Will restore Roshni scheme if elected to power: Azad

Doda Aug  8: Former Chief Minister and chairman of Democratic  Progressive Azad Party (DPAP)  Ghulam Nabi Azad on Tuesday said  that if elected to power his party  will restore the Roshni scheme.

He  added that DPAP will also  ensure jobs  for unemployed youth and labourers. According to a press release Azad  was addressing a public meeting at Bhagwah, Dessa in Doda.  The former chief minister stated that he will stand like a rock to defend the interests of local people and will not allow anyone to take over the local resources since the people of Jammu and Kashmir are its primary stakeholders.

Azad criticized the prevailing regime and said that the misgovernance and lack of transparency in the system has pushed the people of UT to the wall and the government of India must hold the assembly elections. “It is unconstitutional to deny people for so long their democratic right to choose their representatives. Jammu and Kashmir which was one of the oldest states of the country cannot be governed administratively. We need development, good governance and public participation to keep democracy alive in this part of country,” he said. 

Azad added that whatever good he had done in Jammu and Kashmir as Chief Minister; the present regime is destroying it brick by brick. “Be it Roshni scheme, or other socioeconomic projects all have been targeted and people are systematically disempowered,” he said.  Under the Roshni scheme people were empowered to secure their livelihood and the hospitals were built for proper treatment of patients, roads were built to connect people and economy. You can see now not only land rights were snatched, these hospitals have staff deficiency, roads are not maintained which has hit the economy of common people,” he said.

Azad promised his workers, if he is elected to power, he will restore the Roshni scheme and will create abundant job opportunities for the local youth, also  assured employment to labourers since they are forced now to migrate to other states to earn their livelihood. He also criticized those who are opposing Article 370 and said that he is hopeful of a positive outcome from the Supreme Court where the batch of petitions are being heard on day-to-day basis. “Those who oppose Article 370 are actually ignorant of Jammu Kashmir’s history, politics and geography. Article 370 was aimed to benefit the UT not any particular community, religion or region. We are hopeful Supreme Court will restore it since its abrogation was illegal,” he said.