Modi announces Rs 80,000 crore package for J&K

PM vows to follow Vajpayee's plan

Stating that infrastructure was the mother of development, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday promised a Rs 80,000-crore package to boost economic growth in Jammu & Kashmir.

“This is just the beginning. I want to build a new Kashmir, a powerful Kashmir,” Modi said to a thunderous applause by a gathering of thousands of people at SK Cricket Stadium, here.

“Don’t think Rs 80,000-crore package to Kashmir is the limit. This is not the end, but the beginning. I have come here with that dream and that is to empower Kashmiris who have suffered immensely in the last 20 years of violence,” he told the people in his nearly 40-minute speech, which comes more than a year after massive floods devastated the region.

The prime minister, however, did not divulge the details of the massive financial package.

Modi, who was on a day’s visit to Jammu and Kashmir, said he wants to carry forward former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s plan for the state.

“‘Insaniyat’ (humanity), ‘Jumhuriyat’ (democracy) and ‘Kashmiriyat’ make up the path shown by Vajpayeeji and it is our duty to carry forward the road map and take it to its logical conclusion,” he said.

Stating that he does not need anyone’s advice or analysis on Kashmir, Modi said development of the state hinged on the three mantras enunciated by Vajpayee. “There is an urgent need to create employment opportunities for the youth in the state for speedy development. Employment to people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh is of paramount importance.”

Praising the talent of Kashmiri youths, the prime minister congratulated them for performing well in all competitive exams in the country in the last few years.

“Kashmir has suffered a lot over the years. Generations have seen their dreams being crushed. But I am convinced the day is not far when Kashmir could get back its previous glory,” Modi added.

Earlier, Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, while describing the prime minister as the man destined to make India a world power, said his party’s (PDP) alliance with the BJP reflected the wishes of the people, as 1.2 billion people of the country reposed faith in Modi’s leadership.

On rising incidents of intolerance in the country, Mufti spoke vividly on bringing down walls of hatred. This was Modi’s first rally in Kashmir after the PDP-BJP formed the government in the state.