Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the power of development was stronger than the might of bullets and bombs, PTI reported. Modi, who addressed his monthly radio programme “Mann Ki Baat”, cited a government exercise in Jammu and Kashmir to say that those trying to spread hate and obstruct development works would never succeed.
The prime minister said the government’s “Back to village” programme in June saw several villagers come forward to discuss developmental scheme with government officials. “It shows how keen people of Kashmir are to join mainstream of development,” NDTV quoted him as saying. “Such programmes and people’s participation in them show that people of Kashmir want good governance. This also proves the dictum that the power of development is stronger than the might of bullets and bombs.”
Modi said it was the first time government officials had visited sensitive villages in the districts of Shopian, Pulwama, Kulgam and Anantnag. “It is clear that those who wish to spread hatred en route to development, pose hurdles will never succeed in their sinister plans,” he added.
The prime minister praised the hospitality of Kashmiri people, and credited it for the success of the Amarnath Yatra so far. He said more than three lakh pilgrims had completed the pilgrimage since July 1.
Modi said the Centre was working with state governments at a “lightning pace” to provide people relief to flood victims in several states. As many as 198 people had died till Thursday in floods in Bihar and Assam.
He also praised the Meghalaya government for framing a water policy and the Haryana government for encouraging farmers to shift to cultivating crops that need less water. In his first “Mann ki baat” address since being voted back, Modi had said the “one-size-fits-all” approach would not help achieve water conservation goals.
The prime minister asked people to come up with new ways to celebrate August 15. “You must ponder over the fact how August 15 could be celebrated as a folk-festival and also as a people’s festival,” he added.
During the 25-minute address, Modi also spoke of India’s recent mission to Moon. “Sometimes, we do face temporary setbacks in our lives, but always remember that the ability to overcome it is also within us,” he said. Chandrayaan 2 was launched on July 22, a few days after the take off was called off due to a technical problem.
Modi praised the scientists at the Indian Space Research Organisation. “The way our scientists corrected all the technical issues one by one in record time and launched Chandrayaan 2, it is unprecedented in itself,” the prime minister said. “This great feat of our scientists has been seen by the whole world. We all should be proud of this. Modi said the mission was “special in many ways”, and would “deepen understanding of Moon”.
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