PM hails J&K, Ladakh growth post-Article 370 abrogation
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, the lives of people in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh have witnessed wide-ranging transformation, with expansion of infrastructure and growth in opportunities in education, healthcare, entrepreneurship and sports sectors.
On the seventh anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370, Modi said the Centre remains committed to the development of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh and to ensuring that every citizen has the opportunity to “dream big, achieve and contribute” to the making of a Viksit Bharat.
He said infrastructure in the two Union Territories has expanded, while opportunities in areas such as education, healthcare, entrepreneurship and sports have grown.
Be it women or marginalised communities, those who were denied their basic constitutional rights for decades have been empowered thanks to the full application of the Constitution of India, Modi added.
In a post on social media, the prime minister said, “Seven years ago, on this day, Articles 370 and 35(A) became history, marking a decisive new chapter in the journey of Jammu and Kashmir as well as Ladakh...”
On August 5, 2019, the BJP-led Centre abrogated Article 370, which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir, and the erstwhile state was bifurcated into two union territories — Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
“We reaffirm our commitment to the progress of Jammu and Kashmir as well as Ladakh and to ensure that every citizen has the opportunity to dream big, achieve and contribute to the making of a Viksit Bharat,” he added.
PM Modi said, “August 5 this year assumes even greater significance as this is the year the nation commemorates the 125th birth anniversary of Syama Prasad Mookerjee”.
“His lifelong commitment to national unity continues to inspire generations. What he envisioned decades ago found historic fulfilment on 5th August 2019,” he said.
Mookerjee was the founder of Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the precursor of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. He had fought for full integration of Jammu and Kashmir with the rest of India by scrapping Article 370. Born on July 6, 1901, Mookerjee died under detention on June 23, 1953, in Srinagar.
