Modi-Sinha double engine

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Jammu and Kashmir has been significant in many ways. It signaled New Delhi’s seriousness about Jammu and Kashmir’s development. It was also a rare occasion when Jammu and Kashmir breathed easy. Unlike past, there was neither any fear in the air nor did people feel security hassles. Kudos to Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha who is really the man of the match in this whole scheme of things. His apt handling of the situation has created an atmosphere where people inside and outside Jammu and Kashmir can heave a sigh of relief. Tourism, industry, investment et al are thriving. Undoubtedly, it is because of Modi-Shah blessings that LG Sinha can deliver on the ground. LG Sinha Vikas Purush’s image stands true in Jammu and Kashmir. Despite being 64, he works 16 hours a day, attends three to four functions, travels by road, and takes notes from the administration daily. His pulse on administration has kept even the laziest officers on their toes. That is why, his success score is 10 on 10. Coming back to the Prime Minister’s visit, Jammu and Kashmir has something to cheer about. Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched multiple development projects worth over Rs 32,000 crore. Symbolically, he also launched or laid the foundation stone of projects worth Rs 13,500 crore across the country from the soil of Jammu and Kashmir. Modi distributed appointment letters among 1,500 newly recruited government employees of Jammu and Kashmir. He also interacted with the beneficiaries of various schemes as part of the ‘Viksit Bharat, Viksit J&K programme. Modi also inaugurated the railway line between Banihal-Khari-Sumber-Sangaldan (48 km) and the newly electrified Baramulla-Srinagar-Banihal-Sangaldan section (185.66 km). He flagged off the first electric train in the Valley and the train service between Sangaldan and Baramulla stations. India’s longest transportation tunnel T-50 (12.77 km) lies in the portion between Khari and Sumber. The icing on the cake was All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Vijaypur. Jammu and Kashmir is among the few states where two AIIMS have been allotted. AIIMS Jammu is complete and AIIMS Srinagar too is in the final stages. Set up at a cost of over Rs 1,660 crore and in an area spanning over 227 acres, AIIMS Jammu is equipped with 720 beds, a medical college with 125 seats, a nursing college with 60 seats, an AYUSH block with 30 beds, residential accommodation for faculty and staff, hostel accommodation for UG and PG students and a shopping complex among other facilities. For the unversed, it is the Modi-Shah-Sinha troika that has transformed Jammu and Kashmir into an island of peace and development. A no-nonsense approach coupled with a development agenda has been at the heart of the model. On one side the government is committed to fighting terror, on the other, it has extended a hand of friendship to the people of J&K. Indeed it is a healing touch 2.0