New Delhi: The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi on Wednesday said people of Jammu and Kashmir, have approved Bharat’s Constitution, its democracy and Election Commission.
He replied to the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address to Parliament in the Rajya Sabha today.
Addressing the House, the Prime Minister thanked the President for the inspirational and encouraging address. Around 70 members presented their views on the President’s address and the Prime Minister thanked the members.
Citing the voting figures of the recent Lok Sabha elections in Jammu & Kashmir, the Prime Minister said the people of the union territory have come out in large numbers to cast their votes, breaking the records of the last four decades. “People of Jammu and Kashmir have approved Bharat’s Constitution, its democracy and Election Commission,” he said hailing the mandate. Shri Modi called it a much-awaited moment for the citizens of this country. Congratulating the voters of the union territory, the Prime Minister said that in the past few decades multiple bandhs, protests, blasts and terror activities had eclipsed the democracy in Jammu & Kashmir. However, the people of Jammu & Kashmir have displayed their unwavering faith in the Constitution and decided their future. “In a way, we are in the final stage of our fight against terrorism in Jammu & Kashmir. We are working hard to destroy the remaining terror networks,” he said, adding that the people of the union territory are helping and guiding them in this fight.
The Prime Minister said that the Northeast is fast becoming the gateway of the nation’s progress. He narrated steps taken in this direction in the last few years. He mentioned the unprecedented growth of infrastructure in the Northeast. He also expressed hope for a long-lasting impact of the efforts to ensure permanent peace in the region as boundary disputes among the states are being addressed in a meaningful manner with consensus.
Reiterating the President’s concern over the recent paper leaks, the Prime Minister assured the youth that his government is taking strict action against those playing with the future of our country and will not let them go unpunished. “We are strengthening the whole system to ensure that our youth do not have to live under any kind of doubt and showcase their potential confidently,” he added.
Thanking the members for their suggestions for agriculture and the farmers, the Prime Minister recounted the Government’s effort to make agriculture lucrative for the farmers in the last 10 years. He mentioned ensuring credit, seeds, affordable fertilizer, crop insurance, MSP procurement,. “We have made the utmost effort to provide a robust system to farmers ranging from seed to market through micro-planning at every stage”, the Prime Minister said.
Prime Minister Modi highlighted the benefits of Kisan Credit Card and said that it has simplified the process of availing loans for small farmers. He further added that the benefits of Kisan Credit Card have been extended to fishermen and animal keepers. The Prime Minister also mentioned welfare schemes for small farmers and highlighted PM Kisan Samman Nidhi which has benefitted 10 crore farmers disbursing about 3 lakh crore rupees in the last 6 years. The Prime Minister also pointed out the inadequacy and lack of credibility of the loan waiver schemes in the previous regimes and underlined the Kisan Kalyan Schemes of the current regime.
Continuing his speech after the walkout of the opposition, the Prime Minister sympathized with the Chairman of the house and said “I am duty bound to be a servant of the people. I am accountable to people for every minute of my time”. He also criticized the opposition for disrespecting the traditions of the House.
The Prime Minister highlighted that his government gave a subsidy of Rs 12 lakh crores for fertilizers to the poor farmers, the highest figure since independence. Shri Modi said that to empower the farmers, his government did not just announce a record increase in the Minimum Support Price (MSP) but also created new records in purchasing from them. Drawing a comparison with the previous government, he highlighted that his government has delivered 2.5 times more money to paddy and wheat farmers over the last 10 years. “We do not want to stop here. For the next five years, we are trying to solve the problems arising in new sectors by studying them. We have currently undertaken the world’s largest campaign of food storage,” he said, adding that works have started towards creating lakhs of granaries under the Central arrangement.

Agencies