Accusing the earlier governments at the Centre and in Jammu & Kashmir of misplaced priorities, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Science & Technology; MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh today said that in the last over 9 years, the Union Government headed by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi ended discrimination against people living in border areas and ensured justice to all.

Interacting with a delegation of Seema Jagran Manch that called on him, Dr Jitendra Singh said, the blatant discrimination by the previous governments in the erstwhile state of Jammu & Kashmir was evident from its decision to provide 4% reservation in higher education institutions and jobs to those living along the LoC but denying the same to those living along the International Border (IB), mostly along Kathua and Samba districts.

“What could be the worst example of inhuman discrimination between one section of youth and the other, between one part of the border and the other,” he asked.

It was only after PM Modi took over, that this anomaly was corrected and youth along IB also given the same benefit, reminded the Minister, who is also the Lok Sabha MP representing Kathua-Udhampur-Doda.

Dr Jitendra Singh said, Prime Minister Modi will go down in history for having brought justice to the Pakistan refugees settled in J&K who were deprived of their constitutional rights of citizenship and owning the property. The refugees settled in J&K were not even given voting rights. “West-Pak refugees have also been sanctioned Rs. 5 lakh per family,” he said.

Dr Jitendra Singh said the Central Government approved funds for construction of 13,029 Individual bunkers with capacity of 8 persons each and 1,431 Community bunkers with capacity of 40 persons each in the border areas of J&K.

Stating that development has been brought to the last man in the last queue under PM Modi, Dr Jitendra Singh said, the border areas which were neglected earlier have now become the models of development, the best example being the border district Kathua which is now being cited as an example of unprecedented development which was never seen before.

Today there is road connectivity right up to the last point on IB, which was also done in the last 9 years, he said. From his MP Fund, he recalled, over 300 toilets had been constructed within the premises of border area houses in district Kathua.

Dr Jitendra Singh said, the Central Government approved the raising of nine new battalions in the Jammu & Kashmir Police, including 2 Mahila battalions for women employment. Out of the 9 new Battalions, two of which are exclusively for border area youth and in another 5, 60% is reserved for the border area youth.

“New SPOs are being recruited, 50% from border areas. Crops destroyed by border shelling have been included for compensation under Pradhan Mantri Fasal Beema Yojana. Compensation for firing victims increased etc,” he said.

Dr Jitendra Singh said the government made provision of Rs 50,000 compensation for each cattle / livestock lost in border shelling, no limit on number of cattle and 5 Bulletproof Ambulances provided for border areas.

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SNC/PK