Cong, NC neglected remote, hilly areas for decades: Dr Jitendra

Union Minister, Dr Jitendra Singh addressing the gathering after laying the foundation stone of the first-ever, ‘National Institute of High Altitude Medicine’ at Bhaderwah on Saturday —Excelsior/Tilak Raj
Union Minister, Dr Jitendra Singh addressing the gathering after laying the foundation stone of the first-ever, ‘National Institute of High Altitude Medicine’ at Bhaderwah on Saturday —Excelsior/Tilak Raj

Foundation stone of NIHAM laid at Bhaderwah

Avtar Bhat
JAMMU, Dec 15: Union Minister in PMO with Independent charge of North Eastern States, Dr Jitendra Singh today lambasted the Congress and National Conference (NC) who ruled the State for decades together for ignoring the far -flung and remote areas of J&K.
Addressing a public meeting after laying the foundation stone of the first-ever National Institute of High Altitude Medicine, at Bhaderwah in Doda district today, he said with the establishment of such a prestigious institute, Bhaderwah has now emerged on the national map of India.

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He said such type of development could have been done in the State during last over 60 years of Congress and NC rule but they deliberately neglected the far-flung and remote areas of the State and exploited the people on cheap and emotive slogans for their vote politics.
Maintaining that Narendra Modi led Government at New Delhi is committed to the development of all remote and backward areas, Dr Jitendra Singh said when the issue of setting up of this type of prestigious institute of medicines grown on high altitude came “we did not lose even a single minute in selecting Bhaderwah though there was no dearth of high altitude places from Arunachal to Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh”.
He said it needs will, commitment and prioritization in development of the remote and hilly areas which both Congress and NC lacked. “Had they been interested in developing this hilly reach of the State and the tourist places around, the whole socio -economic standard of the people would have changed over these years.”
The Union Minister said Narendra Modi Government during its rule did not discriminate with any region on the basis of religion, caste and creed and gave equal attention for development to all the regions of the State.
Dr Jitendra Singh, while taking a dig at opposition parties, said that they criticize BJP and Prime Minister, Narendra Modi just to make news otherwise they have nothing to sell to people. “In comparison to their negative and false propaganda, BJP is speaking about development and welfare of the common masses and they criticize us”, he added.
On much publicized Rafale deal, the Union Minister said that the Apex Court in its ruling has said that right procedure and technology was adopted in Rafale deal and those who don’t agree are questioning the wisdom of Supreme Court of India.
The new institute, Dr Jitendra Singh disclosed, will become functional within two years and it will cater not only to this region or to this State, but to the entire Indian subcontinent. Not only will it open new vistas of medical research and study, he said, but this Institute will also generate new avenues of employment for youth.
Dr Jitendra Singh said, within a short duration of four-and-a-half years, such wide range of development works have been accomplished in this region, for which the people had yearned for the last 70 years. He said, it is now for the people to ask themselves, if all this could be accomplished in less than five years, why could it not be done by the earlier Governments and the former public representatives in seven decades.
Lauding Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s priority for development of remote and backward areas, Dr Jitendra Singh said, there has been a day and night effort to get the maximum number of development projects in the last four years. Not only one or two, he said, there are three tunnels coming up in this region … … one is Chhattergalla tunnel connecting this area with Basohli, Banni and Lakhanpur, the second is Kaljugar tunnel connecting this area directly with Chamba in Himachal Pradesh and the third one is between Khellani and Sudh Mahadev.
Bhaderwah Assembly constituency, Dr Jitendra Singh said, received highest amount of Central Road Funds (CRF) compared to any other Assembly Constituency this year, to the tune of Rs.110 crore, in addition to Rs.450 crore Central Funds for PMGSY roads. Another Rs.10 crore Central Fund was sanctioned for Doda to Bhaderwah road, which has now reduced the travel time to just 40 minutes. The new community hall from MP-Fund, he said, is under construction and will be named after late BJP leader, Daya Kishan Kotwal. He also referred to first-ever Post Office and Bank branch at Gandoh.
Later, at Kishtwar, after laying the foundation stone of the Centrally funded AYUSH Hospital, Dr Jitendra Singh said, the demand for Paddar Degree College was pending for several decades and it has been approved from Central RUSA funds. Another college has also been approved for Dachhan and the most significant Marwah to Dachhan road has been approved at a cost of Rs.94 crore. The airstrip in Kishtwar, he said, is being upgraded and an Airport will be developed under the Central Regional Connectivity Scheme of the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation.
Dr Jitendra Singh said, Udhampur-Kathua-Doda is a large constituency beginning from Punjab border, but once you enter the State from Lakhanpur, you will come across monuments of development, one after the other, planned only in the last four-and-a-half years. Beginning from Lakhanpur, he said, one can see the Inter-State Bridge Keediyan-Gadhiyal, then the Shapur-Kandi and Ujh Multipurpose Projects being revived after four decades, first Highway Village / Haat, Medical College, Engineering College, new University Campus under construction, first-of-its-kind Seed Processing Plant, North-India’s first Bio-Tech Park, Passport Office, new Kendriyan Vidyalaya at Janglot, Juthana Bridge, India’s longest Katra-Delhi Express Road Corridor for which the survey is going on by a Delhi-based consultancy firm, nearly 12 new BRO Bridges, Dreamland Park, new benches and additional settings from MP-fund at Railway Station, Sulabh toilets in border villages, bunkers along the International Border etc.
When one goes beyond Kathua and enter Udhampur, Dr Jitendra Singh said, one can find Rs.188 crore Devika River Project, for which tenders have already been floated and the new Radio Station which will become functional next month, besides a new Passport Office. On entering Doda town, the long incomplete Ganpath bridge today stands completed and a Medical College is under construction where the academic session will start from 2019.
MoS (Independent Charge) Ministry of AYUSH Shripad Yesso Naik, who was also present at both the functions, gave a detailed account of the various Indian Medicine Institutes being developed across the country. He lauded Prime Minister, Narendra Modi for having set up a separate Ministry for AYUSH. He called upon the people of the hilly region to make the best use of the AYUSH Hospital facilities being provided here.
Former Minister Sunil Sharma, former MLA Dilip Singh Parihar, Joint Secretary Union Ministry of AYUSH Roshan Jaggi, Director Indian Medicine Anchuk, Deputy Commissioners of Doda and Kishtwar, BJP district president Doda Manjeet Razdan, Councilor Puneet Mehta and a large number of prominent citizens were present on both the occasions.

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