Efforts on to ensure peaceful safe environ in JK, civic & parl polls bolstered our efforts: President Kovind

New Delhi: President Ram Nath Kovind Thursday said the central government is making all efforts to ensure a safe and peaceful environment for the people of Jammu and Kashmir, adding that BJP led NDA government had come back to power with a stronger mandate than last time on the strength of its performance since its first term beginning 2014. He also said that triple talaq and nikah hala should go for granting equal rights to the muslim women.
In his address to the joint sitting of both houses of Parliament, Kovind said the government is also committed to take all necessary steps for the development of Jammu and Kashmir.
“My government is making efforts with complete dedication to provide a safe and peaceful environment for residents of Jammu and Kashmur
“The recently concluded peaceful elections to local bodies and to Lok Sabha have bolstered our efforts,” he said in his customary address after the formation of the 17th Lok Sabha.
Jammu and Kashmir is currently under President’s rule and schedule for the assembly elections is expected to be announced after the Amarnath Yatra, which will come to an end in mid-August.
Saying that “in the elections, people have given a clear mandate to the Modi led NDA government to continue the development journey uninterrupted and accelerate it,” President Kovind said the government has hit the ground running and taken many decisions to improve the lives of people in the 21 days after oath counting the cabinet decision to expand the scheme to give financial assistance to all farmers and a pension for shopkeepers as some examples.
“To secure equal rights for every sister and daughter in the country, eradication of social evils like ‘Triple Talaq’ and ‘Nikah-Halala’ is imperative. I would urge all the members to cooperate in these efforts to make the lives of our sisters and daughters better and dignified,” he said, a reference to the government’s law to make triple talaq a crime that has been stuck due to resistance from the opposition in the Rajya Sabha where the BJP-led national coalition does not have a majority.
“Empowerment of women is one of the highest priorities of my government. The empowerment of women and their effective participation in society and economy is the test of a developed society,” President Kovind said.
President Kovind, who listed the government’s priorities in its second term, also signaled a renewed focus on agriculture, farmers and rural areas. Over the next few years, he said the government would spend Rs 25 trillion to improve farm productivity.