By IANS
New Delhi : Concerned over insurgency and lack of development in the northeastern states and Jammu and Kashmir, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Wednesday promised prosperity to its people with more investment and better infrastructure.
“This is our solemn commitment,” Manmohan Singh, who represents Assam in the Rajya Sabha, the upper house, said in his fourth Independence Day address from the ramparts of the majestic 17th century Mughal fort.
“We want to bring greater prosperity to less developed regions of our country, especially the north-eastern region and Jammu and Kashmir,” he said, and urged the respective state governments to become more active in pursuing this goal.
The prime minister said grassroots democracy had taken deep roots in Jammu and Kashmir and that the roundtable talks he has been having with its leaders had opened new avenues for reconciliation and development.
“We are investing in better infrastructure and connectivity in the north-eastern states. In Jammu and Kashmir, our long-term development plan is: bringing new investment to all the three regions of the state,” he said.