'New regimes of J&K, Ladakh will rectify past mistakes'

The regimes of newly-created UTs of Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh will make up for the lapses of the past and give due priority to vital sectors which had somehow suffered from low priority or negligence, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said on Tuesday.

Singh was interacting with a delegation of over 100 teachers representing different districts under the aegis of the All Jammu Kashmir and Ladakh Teachers Federation' (AJKLTF).

While Article 370 blocked the growth of education and discouraged the best faculty from outside, the alleged undue interference in the transfer and appointment of teachers had taken a toll on quality education, Union Minister for the PMO said.

The society owes it to teachers as they are entrusted with the responsibility of shaping the future of the next generation and thus, of tomorrow's India, Singh said.

In the new set up after October 31, when the two UTs came into existence, he said while the salaries and emoluments of government teachers had undergone a significant rise, other allowances for health, house rent, children's education will also enable them to concentrate on their work.

The new arrangement, Singh said, has suddenly liberated Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh from deprivations of the past and now, it is time to avail the same opportunities and same avenues which the Modi government has made available to the people, particularly youth, in the rest of India.

For this, he said, it is important not only to make the best use of the changed set up but also to liberate people's mindsets from the "slavish tendencies" imposed by Article 370.