Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing a rally in Srinagar
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a rally at the Sher-i-Kashmir cricket stadium today. This is the PM's first visit to the state after the PDP-BJP coalition came to power.
Here are the highlights- It is this love that brought over here during the floods here last year.
- It would have been easy for me to celebrate Diwali with my friends in Delhi, but I decided I should come here and be with the people
- When the Chinese President visited India, he had plans to celebrate my birthday, but I said when my friends in Kashmir are struck by floods, I can't celebrate
- I just went to seek blessings from my mother
- On my birthday, every year my mother used to give me Rs 5 or Rs 11 as a token gift, but last year my mother gave me Rs 5000.
- She said, Son, take this money for the flood-affected people of Kashmir
- It is this culture (sanskar) that inspires me and gives me strength to care for you
- And the mantra that we have chose for governing is sabka saath, sabka vikaas
- If any one corner of India is neglected, my dream cannot come true
- So I need the support of every corner and every last person of this country
- And so I need to bring back those days when everyone used to look forward to visit Kashmir
- When every family used to save money to visit Kashmir on their vacations. I need to bring back those days
- So that they can feel your hospitality and the gifts of mother nature here
- I have seen in my life no matter how big the challenges, they can be overcome
- When Gujarat was struck by an earthquake in 2001, the world thought the state would never come back. Thousands died and lost their homes
- But I decided, I need to bring my state out of that crisis, and friends, even the World Bank said after such a crisis it would take at least seven years to recover
- But the way we worked, in just three years the worst-affected regions were back on their feet
- That's why I think we can help Kashmir too, and I can see that day when Kashmir is happy and prosperous
- Kashmir has suffered a lot over the years, generations have seen their dreams being crushed
- I have come here with a conviction to take Kashmir to its previous glory and I can see that day is not too far
- Pick up any newspaper or take out any news channel debate, listen to any international agency from 17 months ago, they all said India was ruined
- Some people said India would never catch up with China. But today, they say India is not only catching up but moving ahead of China
- Just before coming today, I was reading a report by Transparency International. For the first time in 50 years, India has come ahead of China
- Friends, without Kashmiriyat, India is incomplete
- This is the land that gave birth to Sufism, which taught us to bring everyone together
- No matter how much the world advances, without humanity we are nowhere
- Jamuriyat, Insaniyat, Kashmiriyat - these are essential
- So it is imperative to bring every family out of the crisis here
- And today, Delhi will walk shoulder to shoulder with the J&K government to help the people here
- But that's not it, not just recovery, I want to take it much ahead
- Employment to the youth of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh
- The solution of all our problems lies in the employment of the youth
- Today, I want to congratulate the youth of Kashmir. In all the competitive exams in our country in the last few years, the youth of Kashmir are faring the best
- The state which has Parvez Rasool, why shouldn't there be an international match?
- And that day should come soon when international cricket resumes here - in this stadium
- And Sehwag, Sachin Dhoni- whoever sent the ball out of the park, they did it with the willow of Kashmir
- 1.75 crore people go out of India on their vacations, if 5 per cent of those people come here, how great that will be, tell me.
- Besides tourism, I want to go towards our traditional development models - Pashmina, Saffron, Apples
- And the agriculture sector, for which Kashmir is uniquely endowed, we want to work in that direction
- And then infrastructure. We are going to spend Rs 34,000 crore on Jammu Srinagar Highway. It will cut the journey time cut from 12 to 3.5 hours
- Besides we are also dreaming of i-ways - Optical fibre, mobile internet all of this should be the best in class here
- If we can develop this, the youth will find employment right here
- Then, health. If we improve hospitals make all medicines available, people will be greatly benefited. We want to bring AIIMS here. We want to bring IIT and IIM here.
- The handicraft of Kashmir should be revived
- And that's why good education, health services for the seniors, agriculture for the villages and farmers and employment for the youth
- These are the dreams we have, and for all of this we have decided to give the package of Rs 80,000 crore for the development of Jammu and Kashmir.
- Besides we are also dreaming of i-ways - Optical fibre, mobile internet all of this should be the best in class here
- If we can develop this, the youth will find employment right here
- Then, health. If we improve hospitals make all medicines available, people will be greatly benefited. We want to bring AIIMS here. We want to bring IIT and IIM here.
- The handicraft of Kashmir should be revived
- And that's why good education, health services for the seniors, agriculture for the villages and farmers and employment for the youth
- These are the dreams we have, and for all of this we have decided to give the package of Rs 80,000 crore for the development of Jammu and Kashmir.
- My friends, my heart wants this Rs 80,000 crore should be spent to change your fortunes, to give strength to your youth, to build a modern Kashmir
- This is the dream that I have come here with. What I have said, I have done.
- This treasure of Delhi is for you. And just that, this heart is for you too.
- Friends, this development, in Jammu, Kashmir or Ladakh will always be our top agenda
- And I dream of a new powerful, resurgent Kashmir