'Everyone has to contribute for building J

{image-pratibhapatil 150 100_26052008.jpg news.oneindia.in}Srinagar, May 26: President Pratibha Devisingh Patel today said building a future of hope and optimism for Jammu and Kashmir was a collective endeavour in which every person was a participant and a contributor.

It required the government, civil society and all communities and sections of the people of the state to work together, she said in her speech at the inauguration of the Institute of Kashmir Studies at the Kashmir University. '' I am aware of the difficulties the people of this State have undergone due to violence and militancy, she said and added ''we are however, all proud of the resilient and strong people of Jammu and Kashmir, who have demonstrated their determination to move ahead on the constructive path of peace and progress.

She said this was the true path and both the state and the Central Government have taken the state's development as a top priority agenda and enunciated policies and programmes towards this end.

The president said the objective was to secure a better life for the citizens where each one had the opportunity to grow.

She said the state had tremendous potential in horticulture, floriculture, handicraft, tourism and IT among others. Equally important was the determination to create a secure environment and to defeat the divisive designs of terrorism and violence, Ms Patil added.

All of us must work together for peace and prosperity in Jammu and Kashmir, she said adding that the State government has taken a number of measures and initiatives to help create necessary conditions for development.

She congratulated the state government, particularly the Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad for taking the state forward on the road to development.

UNI