Union Home Minister Amit Shah on August 5 termed the abrogation of Article 370 a historic decision by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which had paved the way for peace and development in Jammu and Kashmir.
“On August 5, 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had taken the historic decision to abrogate Article 370. PM has made it possible to connect Jammu and Kashmir with India for all time to come. After this, Kashmir has not only been mainstreamed, but also peace has returned to Kashmir. It has paved the way for development,” said Mr. Shah, who was in Odisha to inaugurate and lay foundation stones for various development projects.
The Home Minister said that he conveyed his wishes to Mr. Modi on the historic occasion, on behalf of the people of J&K.
Naxalism reduced
Claiming that there had been a marked improvement in the left-wing-extremism (LWE) situation, Mr. Shah said that though the entire region had once been affected by such extremism, the Modi-led government at the Centre had successfully managed to control naxalism over the last nine years with the help of State governments.
“Between 2015 and 2019, there was a 30% reduction in incidences of LWE violence and a 32% reduction of encounters between security forces and naxal cadres. There was a 56% fall in the number of security personnel losing their lives,” the Home Minister said.
He was all praise for the Odisha government’s pioneering disaster management efforts, saying that the State had worked alongside the Centre to tackle challenges in this regard.
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Infrastructure for growth
Mr. Shah and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurated the four-laning of the Kamakhya Nagar Duburi section of National Highway-53. This 51-km stretch, built at a cost of ₹761 crore, will connect the coal belt of Talcher to the steel hub of Kalinga Nagar in Jajpur.
The ‘new Odisha’ was a unique transformation story, setting benchmarks across various sectors, Mr. Patnaik said, noting that the Gurupriya bridge connecting the Swabhiman Anchal in Malkangiri had played a catalytic role in the development of the entire area. The Biju Expressway, an economic corridor connecting the western and southern parts of the State, will also be a crucial platform to propel growth in the region, he added.
Over the last nine years, the Union government has given grants to the tune of ₹18,00,000 crore to Odisha in various sectors, the Home Minister said. Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan also spoke on the occasion.
