Government’s next agenda is to retrieve PoK and make it part of India, says Union minister Jitendra Singh

Jammu: Union minister Jitendra Singh on Tuesday said that the next agenda of the government is to “retrieve” parts of Jammu and Kashmir (PoK) and make it a territory of India. “Now, the next agenda is retrieving PoK and making it a part of India. It is not only me or my party’s commitment, but it is a part of a resolution unanimously passed by Parliament in 1994 during the Congress government headed by PV Narasimha Rao”, he told reporters while highlighting the success of 100 days of the Narendra Modi government. [caption id=“attachment_7295291” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Union minister Jitendra Singh. ANI[/caption] The minister said that the BJP government in its first 100 days took several historic decisions but abrogation of Article 370 was the biggest achievement of them. He said that Kashmir was “neither shut nor under curfew” and that the situation was fast getting back to normal. “The government has taken several historic and landmark decisions at an unparalleled scale but the abrogation of Article 370 is the biggest achievement of the government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the first 100 days of its second term which is being rejoiced by the people of Jammu and Kashmir”, he added. He said the decision would help in the industrial growth, employment generation and bettering of the healthcare system in the newly created Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. “Kashmir is free from restrictions and the movement of people is on without any hindrance and situation is fast returning to normal”, he said adding that this is the last phase of militancy in Kashmir. He warned anti-India forces saying they should soon change their mentality and stop thinking that they can do anything and get away with it. Singh, who represents Udhampur constituency in Lok Sabha, said that international organisations and major world powers like Britain, France, US, Russia were unanimous in their support for India’s move and its sovereign right to do so. The minister said that there was no question of regional disparity under the present dispensation and the government was committed to ensuring equitable development of both the newly created Union Territories. He said the government is aware of the challenges facing the country and is determined to overcome these challenges by taking bold initiatives. Singh said that India is touching new heights in space technology and the feats achieved by ISRO scientists and engineers in these years would be a stepping stone towards further success. He said that the government has taken some significant decisions for making India a 5 trillion dollar economy and large scale investments in infrastructure and social sector are being encouraged to realise this dream. He added that despite stiff opposition, the legislation against triple talaq demonstrated the government’s commitment to restoring the honour and dignity of Muslim women. “The legislation is a strong step towards protecting and empowering Muslim women by ensuring gender justice as enshrined in the Constitution of India”, he said. The minister also highlighted Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Amendment) Bill, 2019, providing income support of Rs 6000 to every farmer and extended Pension Schemes to labourers, small traders and farmers and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Act - 2019 as landmark decisions of the BJP government.