Article 370 gone: Modi promises a new dawn, full text of PM’s speech

New Delhi, Aug 09: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said, a new era has begun for the people of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh with the revocation of Article 370. Addressing the nation , the Prime Minister said, the dream of Sardar Patel, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, Dr. Shayam Prasad Mookerjee, Atal Bihar Vajpayee and crores of patriots has now been fulfilled.

He said, as a nation, the country has taken a historic decision. The people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh were not able to avail benefits of various rights which was a major obstacle in their development. He congratulated people of Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh and the whole nation. The Prime Minister said, when some things are there forever, it is presumed that they will never change or go away and Article 370 was something similar.

He said, no one was discussing the harm Article 370 was inflicting on the people of Jammu and Kashmir and nobody could tell the benefits it was providing to the people of this region. He said that a system due to which brothers & sisters of Jammu, Kashmir & Ladakh were deprived of many rights & which was a big obstacle to their development, that system has been done away with. He said, through the new system, the region Jammu and Kashmir will be be freed from terrorism and separatism. He said, Jammu and Kashmir will be taken to new height of development.

The Prime Minister said, decades of dynastic politics in Jammu and Kashmir deprived the youth from the opportunity to lead from the front. He said, now the youth of Jammu and Kashmir will lead the development and take it to a new height. He urged the youth, the sisters and daughters of the region, to take charge of the development of their area. Modi said, the government had to take certain steps in Jammu and Kashmir for precaution and people have been understanding.

Modi said, the decision to keep Jammu and Kashmir directly under Central administration for a brief period was a well thought decision. Since Governor rule was implemented in the region, state administration has been directly in touch with Centre due to which the effects of good governance can be seen on ground. Modi expressed confidence that the people of Jammu and Kashmir will achieve their goals with renewed vigor in an environment of good governance and transparency.

Modi said, in other states of the country, the Minority Act is in force to protect the interests of minorities, but this was not the case in Jammu and Kashmir. He said, likewise, the Minimum Wages Act is in force to protect the interests of workers in other states, but in Jammu and Kashmir it was available only on paper. The Prime Minister stated that sanitation workers come under the sanitation worker act in other states, but workers from Jammu and Kashmir were deprived of it. In many states, strong laws are their to stop atrocities against dalits, but this was not the case in Jammu and Kashmir.

Modi said, in the new system, it will be the priority of the central government that the employees of the state, the Jammu and Kashmir police, get equal facilities at par with the employees of the other Union Territories and the police.

The Prime Minister said, the process of filling the vacant posts of central and state in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh will be started soon which will provide employment opportunities to the local youth. He said, Center's public sector units and private sector companies will also be encouraged to provide jobs. He said, in last three decades, around 42,000 people have been killed in Jammu and Kashmir. The Prime Minister said, the government has tried to bring a new work culture and transparency in the Jammu and Kashmir administration. He said, IIT, IIM, AIIMS, all irrigation projects, all power projects and the Anti Corruption Bureau are the results of this effort.

The Prime Minister said, Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh have the potential to become the biggest tourist destination of the world. He said, there was a time when Kashmir was the favourite destination of several Bollywood film makers. The Prime Minister express confidence that in the near future even international films will be shot there.

Modi said, as panchayat elections were conducted with transparency, in the same way Assembly elections will also be held. He urged the Governor of the state that the formation of the Block Development Council, which has been pending for the last two-three decades, should also be completed at the earliest.

The Prime Minister said, it is a natural process in a democracy that some people are in favour of a decision and some have differences over it. He said, he respects their differences as well as their objections. Mr Modi said, the central government is also responding to the debate on it and this is their democratic responsibility.

Modi said, after the formation of the Union Territory, the development of the people of Ladakh, is the special responsibility of the Centra government. Now, with the help of local representatives, development councils of Ladakh and Kargil, the Centre will now be able to extend the benefits of all development schemes faster.

He said, Ladakh has the potential to become the biggest centre of Spiritual, Adventure and Eco tourism. He said, Ladakh can also become a major centre of solar power generation. The Prime Minister said, now there will be proper use of its potential and new opportunities will be created for development without discrimination. He said, innovative spirit of the Ladakh youth will get a boost and they will get better institutions for good education. He said, people of the region will get good hospitals and infrastructure will be further modernised.

The Prime Minister said, the government is ensuring that people of Jammu and Kashmir don't face any problem in eid celebration. He said, the government is extending all possible help to people living outside Jammu and Kashmir and want to return home on Eid.

He said, the decision will support the economic progress of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh as well as the whole of India. When peace and prosperity prevail in this important part of the world, the efforts of world peace will naturally be strengthened. The Prime Minister called all to move forward to build a new Jammu and Kashmir and new Ladakh with the new India.