more than three-folds,” he said
“Modi-ji sends Rs 6,000 to 12.45 lakh farmers of Jammu and Kashmir every year. Prior to this no farmer ever received any funds from the government. This money is his input cost. Today farmers need not take loans. In the last three years, the farmers of Jammu and Kashmir have received Rs 100 crore as crop insurance benefits. Prior to that they never received such benefits.
“Under the Jal Jeevan Mission 11,96,000 water supply connections have been given. There were 13,80,000 families who did not have toilets in their homes even after 70 years of independence. In the last five years, this has been achieved.
“Similarly, 65,91,000 people receive 5 kilos of rice every month and 1.86 lakh people have received homes in villages and urban areas. They did not have any homes at all. Under the DBT scheme in the last 4 years, Rs. 23000 crore has been sent to the bank accounts of beneficiaries,” he said.
“Earlier too money came, but the beneficiaries did not receive it. Many people have palatial mansions in foreign countries. How did they own them? What is their business? People should ask about it. How did they spend 45 to 60 days on foreign vacations? This money which is now sent as DBT was earlier lost to corruption,” he said.
Shah added that Dal Lake is envisioned as a prime tourist location in India. Primarily a project worth Rs 85 crore has been allocated. Similarly, Tatto Ground will be constructed in such a way that every child in this country will be raring to come here.
Srinagar Smart City Limited has begun multi-level parking, smart lighting, unified command and development of parks and many other such projects. Many degree colleges, nursing colleges, IIMs, IITs, and IIITs have also started. Recently the G20 summit was also held. Many people made many predictions about it. But Lt. Governor Manoj Sinha proved every prediction wrong. G 20 was the biggest opportunity to market the change that has taken place here. Now the Panchayat is receiving money directly, he said.
The Union Home Minister also said the situation in Jammu and Kashmir was peaceful now and the successful hosting of a G20 meeting in Srinagar proved it.
Inaugurating or laying foundation stones of various development projects in Kashmir Valley, Shah said that development funds used to go into the pockets of a few earlier but now all those deserving are getting the fruits of development.
He said that when it was decided to hold a meeting of the G20 in Srinagar, many people offered various comments and some, including former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, made various predictions.
“But all these predictions were proved wrong as the G20 meeting in Srinagar was held successfully,” he said and appreciated the Jammu and Kashmir administration headed by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha for it.
He also said the successful hosting of the G20 meeting would give a big boost to the tourism industry in Kashmir.
The meeting of the G20 tourism working group was held in Kashmir last month.
The home minister also appealed to people to come forward and join hands in the march for development and fulfill Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s dream of a peaceful and prosperous Jammu and Kashmir. (With inputs from PTI & officials press releases)
Meanwhile, the Union Home Minister reviewed the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir ahead of the Amarnath pilgrimage, sources said.
Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla and top officials of the intelligence agencies, paramilitary forces, police and the civil administration attended the meeting here.
At the meeting, the home minister took stock of the security situation and was given a detailed briefing, sources said.
Shah was apprised about the situation along the International Border as well as the Line of Control, they said.
He gave necessary directions to the security agencies to ensure a peaceful atmosphere in the Union territory, sources said.
The security review meeting came days ahead of the annual Amarnath pilgrimage.
The 62-day-long annual pilgrimage to the cave shrine of Amarnath, located at a height of 3,880 metres in the south Kashmir Himalayas, will begin on July 1 and continue till August 31.
At a meeting on June 9 in New Delhi, Shah had said the Modi government’s priority was to ensure a comfortable Amarnath pilgrimage.
He had then directed officials to make adequate security arrangements along the entire pilgrimage routes in Jammu and Kashmir.
The pilgrims travel through two routes – Baltal and Pahalgam – in Jammu and Kashmir.
All the pilgrims will be given RFID cards so that their real-time location can be traced and everyone will be given Rs 5 lakh insurance cover. There will be insurance cover of Rs 50,000 for each animal carrying the pilgrims, sources said.
Last year, 3.45 lakh people visited the holy cave and this year, the figure could go up to 5 lakh, they said.
The sources said that to avoid any incident like last year’s flash flood which claimed 16 lives near the shrine, the National Disaster Response Force has started identifying ideal locations for setting up pilgrim camps keeping in mind any possible natural disaster.
Indian Air Force helicopters are expected to be deployed to carry out aerial sorties in the upper reaches of the holy cave to check for glacial events and the formation of lakes that may trigger flash floods downhill.
Last year, such sorties were conducted only after the flash flood occurred in June, but this year, the exercise will be undertaken before the start of the pilgrimage and at continuous intervals during the two-month yatra, the sources said.
Meanwhile, Shah while chairing a security review meeting in Srinagar expressed his satisfaction over the fast changing security scenario in the Valley besides giving final touches to the security plan for upcoming Amarnath Yatra. Praising the security agencies of the UT, Shah stated that “he will go back to Delhi fully satisfied as he felt peace prevailing in the air.”
“Given last year’s cloud burst that claimed the lives of over a dozen yatris, this year QRTs will be deployed along the cave shrine route to ensure immediate evacuation. Shah stressed to lace the QRTs with all necessary equipment for meeting eventualities and ensuring minimum damage to life of pilgrims,” the source disclosed.
On the security front, Shah praised the security agencies for ensuring a peaceful atmosphere in Kashmir and eliminating a large number of terrorists since the abrogation of Article 370. “He also hailed the synergy among security agencies and hoped that the remaining miniscule number of active terrorists will also be killed shortly,” the source said, adding that “the Home Minister also expressed satisfaction on zero local militant recruitment.” As per the source, he also reiterated that no innocent should be touched while terrorists and accused should be punished sternly.
