A group of 96 school children from J&K meet MoS Dr. Jitendra Singh

A group of 96 school children from Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), met the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh, here today. The children belonging to Udhampur and Kathua district, included 9 girls and 87 boys. They are on ‘Bharat Darshan’ tour organized by J&K Police. The students are currently in Delhi and will travel to Agra afterwards.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Jitendra Singh said that the Government under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has made efforts to bring development in all regions of country including far flung areas such as North East and Jammu & Kashmir. The objective of the Government is to give equal opportunities to the youth belonging to these regions, he added. He said that these kind of ‘Bharat Darshan’ tours, organized for students from far flung areas, give exposure to these youth and also provide them opportunity to understand history and development of other parts of country. The students have visited India Gate, Red Fort and Science Museum in Delhi.  The Minister suggested that the students should also pay a visit to places such as Hall of Nuclear Energy, National Physical Laboratory and Nehru Planetarium, which will be an educative experience for them. He asked students to understand the history of a particular place when they visit the historical places.

Speaking about the development works undertaken in J&K, the Minister said that a radio station will be functional in Udhampur very soon. He added that the Government has sanctioned Rs 170.5 crore for the cleanliness of Devika river in Udhampur under National River Conservation Plan. The river is important for the people there due to historical reasons and faith, he added. He also informed that the stadium in Udhampur is being upgraded and the work will be completed very soon.

Dr Jitendra Singh said in Kathua district the Engineering College has started functioning and Medical College will also be opened soon. He also informed that the district will soon have a Seed Processing Plant and a Biotech Park. Besides, he said, the work on more than 12 bridges has been completed in Kathua district.

The students expressed their gratitude to the J&K police for organizing this tour. They revealed  that many of them travelled to Delhi for the first time and this was a good learning experience for them.

The Minister wished the children all success and happiness in their future efforts.