Abid Bashir
Srinagar, Oct 11: The president of India Droupadi Murmu Wednesday said that “new Kashmir has taken a new turn” and is heading towards peace, prosperity and development.
Addressing the Civic Reception hosted in her honour at Raj Bhawan Srinagar, President Murmu, said that she was touched by the warm welcome given to her in Kashmir. “This is my first visit to Kashmir as the president of India. The memories of warm welcome given to me will go with me and stay with me forever,” she said.
She said on her arrival, she paid tributes to the fallen soldiers and reiterated that the soldiers deserve all tributes and the “veer naris” a great round of applause.
“I can feel that the new Kashmir has got a new direction. The new Kashmir has taken a new turn and is heading towards peace, prosperity and development,” President Murmu said.
She said that there has been great infrastructure development, e-governance, women empowerment and inclusive growth. “I congratulate LG Manoj Sinha for this achievement,” president Murmu said.
“I was told that this year 1.70 lakh tourists visited J&K which is a record. This year, a successful G-20 meeting was held in Kashmir in which international dignitaries participated. They went back to their respective countries with a good message and I believe the successful G-20 meeting will help to further improve tourism here,” President Murmu said.
She said that earlier in the day, she addressed the Kashmir University’s 20th convocation where she saw great enthusiasm among the young women and girls. “These women are the nation builders of tomorrow,” she said.
The president Murmu said that she also met Tribal groups and women from Self Help Groups. “I was glad to see the success stories of women,” she said.
She said J&K has a great history of art, culture and education. “I am hopeful that the people of J&K will continue to live with peace and take along the beautiful fragrance of Kesar (saffron) and be the part of self-reliant Bharat of 2047,” the president Murmu said. Pertinently, President Murmu arrived in Srinagar amid tight security cover early this morning. She addressed the Kashmir University’s 20th convocation and distributed the gold medals and citations among 21 toppers 17 of whom were women.
