Modi govt opened new avenues for J&K’s youth: Jitendra Singh

Jammu, Jun 26 (PTI) Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Monday said the Narendra Modi government has opened new avenues for Jammu and Kashmir’s youth, particularly the residents of border villages.

Addressing the National Security Conclave here in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who was the chief guest, Jitendra Singh said earlier, most of the defence equipment was imported from other countries, but after the government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi took over in 2014, it is now the other way round.

The export of defence equipment from India has gone up six times in the last nine years, he asserted.

“Youths are India’s biggest asset with people up to 40 years of age making up 60 per cent of our population. With avenues open for the elderly people, 60 years and above, India will emerge as a developed nation during the Amrit Kaal by the centenary year of the country’s Independence,” Singh, the minister of state for personnel, said.

He said the Modi government has opened new avenues for the youth of Jammu and Kashmir, particularly the residents of border villages.

“Earlier border villagers used to take shelter in a block or gram panchayat buildings, but the Union government first sanctioned bunkers for civilians and later approved family bunkers also,” the minister said.

Singh said national security will be further strengthened with two landmark agreements signed during the historic visit of PM Modi to the US.

“One is the deal for manufacturing jet engines for the LCA Tejas fighter jets, and the other is that US warships will now be berthing at our Naval Shipyards for extensive repairs. This demonstrates the trust reposed in our capabilities by the US,” he said.

Singh said the country’s defence infrastructure will gain from the Indo-US pact on quantum computing.

“In the nine years of the Union government, India has turned the tide from being just an importer of defence items to being an exporter of arms and ammunition. There has been a substantial jump in the export of defence items,” the minister said.

He said “all this” helps in creating jobs for the youth.

“In J&K, the youth are also gaining with the launch of several startups in lavender cultivation and under the Aroma Mission,” said Singh, a Lok Sabha member from Jammu and Kashmir’s Udhampur constituency.