New Delhi, July 28: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday that people of Jammu & Kashmir prefer development over bombs as he cited a recent Community Mobilisation Programme—‘Back to Village’ held in June in Jammu and Kashmir. The prime minister said that those trying to spread hate and obstruct development works in Kashmir will never succeed.
In his monthly ‘Mann ki baat’ broadcast, he said the ‘Back to village’ programme saw enthusiastic participation of villagers everywhere, including in very sensitive and remote villages, as government officials reached there to discuss development schemes with locals.
Modi said: “When I came to know about the programme from Mohammad Aslam of Shopian and found out the details, I realized that people of Jammu & Kashmir want good governance and prefer development over bombs.”
For the first time, the prime minister said, senior officials reached the doorsteps of villagers across 4,500 panchayats.
These officials also reached villages on the border which live under the shadow of cross-border firing, he said, adding that they also visited sensitive villages in the districts of Shopian, Pulwama, Kulgam and Anantnag- districts which have seen heightened militant activity of late, without any fear.
The issue of water conservation has stirred the nation, he said, and lauded the Meghalaya government for framing a water policy and the Haryana government for encouraging farmers to shift to cultivating crops that need less water.
Appreciating India’s indigenous Moon mission Chandrayaan-2 launched on July 22, the PM said it taught him two things—“faith and fearlessness”.
Describing the Moon mission as a “game-changer”, Modi said: “My dear countrymen, I strongly believe that you would have felt immensely proud of India’s achievement beyond the skies in outer space. The successful launch by our scientists despite the early setback is unprecedented.
Chandrayaan-2 is Indian to the core. It is purely Indian in heart and spirit. It is a totally swadeshi and home-grown mission. We are now eagerly waiting for September when lander ‘Vikram’ and the rover ‘Pragyan’ will land on the lunar surface,” he added.
Modi also announced a science quiz for school students and invited young minds to participate in it. He said, “I strongly urge schools, parents, enthusiastic students and teachers to work hard to make their school victorious in the quiz that we are organising. Children, who score the highest, would be rewarded with an opportunity to witness the moment of the landing of Chandrayaan-2 in Sriharikota on September 7.”
Speaking of floods in different parts, he said the Centre in tandem with state governments is working at a “lightning pace” to provide people relief and succour.—with PTI
