Excelsior Correspondent
NEW DELHI, June 5: Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) of the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh said here today that the common youth of Kashmir has moved on to realize his aspirations in Modi’s “New India”, even as the protagonists of the so- called “Azadi” are trying hard to hold him back so that they could exploit his sentiments to push forward their political agenda. He said, this is the third generation of youth post-independence, most of them born after 1990, who are well-connected, well-informed and therefore, not vulnerable to be held to ransom like the earlier two generations that preceded them.
Responding to media queries on the sidelines of a function held to mark the 47th World Environment Day on the theme “Beat Plastic Pollution”, Dr Jitendra Singh said, the youth of Kashmir today is as aspirational as his counterparts in the rest of India and is fully prepared to make the best use of the new avenues and opportunities made available in the last three to four years under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Not only this,during last three years or so, the performance and success rate of the Kashmir youth in certain spheres like, for example, All India Civil Services Exam or IIT-JEE entrance test, has been even better than his counterparts or peers in many other parts of the country.
Reiterating that separatism in Kashmir is more out of convenience than out of conviction, Dr Jitendra Singh said, the bitter truth is that the freedom struggle in Kashmir was never “real”, but it was more of a manufactured freedom struggle intended to exploit the regional and religious sentiments of innocent masses to promote the political agenda of a handful of self-serving protagonists. He said, the youth of Kashmir has now begun to ask questions and he is challenging the credentials of the leaders who provoke him to place his life at risk for so called “Jehad”, whereas their own children are beneficiaries of the best of education, the best of job placements and the best of settlement.
Later, speaking at the National Environment Convention organized by the Indian Institute of Ecology and Environment, Dr Jitendra Singh said, any movement for social reform can achieve its maximum success only when it assumes the form of a mass movement. There is still a lot to be done to protect the environment and therefore, every year we rededicate ourselves to this cause, he added.
Referring to “Swachchta” campaign launched by the government and led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Dr Jitendra Singh said, it is one of the most striking examples in the world of a campaign, for which the call was given by the head of the State and it was spontaneously carried forward by the masses. He informed that on the completion of four years of the Modi Government, over 7.5 crore toilets have already been constructed.
Dr Jitendra Singh said, this year’s theme “Beat Plastic Pollution” is important in the contemporary context. He called for the change of the mindset of the people.
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