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NEW DELHI: Emphasising the need to coexist peacefully while rejecting terrorism, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday interacted with 250 children from Jammu and Kashmir in the national capital and urged them to spread the message of peace in the Union Territory (UT).
Shah appealed to the children to assure their parents and neighbours that the “entire country belongs to them.”
He further stated that if terrorism is eradicated, there would be no need for police or military presence in the region.
The interaction was part of the government’s continued efforts to integrate Jammu and Kashmir’s youth into the national mainstream and promote harmony in the region.
“Go back to their villages and talk to their parents, siblings, friends, relatives, and people in their village about peace, harmony, and development. This country belongs to everyone, and it is important to instill this belief in the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” Shah told the group of 250 children of Jammu and Kashmir under ‘Watan Ko Jano’ programme.
Shah said that Prime Minister Modi has brought so much development to the country, creating numerous avenues and opportunities that await the youth and children, and they should take advantage of these opportunities. He added that all must work together to transform the peace established in Jammu and Kashmir into lasting peace.
Home Minister said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has united the whole country by abolishing Article 370 and now the citizens of Kashmir have the same rights in the country as the citizens of any other state, and ‘Watan Ko Jano’ programme is part of that.
Shah said that development can only happen when there is peace. “No one benefits from terrorism. In the last 30 years, 38 thousand people have been killed in Kashmir due to violence. There has been an 80 per cent reduction in the death of civilians in Kashmir, and people are happy about this, but true happiness will come when not a single citizen of Jammu and Kashmir loses life.”
Shah said that it is the Centre’s goal to make Jammu and Kashmir a place where not a single person dies due to terrorism. He said that the responsibility of creating such a Jammu and Kashmir lies with the children and youth.
Two hundred fifty children from weaker sections of Jammu and Kashmir including 62 girls and 188 boys in the age group of 9-18 years visited Jaipur, Ajmer and Delhi under ‘Watan Ko Jano’ programme organized by Social Welfare Department of the Government of Jammu and Kashmir in coordination with the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).
During their exposure trip, started on February 15, the children visited many important and historic places in Jaipur and Ajmer. They reached Delhi on February 23 to meet dignitaries and visit Qutub Minar, Red Fort and other important places in the national capital. The children will return to Jammu and Kashmir on February 27.
The Ministry of Home Affairs and the Government of Jammu and Kashmir have been conducting Youth Exchange programme. The main objective of the programme is to expose the youth and children of Jammu and Kashmir to vibrant development and social and cultural diversity of India so that they can feel socially, culturally and emotionally integrated with the rest of the country. The programme is expected to have positive impact on the thinking of the youth.
MHA is committed to such initiatives for the development and progress of youth and children of Jammu and Kashmir. ‘Watan Ko Jano’ programme is one such initiative through which, children of terrorism-affected families or weaker sections of society in Jammu and Kashmir identified by the Jammu and Kashmir Rehabilitation Council are taken on exposure trip.
The youth and children are mainly selected from the various orphanages in the districts of Jammu and Kashmir. Preference is given to children from terrorism-affected families, destitute children and children from weaker sections. The other criterion for selection apart from socio-economic background, is proficiency in education, sports and cultural activities. So far, about 2868 youth and children have participated in the ‘Watan Ko Jano’ programme.
