New Delhi: Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Sunday said that normalcy has returned and tourism is thriving in Jammu and Kashmir.
“Visit Pahalgam today, where a tragic incident occurred recently and you will find it crowded with people,” he said in a statement issued by the Personnel Ministry.
Singh, the Minister of State for Personnel, cited the integration of northeast and Jammu and Kashmir into India’s mainstream development.
“For decades, these regions waited for railways — but under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, trains now run in valleys that were once isolated,” he said.
The minister recounted the first-time commissioning of Jammu station in 1972 and the long gap in progress until Prime Minister Modi fulfilled this dream over half a century later, flagging off Vande Bharat train recently.
On the current situation in Jammu and Kashmir, Singh assured that normalcy has returned and tourism is thriving.
Highlighting the government’s achievements in the last 11 years under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership, the minister said that each passing year has marked a new milestone — be it in infrastructure, governance, technology or youth empowerment — creating unprecedented opportunities for every Indian.
Referring to the prime minister’s historic 2016 call of “Start-Up India, Stand-Up India”, Singh emphasised how it broadened the employment horizon beyond traditional government jobs.
“It was only then people realised that job doesn’t only mean ‘sarkari naukri’ (government job), but also innovation, enterprise and startups,” he said.
Mentioning the young crew members from Manipur, who lost their lives in the tragic Ahmedabad air crash, the minister said it shows “how far the region has come from isolation to being part of the international aviation and hospitality industry”.
Singh reaffirmed India’s leadership in the fields of space and biotechnology, highlighting the nation’s growing global stature in science and innovation.
He said that India’s astronaut, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, will serve as the Mission Pilot on the Axiom-4 mission, where he will conduct cutting-edge space biology experiments using indigenously developed biotech kits by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT).
Singh said India is steadily progressing towards establishing its own ‘Bharat Antariksh Station’ by 2035, marking a significant milestone in the country’s space ambitions.
Highlighting the Modi government’s clean record, the minister said that not a single charge of corruption has surfaced against any member of the Union Council of ministers in the last 11 years.
“Compare that to the previous regime, where scams were the norm,” he added.
