Jammu, May 25: Union minister Jitendra Singh said that the abrogation of Article 370 ushered in a new era of development in Jammu and Kashmir and brought about a significant change in the mindset of the people by making them equal citizens of India.
Addressing a training camp under the Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Prashikshan Mahabhiyan-2026 at Lakhanpur in Kathua district on Sunday, Singh also highlighted the changes witnessed in the Union territory under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the past 12 years.
The removal of Article 370 not only accelerated developmental activities but also instilled a renewed sense of self-confidence, self-esteem and aspirations among the people of Jammu and Kashmir, Singh, who represents the Udhampur Lok Sabha constituency in J-K, said.
On August 5, 2019, the government of India revoked the special status granted to Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of the Constitution, bringing it fully under the constitutional framework of India. It also bifurcated it into two Union territories – J-K and Ladakh.
“Over the last few years, young boys and girls from Jammu and Kashmir have overcome their fears and excelled in various fields across the country,” Singh said.
The minister also pointed out that while interviews for several Central government jobs were abolished across the country in 2016 to ensure transparency, the reform could not be implemented in Jammu and Kashmir due to Article 370.
Referring to the Shahpur Kandi Barrage Project, the minister said it deserved special mention as it remained stalled for nearly four decades despite then-prime minister Indira Gandhi laying its foundation in 1984.
“Successive Congress governments left the project files untouched and failed to take it forward,” he told reporters.
Prime Minister Modi, at a public rally in Jammu in February 2019, announced the revival of the project, which had long been a demand of the people, he said.
“Today, the Shahpur Kandi Barrage Project has been completed. Very soon, another major multipurpose project, which had remained stalled for nearly a century, is also expected to become operational,” he said.
The revival of such projects would not only boost irrigation and agricultural productivity but also strengthen security by checking infiltration routes that had earlier been exploited from across the border, he added.
Recalling the significance of Kathua, Singh said the district has remained an integral part of the ideological journey of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh and later the Bharatiya Janata Party.
He described the region as the “Karmabhoomi” of Syama Prasad Mookerjee and said the movement launched by him for democracy and nationalism had deep roots in the area.
“Kathua has remained the very soul of this journey. Remembering that legacy, we dedicate ourselves to the ideals and development vision pursued under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership,” he said.
Highlighting the development initiatives in the district, the minister said Kathua now has a medical college, an engineering college, and north India’s first homoeopathy college and industrial biotech park.
A biodigester facility has also been established in the district, he added.
Singh also said a statue of Syama Prasad Mookerjee had been installed for the first time in the area, while a gateway dedicated to Maharaja Gulab Singh has also been built.
The establishment of a passport office and other institutions reflected the pace of development in the district, Singh said.
He also claimed that Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed unprecedented infrastructure growth, with nearly 200 bridges constructed jointly by the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), including landmark projects such as the Atal Setu and several cable-stayed bridges.
