JAMMU & KASHMIR WILL DEFINITELY BE GIVEN STATEHOOD STATUS AT APPROPRIATE TIME: AMIT SHAH

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Replying to a discussion on the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah asserted in the Lok Sabha on 13 February, 2021 that the Modi government has done more for Jammu and Kashmir since Article 370 was abrogated in August 2019 than those who ruled it for generations. He also reeled out statistics to assert that Jammu and Kashmir’s development has been the top priority of the Modi government. Shri Amit Shah also slammed some opposition members for their claim that the proposed law negates the hopes of the region getting back its erstwhile statehood. This legislation has nothing to do with statehood, and Jammu and Kashmir will be accorded the status at an appropriate time, Shri Shah said. Here we are publishing the synopsis of the speech for our esteemed readers:

It has been asked as to what the Government has done to fulfill the promises made at the time of abrogation of the Article 370. I would only like to remind them that they should think about their performance in Jammu and Kashmir before asking our performance because they have ruled the State for many generations. The case pertaining to the Article 370 is pending in the Court and the Supreme Court will take decision in this regard but it does not mean that we cannot take any decision for the development of the State.

J&K STATEHOOD QUESTION

The introduction of this Bill does not mean that now the J&K will not get the status of Statehood. The J&K will definitely be given the status of Statehood at appropriate time. It has been asked why the AGMUT has been introduced in the State. The opposition leaders must understand the nature of AGMUT cadre. Arunachal, Goa, Mizoram all are states and the All India Cadre of AGMUT has been functioning there.

The blame that the move from 2G to 4G has been introduced under external pressure. It is false. We do not take any decision under pressure. A Member has said that the Article 370 and 35(A) contained an agreement of the Government of the country with the people of the J&K. I would like to remind them that this agreement was a temporary one. It has also been said that this move will dilute the powers of the officers. This will definitely not happen because the IAS and IPS officers are routinely deployed in all over the country and this deployment in no way dilute the powers of the local officers.

PEACEFUL ELECTIONS

Gaining cheap popularity it has been alleged 80 per cent officers in J&K belong to the outside of the State. No one is an outsider. All are the sons of the mother India. We conducted elections for Panchayats. The entire exercise was peaceful. Those who fought elections on the basis of the restoration of Article 370 were wiped out. A person who has been elected today the member of the panchayat may be elected tomorrow as the member of the legislative assembly. The people of the State may elect them as their leader. We handed over an entire range of 21 matters of administration to the Panchayats. This will make them self dependent and usher in development of the villages. We have chalked out a training programme for their capacity building. It has been made compulsory for the Gazzeted Officers to stay for 2 days and 1 night in the allocated Panchayat.

DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS FOR J&K

18 thousands works have been sanctioned. 50,000 families have been covered under Health Insurance. 10,000 youths have granted employment opportunities. This work has also been started for urban areas under ‘Mera Sehar, Mera Gaurav’ scheme. There were 54 projects with an outlay of Rs.58627 crore under Pradhan Mantri Vikas Package. Out of which 20 projects have been completed. IIT Jammu has started functioning. The construction work of two AIIMSs has been started. The work on ring road in Jammu will be completed by the year 2021. The 8.45 kilometer long Banihal tunnel will be made operationalized this year. The Jammu Kashmir has 14,867 Megawatt hydro power potential. During the last two years the closed projects for 3,000 Megawatts have been restarted. The cent per cent houses of the J & K have been electrified under the Saubhagya Yojana. All the 18.16 lakhs householdsare likely to be provided piped water supply by September, 2022. During theyear 2020-2021, the roads with a length of 5,300 kilometer will be constructed. The Government has sent an amount of Rs. 881 crore from the Ministry of Health under the PMDP scheme and out of this amount Rs. 754crore have already been spent. Every person has been covered under theHealth Scheme. We have set up 7 new medical colleges. We have providedgas cylinders to 12 lakh 60 thousand 685 mothers under PM Ujjwala scheme.

JOBS TO THE YOUTH

All the households have been declared as ODF under Swachh Bharat Mission. The scholarship coverage has been tripled during the last 17 months. The Government of India has approved an incentive package for the industries in the J&K. The industrialists will be given the credit of Rs. 500 crore at the rate 6 per cent. Every entrepreneur, on investing Rs. 100, will be given GST refund of Rs. 300. We have constituted a land bank of 29,300 canals which will be allotted to the industries. We have launched a rapid recruitment campaign for giving employment to the youth. On the whole, we will give 25,000 thousand jobs to the youths before the year 2022. We have launched a number of schemes under the Mission Youth. The rural BPOs areproposed to be set up at Srinagar and Jammu. The number of IT towers willbe increased.

ENDED DISCRIMINATION AGAINST REFUGEES

The Lt. Governor, J&K has drafted a scientific plan to redress the grievances of the common man. We have granted domicile certificates to the Pakistani refugees, the refugee of West Pakistan, the refugees of the POK, the Valmikis, Gorkhas and other families and thus, we have ended the discrimination meted out to them for so many years. The Government has been giving Rs. 13 thousand every month to the displaced Kashmiri families. We are likely to rehabilitate 6,000 of those families in the Kashmir Valley by the year 2022. The 70,000 people living in the villages contagious to the international border have provided reservation. We have launched a number of works for education, training and career.

DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS FOR LADAKH

The work on a new airport terminal and the up gradation of district hospital in Ladakh has been started. Central Government has set up five new tourists and five new tracking routes in Ladakh. The Government has proposed to set up the country’s biggestsolar power plant in Ladakh. The traditional medicine system has been revived. A Central University in Ladakh has been sanctioned and work on the Zozila tunnel has been started. Mini hydro projects have been set up in Kargiland Leh. The number of Pashmina goats has witnessed a record 8 per cent increase during the last 17 months. I would only like to say that we should not politicize the situation of J&K and Ladakh. It is a very sensitive matter.
The Resolution was negative. The Bill was passed.