Active Stocks
Tue Mar 19 2024 14:21:04
  1. Tata Consultancy Services share price
  2. 3,980.00 -3.97%
  1. Tata Steel share price
  2. 149.15 -0.30%
  1. Bharti Airtel share price
  2. 1,232.80 0.63%
  1. Power Grid Corporation Of India share price
  2. 259.50 -2.08%
  1. ITC share price
  2. 409.45 -1.90%
Business News/ Politics / Policy/  PM Narendra Modi announces Rs745-crore package for flood-hit J&K
BackBack

PM Narendra Modi announces Rs745-crore package for flood-hit J&K

Modi also meets troops stationed in Siachen on Diwali day visit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses army officers and soldiers at a base camp during his visit to Siachen on Thursday. Photo: Reuters/PIBPremium
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses army officers and soldiers at a base camp during his visit to Siachen on Thursday. Photo: Reuters/PIB

Srinagar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday announced a 745-crore package for renovation of houses and six major hospitals damaged by the recent unprecedented floods in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K).

He said while 570 crore would be provided by the centre for the renovation of houses, 175 crore will be given for start of immediate renovation work of six major hospitals across the state.

Modi said the grant of money for renovation of the hospitals would also cover immediate procurement of new equipments and machines.

The PM told reporters after meeting chief minister Omar Abdullah that he was “seriously considering" a demand made by people whose houses were damaged by the flood waters if the money for their renovation could be directly sent to their bank accounts.

Modi said one of the demands of the people today was that “whatever assistance is given to the families that have suffered should, if possible, be transferred directly to their bank accounts as it would be more convenient for them".

“I’ve given them the assurance that the government will look into the matter seriously, especially for (renovation of) damage to the buildings," he said.

Referring to the condition of hospitals hit by the floods, he said when he had visited the state on 7 September, one of the hospitals was under water.

“Even in Leh, hospitals in Jammu and Srinagar...six major hospitals need immediate renovation work," the PM said.

Modi said that “from the very first day, I have stated that my fellow Kashmiri countrymen, this suffering is not yours alone but of the entire country. The entire country stands should to shoulder with you".

He also assured the people of the state that they will never have to face the shortage of anything and the government would wholeheartedly work for their rehabilitation.

Modi said that after the “serious problem arising out of the floods in Jammu and Kashmir, especially in Srinagar, I came here immediately on 7 September and gave a package of 1,000 crore.

“After one-and-a-half months, I have come again to take stock of the situation. Today, my effort was to meet the citizens, different social and business groups to understand their problems and find solutions," he said, adding “it has been very helpful to understand the situation here."

The Prime Minister arrived in the afternoon to spend Diwali with the flood-hit people of the Valley. He was received at the airport by governor N.N. Vohra and the chief minister.

Modi held a meeting at the airport, which was attended by the governor, the chief minister and some top officials of the centre and the state administration.

The Prime Minister marked the festival of Diwali with a visit to the victims of floods that devastated parts of Kashmir last month, and also met soldiers based in Siachen, a Himalayan glacier.

“Today India sleeps peacefully because you stay awake day and night," Modi told the soldiers based in the remote glacier at what has been dubbed the world’s highest battleground.

“Indian soldiers are respected across the world for their discipline and determination... I assure the soldiers of my country whether they are at the border or in a cantonment, the country of 1.25 billion Indians stand with you."

Modi’s visit comes after a recent flare-up in violence in Kashmir, with at least 20 civilian dying in cross-border skirmishes earlier this month amid mutual recriminations over who provoked the firing.

Both countries administer parts of Kashmir but claim sovereignty over the whole of the picturesque Himalayan region which has been a running sore between the two sides ever since independence.

Siachen, which was the scene of fierce fighting between India and Pakistan in 1987, is seen as the most inhospitable posting for any soldier.

An estimated 8,000 troops have died on the glacier since 1984, almost all of them from avalanches, landslides, frostbite, altitude sickness or heart failure rather than combat.

Modi, who won a landslide election in May, did invite his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif to his inauguration in a move that raised hopes of genuine progress in ties between the nuclear armed neighbours.

But India called off peace talks last month after Pakistan consulted with Kashmiri separatists, in a move some saw as a sign of a tougher stance under the new right-wing government.

More than 200 demonstrators rallied in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on Thursday to protest against Modi’s visit to the region.

More than 450 people were killed in India and Pakistan when the floods swept through Kashmir and Pakistan’s neighbouring Punjab province.

Assembly polls are scheduled to take place before the end of the year and Modi’s visit has been dismissed by opponents as an election stunt.

But chief minister Abdullah, who is battling to fend off a a challenge from Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), defended Modi’s visit.

“Let’s just appreciate that (Modi) is in Srinagar on his festival & not at home celebrating as he normally would have been doing," Abdullah wrote on Twitter.

Many observers believe that the elections are likely to be postponed as a result of the floods.

Unlock a world of Benefits! From insightful newsletters to real-time stock tracking, breaking news and a personalized newsfeed – it's all here, just a click away! Login Now!

Catch all the Politics News and Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates & Live Business News.
More Less
Published: 23 Oct 2014, 06:23 PM IST
Next Story footLogo
Recommended For You
Switch to the Mint app for fast and personalized news - Get App