Ashwini Choubey says Centre working hard for development of J-K, calls it 'Crown of India'

Union Minister Ashwini Choubey, during the Centre's outreach program in Jammu on Sunday, said that the Centre is working hard for the development of Jammu and Kashmir. He further called Jammu and Kashmir the 'Crown of India'. 

Addressing the gathering at Jammu club, the Minister said, "I want to say Jammu and Kashmir is a crown of India. The government is working very hard for the development of the region and to bring employment opportunities." Choubey attended a felicitation ceremony of Ayushman Bharat Prime Minister Jan Arogya Yojna at the club.

Choubey lauds abrogation of Article 370 and 35 A

On August 5, the BJP-led Central government abrogated Article 370 and 35 A in Jammu and Kashmir that revoked the special status in the state and further bifurcated it into two Union Territories- Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. Lauding the move, Choubey said, "If Article 370 and 35 A would have not been abrogated, it was not possible to bring industries in the Valley. We have talked to industrialists and they have shown interest to set up industries here. The Prime Minister has sent us to understand the desire of people of Jammu and Kashmir."

He further added, "I am here to listen to you what are your problems and how can we solve them. I will talk to people here and submit my report to the Prime Minister." 

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About the Outreach program

Several Union Ministers including Minister of State (MoS) in the Prime Minister's Office Jitendra Singh; MoS for Parliamentary Affairs and Water Resources Arjun Ram Meghwal and MoS for Health Ashwini Choubey visited Jammu as a part of the first phase of the Centre's outreach program. 

According to reports, the Centre's delegation will be interacting with the people in Jammu and Kashmir and educate them about various implementations. Their aim is to spread the information about the importance of the Centre's policies for the overall development of the Union Territory and its people, stated reports. 

Read: Here is the list of websites which will work in Jammu and Kashmir on 2G mobile internet

Kashmir to get back internet connectivity

After almost five months of suspending internet and keeping the people of Jammu and Kashmir in the backdrop, the Centre is now restoring the internet services in the Union Territory. The Principal Secretary of Planning and Development, Jammu and Kashmir, Rohit Kansal, on Saturday, announced that the voice and SMS facilities on the prepaid services will be functional throughout the UT. However, the access to internet services will still be limited as the people of J&K will only be able to access 2G data on postpaid sim cards within the 10 districts of Jammu division and two districts of Kashmir division.  

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(With ANI Inputs)