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Today we celebrate the 65th Independence Day of our great Nation. On this joyous occasion I convey my greetings and good wishes to the people of Jammu & Kashmir and pray for peace, progress and prosperity in the State.

On this auspicious day, 62 years ago, India attained freedom from colonial rule and the people of our country became the masters of their destiny. Over six decades have since gone by while it would be useful to look back and assess how far we have traveled on the path to building a strong, united and prosperous India, it would be profitable to also look ahead and determine new goals.

All in all, the past 62 years have been momentous. Despite serious challenges on varied fronts, including several attacks on the territorial integrity of India, we have been able to keep the flame of democracy burning bright. And, today, India is looked upon as the largest and most vibrant democracy in the world. Thanks to the firm foundations laid by the first generation of our visionary leaders, and thanks to the strong resolve and sustained hard work of our people, our country has been able to secure significant achievements in different spheres of growth and development. In recent years India has been well known the world over for its signal achievements in several fields, particularly in the arena of Information Technology. And perhaps our biggest achievement has related to harmonizing our invaluable cultural heritage and traditional values with science, technology and a liberal and modern approach to life. Truly, the story of India has been the story of change with continuity.

In the odyssey of nation building, Jammu & Kashmir has also marched ahead. Notwithstanding the scars of militancy on the beautiful landscape of our State, the people of Jammu & Kashmir deserve to be congratulated for having boldly confronted the subversive and divisive forces with their abiding commitment to peace and democracy. While the militant activities have been brought down significantly, the State cannot afford to lower its guard. Also, the gains of peace need to be further consolidated through developmental initiatives which are people-driven.

With an all time high annual plan allocation of rupees 5500 crore for the current year, rupees 1200 crore under the Prime Minister’s Reconstruction Plan and access to Centrally Sponsored Schemes valuing about rupees 1900 crore, a most exciting opportunity has become available for the State Government to propel the State to a much higher growth trajectory.

It must, however, be noted that the large scale of resources which have become available to the State this year would not yield the envisaged outcome unless the governmental machinery functions with speed, efficiency and honesty to ensure timely implementation of various important schemes and programmes. If there are gaps between what the people have been promised and what is actually delivered to them, the State shall suffer a serious loss of opportunity and, besides, understandable dissatisfaction and further loss of people’s trust in the establishment. It is, therefore, of crucial importance to ensure that the entire focus of the developmental effort results in bringing about a qualitative change in the lives of the common people, on a continuing basis.

The people of Jammu & Kashmir’s vigorous participation in the Assembly Elections last winter, and in the Parliamentary Elections which followed soon thereafter, has demonstrated their deep commitment to the democratic process and, besides, a serious yearning for better governance, particularly in regard to the resolution of their day-to-day problems and prompt redressal of grievances.

In the aforestated context, it is necessary to recognize that it would not be possible for the State administrative apparatus to timely and efficiently implement various projects unless there is sustained normalcy. Needless to observe, the politics of divisiveness and negativism shall result in seriously disrupting the growth process on all fronts, eroding both individual and institutional performances. It is, therefore, the foremost responsibility of the elected representatives of the people, irrespective of the political party to which they belong, to engender a stable political environment which fosters communal harmony, peace and normalcy. It is equally important to ensure that the Legislature is able to meaningfully deal with its business, providing an orderly atmosphere for dispassionate and bipartisan discussions on important issues of governance which would compel the Executive to deliver honest and efficient governance.

Jammu & Kashmir is not a mere physical mixture of diverse geo-climatic zones inhabited by people belonging to varied ethnic groups. With its three distinct regions, and several sub regions, and the people who live in them, J&K is an integrated whole whose composite identity, which evolved over centuries past, must be preserved and protected. It is equally necessary that, at all costs, we maintain communal and regional harmony and the bonds of unity amongst the people of all the regions of the State. Peace and communal harmony must not only be maintained but also systematically nurtured and progressively strengthened. I would appeal to each and every citizen of the State to be an active stakeholder in the extremely important task of deepening and widening the process of harmonization and synthesis through mutual respect and accommodation for each other’s sensitivities, concerns and beliefs.

Given the fortunate availability of sizeable financial allocations, and the vast unexploited potential of each of the three regions of the State, it is extremely important that the governmental machinery works with visible efficiency and honesty to timely achieve the targeted developmental goals. I call upon Sh. Omar Abdullah, J&K’s young and dynamic Chief Minister, and members of his Cabinet, the near four lakh public servants comprising the administrative machinery, and all the people of the State, to join hands in taking Jammu & Kashmir rapidly on the path of growth and development and making it an abode of lasting peace and tranquility, for which it has been known for centuries and centuries past.

Once again, on the day of our Independence, I greet the people of Jammu & Kashmir and wish all of them a very bright and happy future.

JAI HIND