Srinagar, August 15 (KNS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday announced that elections would be held in Jammu and Kashmir soon once delimitation process in the Union Territory is over.
According to Kashmir News Service (KNS), PM Modi was addressing the nation on the eve of 74th Independence Day. He said that it has been a year since Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh got Independence from Article 370.
“This one year has been a very important milestone for the new development journey of these regions as it gave women and Dalits of this region their basic rights besides dignity to the lives of our refugee brethren”, Modi said.
Referring to “Back to Village” program by the UT administration, Modi said the move ensured the fruits of developments reach the villages and the poor. Under this scheme, all bureaucrats spend lot of time in villages to address the problems of the poor people.
During speech, Modi hailed the role of Panchayat members for ensuring development at grass root level. “I thank the Panchs and Sarpanchs from the core of my heart for their active participation in this development journey”, Modi said.
The strength and real power of democracy lies in elected local bodies, Modi said. It is a matter of pride that the public representatives of these local bodies are taking forward the development process in Jammu and Kashmir with their active participation and concern, he added.
“The delimitation exercise is going on in Jammu and Kashmir under the chairmanship of a retired Supreme Court judge. As soon as the delimitation process is over, there will be elections in the future so that the union territory has its own government, which will undertake development work with renewed vigor," Modi said. (KNS)