Srinagar, Feb 3 : India’s surgical strike across the Line of Control has shown the world its new policy (neeti) and tradition (reeti) in tackling terrorism, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Sunday.
In a stern message to those spreading terrorism and killing innocent youths, the prime minister said the country would give befitting response to every terrorist.
“I assure all the youths of Jammu and Kashmir and the country that the government will give befitting response (‘muhtod jawab’) to every terrorist. We will break the backbone of terror in the state,” he said addressing a function here.
Paying homage to those killed while fighting terrorists, including Nazir Ahmed Wani and Aurangzeb from Jammu and Kashmir, Modi said heroes are those who live to fulfil dreams and the biggest cowards are the ones who kill others’ dreams.
“Today the whole country is angry to see the killings of innocent and armless Kashmiri youths. (These Kashmiri boys are targeted) because these youths want to live and fulfil their dreams. But they are targeted by terrorism. This is the truth of terrorism here,” he said, adding the Indian government will fight terrorism with all its might.
The prime minister said the development of people of Jammu and Kashmir and that of the state is the priority of the central government.
Modi assured all that his government will follow the late Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s dream of peaceful and prosperous Kashmir with the motto of “sabka saath, sabka vikaas” (collective efforts, inclusive growth).
“We will keep making all the efforts (in realising this dream),” the prime minister said.
Modi laid foundation stones of various development work in Srinagar region worth Rs 7,000 crore.
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Surgical strike showed India’s………
He also inaugurated a rural Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) in Bandipore.
This will enhance employment opportunities for the Kashmiri youths, he said.
The prime minister also inaugurated multipurpose indoor sports facility at Sephora, Ganderbal, among other projects.
Earlier in the day, Modi interacted with students from different states of the country.
Responding to a question, he said the government was trying to make Indian institutes of global level so that lakhs and crores of rupees going out of the country to the foreign institutions are stopped.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday laid foundation stones for several development projects, including an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and an Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), in Jammu.
Modi said setting up of new AIIMS would transform health care facilities and will also provide new opportunities to the youth.
The people of Jammu protested for almost two months for setting up of AIIMS in the region. The National Conference (NC) and the Congress also staged demonstrations here in support of the demand.
The proposed AIIMS will be a 700-bedded hospital.The prime minister said Rs 750 crore has been granted to the state for setting up of five new medical colleges.
“The sessions will start soon (in these medical colleges). From the last 70 years, there were only 500 (MBBS) seats, but the BJP government has now doubled the seats,” Modi said.
He also laid the foundation stone for northern regional centre campus of IIMC in Jammu. It will be set up at a cost of Rs 16 crore. “It is moment of pride for us that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has laid the foundation for IIMC campus here,” said IIMC Director General K G Suresh.
In addition, 15 acres of land has already been earmarked for setting up of a permanent campus in Kotbalwal area of Jammu city, he said.
The prime minister laid the foundation stone for 624-MW Kiru hydroelectric project in Kishtwar. It is a run-of-the-river project across the Chenab and once completed, it will generate 2272 million units of electricity annually.He inaugurated the 9-MW Dah hydroelectric project. Located in Dah near village Datang, this project is a run-of-the-river scheme.
Modi also dedicated to the nation the 220-KV Srinagar-Alusteng-Drass-Kargil-Leh transmission system. The foundation stone of the prestigious project was laid by Modi in August 2014.
He laid the foundation stone for 1,640-metre span double-lane bridge over the Chenab river in Sajwal.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday launched University of Ladakh, the first-ever varsity in the Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir.
The Jammu region has four universities besides an IIT and an IIMC, while the Kashmir Valley has three universities and a National Institute of Technology (NIT).
After the inauguration, Modi said Ladakh now has first cluster university comprising degree colleges of Leh, Kargil, Nubra, Zanskar, Drass and Khaltsi.
The university will have administrative offices in Leh and Kargil, he said.
On December 15, the Jammu and Kashmir administration had approved the establishment of first university in the Ladakh region.
