STATE TIMES NEWS
UDHAMPUR: Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh said here on Friday that the unprecedented development that has taken place in the last six years is seen by the voter, even though the opponents pretend not to see.
The irony, however, is that those who are claiming that nothing has happened are at the same time not reluctant or ashamed of taking all the benefit of development as well as the welfare schemes, he said.
Addressing a series of public meetings as a part of the District Development Council (DDC) election campaign in different Panchayats on the outskirts of Udhampur, Dr. Jitendra said, Udhampur is a rare district in the country which has received two national River/Water rejuvenation projects, namely the Devika River Project and the Mansar Lake Project. In addition, a Centrally funded state-of-the-art Health and Wellness Centre is coming up at Mantalai at the site which had been dumped by the then Congress government after the demise of Dhirendra Brahmachari over three decades ago, he said.
Udhampur-Kathua-Doda is possibly the only Lok Sabha constituency in the entire country, said Dr. Jitendra Singh, which has received three Centrally funded Medical Colleges in four years, one of which is for Udhampur. In addition, the first two Highway Villages of the country are also coming up in Udhampur and Kathua respectively, he said.
Not only this, said Dr. Jitendra, a Passport Office has been opened at Udhampur, a centrally funded multipurpose Indoor Sports stadium has been started here and a Radio Station also set up which assumes significance because the demand for a Radio Station was for the first time raised by the people of Udhampur way back in 1965, when the Indo-Pak war broke out and Radio Pakistan signal needed to be countered for its false propaganda. Similarly, he said, Devika bridge,inaugurated this year and constructed by the BRO, has overcome the bottleneck at the Military Hospital crossing on the main highway.
Besides a network of roads and bridges constructed in last six years, Dr. Singh referred to over half a dozen Degree Colleges and Kendriya Vidyalayas started during this period. If all this is not development, he said, then he could challenge anybody to come forward and show with evidence what else is the definition of development,
Hailing the Universal Health Insurance Cover under Ayushman Bharat, Dr. Jitendra said, those who say that the Modi government has not done anything are at the same time quietly registering their names for the health Insurance cover of Rs 5 lakh. In other words, when they have to take a benefit they can see it but when asked by a media person they refuse to see the development, which is itself an implied admission by them that because of vested interests they are constrained not to acknowledge it.
Dr. Singh said that the high speed development started in this region will continue in future as well and it will gain momentum as well as greater relevance with the constituting of District Development Councils and setting up of three-tier grassroot democracy.
