Avtar Bhat
KATHUA, July 8: Asserting that Jammu’s interests will not be compromised for power at any cost, Union Minister of State in PMO with Independent Charge of North Eastern States, Dr Jitendra Singh today said power is a mean to carry forward agenda of development and not just to be part of Government.
Dr Jitendra Singh, who was on a two days tour of Jammu, was talking to reporters here this morning before leaving for Kathua to participate in a party programme there.
He said BJP has always taken a principled stand on the issues concerning nation and it never hesitated in sacrificing chair for the sake of national interests “because for us nation is first, party second and self third’’. “For us power is only a mean to implement the development agenda for people’’, he added. Click here to watch video
Making a scathing attack on the opposition, Dr Jitendra Singh said, Congress and its allies are issuing confusing statements because they are baffled by the BJP’s principled work culture. They did not expect us to walk out of the Government voluntarily that easily, because these parties have themselves never practised such ethics in public life, he added.
Dr Jitendra Singh said, “our decision to join the coalition with PDP was dictated by the mandate of the people who gave us almost an equal tally as PDP, even though we had entered the election fray with a call for 44-plus’’. But, he said, what is more significant is that it is only a principle-based Party like BJP which lost no time in voluntarily walking out of the coalition the moment it realized that the people, particularly the people of Jammu, were no longer in favour of BJP continuing in coalition with PDP.
Dr Jitendra Singh said that BJP was for the development of all the three regions of the State and against the discrimination with any region including Jammu. During the four years of Narendra Modi Government at Centre , he said that no discrimination was done with Jammu and it got its due in all spheres of development.
While taking a dig at those parties and leaders who repeatedly made allegations that Jammu region has been subjected to discrimination during present regime also, Dr Jitendra Singh said the first Biotech Park of North India has been sanctioned for Kathua in Jammu region, first river rejuvenation project in North India was sanctioned for Devika in Udhampur, Jammu got three Medical Colleges, IIT, IIM, Engineering College under RUSA at Kathua besides major share for development of roads etc during this period.
He said, “we are guided by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s basic Mantra “Hum Yahan Desh Chalane Aaye Hain, Sarkar Chalane Nahin”. (We have come to run the country and not to taste power).
Later, Dr Jitendra Singh held a one-to-one informal meeting with the BJP workers of various Mandals / Blocks of Kathua and Hiranagar, and engaged in a free-frank exchange of views with them. Issues related to organizational working as well as execution of MP-Fund works and other Central Projects also came up in discussion.
He said besides major projects, Rs 5.50 crore were spent in his Constituency. Out of this 2.86 MPLAD and 2.60 crore from other sources.
He informed that the proposal for Seema Bhawan is under process while MoU for seed Certification Unit is awaited. The Union Minister said the Kerian Gandyal bridge in Kathua will be completed by the end of this year while first installment of Rs 24 crore for Biotech Park at Ghati Kathua has been released and the work on it will start within month.
Giving more details, Dr Jitendra Singh said the tenders for bunkers are in process. He said two toilet complexes one at Sabzi Mandi Kathua and another at Toll Plaza Lakhanpur were besides 1.66 cr were sanctioned for 439 toilets which are near completion, he added.
He said Rs 80 lakh were given to Kathua from MPLAD Fund while Rs 12 lakh were given to Dinga Amb, Rs 36 lakh to Hiranagar, Rs 20 lakh to Barnoti, Rs 10 lakh to Nagri, Rs 38 lakh to Marheen, Rs four lakh to Kerian Gandyal, Rs 70 lakh to Ghagwal, Rs 14 lakh to Rajpura and Rs 2.13 lakh were given for scooties. He said Rs 34 lakh were given from CSR for Park in Kathua and two toilet complexes at Lakhanpur Toll Plaza and Sabzi Mandi Kathua.
Dr Jitendra Singh said the main works taken up in hand under MPLAD in the Kathua district included Rs 40 lakh for Dreamland Park at Kathua, Rs 15 lakh for development of Stadium at Kharote, Kathua, Rs 57 lakh for Bore Well at Gangwali, Rs 12 lakh for community hall at Hiranagar Rs 12.50 for community water tank at Paian Hirangar and Rs 25 lakh for multipurpose pre fabricated structure with IOT based at Karol Bido.
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