‘Youth now have dreams of peace, not guns’
Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Oct 2: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha today said the conduct of peaceful elections and recent development in Jammu and Kashmir is proof of the fact that the Union Territory is now busy “creating a new history by forgetting its past.”
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Addressing a function at Raj Bhavan here on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti, Sinha said,Bapu always wanted to see peace and progress in Jammu and Kashmir. He urged the new generation to take inspiration from the ideals of Bapu.
“The young generation has also understood this very well and therefore they do not have tools of destruction like guns and stones in their hands, but dreams of peace and aspirations are visible in their eyes.”
“The great festival of democracy concluded in J&K yesterday. First, the Lok Sabha elections were held in May and the Assembly elections were conducted peacefully and in a free and fair manner. This has become the centre of discussion not only in India but in the whole world,” Sinha said.
Referring to the huge participation of people in the Assembly polls, the LG said 1.40 crore citizens of the Union Territory have reiterated their faith in the Constitutional values and have pledged to contribute to the development of the beautiful J&K and the country through their voting.
“This in itself is proof of the fact that in the last four to five years, great success has been achieved in establishing a fear-free J&K. Today, I would like to urge the young generation that we have to maintain the pace of peace and progress. We have to dedicate ourselves to selfless service,” he said.
The work done in the last five years under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whether it is the empowerment of democracy at the grassroots level or the conduct of peaceful elections, or development work, is a proof of the fact that “J-K is now busy creating a new history by forgetting its past”.
Lakhs of youth have started businesses in the last few years, thousands of youth are running their own start-ups and one-third of these start-ups are led by our daughters. Schools are functional throughout the year, he said.
Sinha said attempts are being made to mislead some youth, but “I want to tell them that society always disintegrates due to violence”.
The event was organized by the Department of School Education & Department of Higher Education which also marked the closing ceremony of the Swachhata Pakhwada and Swachhata Hi Seva Abhiyan.
The Lt Governor extended felicitations to the people on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti and the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri.
Paying tribute to Mahatma Gandhi, he said the leadership, ideals and values of Bapu has inspired the entire country to come together for the cause of independence and build a nation that will make a lasting contribution to peace and progress of the world.
Observing that Gandhiji’s ideals of truth, non-violence, compassion and kindness present the solutions to all the challenges before the tumultuous world, Sinha called upon the people to spread Bapu’s vision all over the world to make this planet a peaceful and a better place.
“Bapu’s dream was that India would become a ray of hope for the humanity and it will be a peaceful, self-reliant and developed nation. The responsibility of fulfilling these dreams rests on 140 crore Indians and the younger generation will have to play a bigger role in this journey,” the Lt Governor said.
He also appreciated the School Education Department and students from schools across J&K for their cleanliness endeavours like adopting a local water body, local park or a local heritage site to undertake cleanliness drive twice every month, as a mark of respect to Mahatma Gandhi.
He urged the people, especially the youth to identify one place in all the cities and villages and dedicate one day of the month for activities like cleanliness drives and Shramdaan.
The Lt Governor also appealed to all sections of the society to take inspiration from Bapu’s life and work towards public welfare.
On the occasion, Sinha felicitated the students who have excelled in various competitions as a part of Gandhi Jayanti celebration. The event also featured the enthralling performances from artists and students depicting the life of Mahatma Gandhi.
Alok Kumar, Principal Secretary, Department of School Education & Department of Higher Education; senior officials; heads of educational institutions; students, teachers, youth and prominent citizens from across the UT joined the celebration, in person and through virtual mode.
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