Excelsior Correspondent
![UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi with college students from Poonch at her residence in New Delhi.](http://www.dailyexcelsior.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/page10-21-300x199.jpg)
NEW DELHI, Nov 6: A group of 23 college girl students and two teachers from Government Degree Colleges of Poonch and Surankote met the UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, at her residence. These girls are part of a motivational tour being conducted by the Rashtriya Rifles Battalion, under the aegis of Counter Insurgency Force (Romeo), as part of the ongoing Operation Sadbhavna.
The students highlighted the need for development of better education facilities and basic infrastructure in the remote border region of Poonch district and extended an invitation to the UPA chairperson to visit the region.
Interacting with the tour participants, Mrs Gandhi urged them to carry with them the message of peace and harmony. She advised the students to make best use of this unique opportunity being provided to them by the Army in J&K and also told them to interact freely with children of other parts of the country since this exchange of ideas and vision is what will propel the nation ahead. The students also met Mohammed Azharuddin, the former captain of the Indian cricket team, later on in the day.
The tour, aptly named ‘Deedar-e-Watan – Kashmir se Kanyakumari’, will travel across the complete length of the country over the next 11 days. From Delhi, these students are going to the IT hub of Bangalore, also called the ‘Silicon Valley of the East’, where they will be interacting with the Chief Minister of Karnataka and cricket icons; Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble. The tour participants will also visit educational institutes and places of tourist interest in Mysore, Ooty, Kanyakumari and Trivandrum.