APD | Union ministers to visit Kashmir

By APD writer Rishika Chauhan

NEW DELHI, Jan. 15, (APD)-- Nearly six months after security restrictions were imposed on the former province of Jammu and Kashmir, around eight union ministers are to visit the newly formed union territory.

The eight ministers, Anurag Thakur, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Giriraj Singh, Prahlad Joshi, Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, Renuka Singh, Jitendra Singh and Piyush Goyal

will be visiting different districts of Kashmir during their weeklong visit.

This would be the first visit of union ministers to Kashmir since the annulling of Article 370 of the Constitution, which gave the former province special status.

According to reports, the government has requested the ministers to “educate people about the schemes/projects being implemented/to be implemented by their ministry in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.”

An Indian Express report cited a letter sent to state Chief Secretary BVR Subrahmanyam, by Minister of State for Home Affairs, G Krishan Reddy saying, “Honourable Minister Shri Amit Shah has desired that all members of the Union Council of Minister pay a visit to the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, with the objective of disseminating information about the importance of the Government policies.”

“With regard to the overall development of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and its people along with the steps taken by the government of India in this direction particularly in the last 5 months after the abrogation of Article 370 and bifurcation of erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir into Union Territories,” the letter further said.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)