SRINAGAR: Union Minister for Power and Housing and Urban Affairs, Manohar Lal Khattar, on Thursday said that the introduction of Vande Bharat trains in Jammu and Kashmir will ensure that the region’s fruits and vegetables are transported swiftly across the country, removing delays and logistical bottlenecks.
Addressing a press conference in Srinagar to mark 11 years of BJP-led Central governance, Khattar said, “The apple of Kashmir will now reach every corner of India through railways. With Vande Bharat, agricultural produce from J&K will no longer remain stuck en route or at mandis.”
The minister said the new rail link will significantly reduce pressure on road transportation and strengthen economic integration. Referring to the larger changes post-abrogation of Article 370, Khattar noted that the “loopholes left in 1947” have been addressed under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership, unifying the country.
Commenting on the recent Pahalgam terror attack, Khattar praised the public response and asserted that terrorism would not be tolerated. “Those involved in terrorism or aiding it will not be spared. Operation Sindoor has shown the world India’s resolve,” he said, highlighting the swift military action that targeted nine terrorist sites within 22 minutes.
Khattar also revealed that during Operation Sindoor, the power sector of India faced over two lakh cyber-attacks, all of which were successfully neutralised by government cyber defence units. “Our cyber department tackled them efficiently. Not a single loss occurred due to these attempts,” he stated, while denying any cyber-attack link to the reported shutdown of a departmental app.
The Union Minister also elaborated on India’s infrastructure progress under the current government. He said 99 percent of village roads have been connected under the PM Gram Sadak Yojana, and metro rail coverage now exceeds 1,000 km, ranking India third globally.
He said the four-lane National Highway between Jammu and Srinagar has cut travel time from 8 to 4.5 hours. Airports have increased from 74 to 160 in the past decade, and 700 medical colleges have been added since 2013, with expansion in both MBBS and PG seats.
India’s global rank in ease of doing business has improved from 142 to 63, Khattar said, adding that over 54,000 km of National Highways have been built and internet connections have surged from 25 crore in 2014 to 97 crore now.
On industrial reform, he noted that over 1.5 lakh obsolete laws have been repealed to ease operations and 1.8 lakh new companies have been registered since 2014. He also claimed that India has seen a 34 percent increase in defence exports since 2013, underlining a more self-reliant national security posture. (KNO)
