Will restore Roshni Act if elected to power : Ghulam Nabi Azad

Jammu, Dec 23: Former Chief Minister and Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) chairman Ghulam Nabi Azad on Saturday vowed to restore the Roshni Scheme in its original form if his party is elected to power. He also assured protection of the rights on land and jobs of the people in Jammu and Kashmir.

According to a press release, he was addressing a public rally at R S Pura in Jammu. Azad said that all those “anti people laws” , which hamper the growth of the people, would be revoked.

“My priority is to get back the Roshni Scheme since it was largely benefiting people. The abolishing of the scheme recently has dent the economic prosperity of people. It was benefiting thousands of people and had become the source of livelihood,” he said.

The former Chief Minister said that he has developed a vision for the people of J&K and that would be implemented once the DPAP is in power to uplift the UT socio-economically. He said that the people of R S Pura and other regions sharing the LoC or International border with Pakistan have suffered a lot due to shelling from neighbouring country. “These areas need special attention from the government to compensate the losses they have been incurring due to uncertainty on borders. I can share the pain and sufferings of these people and assure that special schemes for such areas would come up to benefit them socioeconomically,” he said.

Denouncing the politics based on religion, Azad said that he would never encourage politics that imbibe social disharmony and create discord within religious communities. He said he would also give special attention to the prevailing drug addiction among the youths of the UT. “ Our youth are diverted to drugs and a large population is affected with this menace. We can’t afford to overlook the problem and I will address it once you elect my party to power,” he said.

Azad reiterated that securing the jobs and lands is his utmost priority since the people of Jammu and Kashmir have primary rights over its use to benefit themselves. He appreciated the secular values of people of Jammu region and said that peace and prosperity is only possible if people are united irrespective of caste, creed and colour.