New Delhi- President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday highlighted the high voter turnout in Jammu and Kashmir in the Lok Sabha elections and said Kashmir has given a befitting reply to the enemies of India by breaking polling records of many decades.
Addressing a joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament after the constitution of the 18th Lok Sabha, Murmu also said the Constitution has fully come into force in Jammu and Kashmir where things were different earlier due to Article 370.
Article 370, which accorded a special status to Jammu and Kashmir, was abrogated by the Centre on August 5, 2019, and the erstwhile state was divided into two union territories — Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
“A very heartening aspect of this election emerged from Jammu and Kashmir.
The Kashmir Valley broke all records of voter turnout of many decades. In the last four decades, we had witnessed low voter turnout amidst shutdowns and strikes in Kashmir.
“Enemies of India continued to spread false propaganda at global fora,
projecting it as the opinion of Jammu and Kashmir. But this time, the Kashmir Valley has given a befitting reply to every such element within the country and outside,” the President said.
According to the Election Commission, the three seats in the Kashmir Valley — Srinagar (38.49 per cent), Baramulla (59.1 per cent) and Anantnag-Rajouri (53 per cent) — recorded the highest voter turnout “in many decades” in the recent Lok Sabha elections.
Slams Emergency, Praises EVMs
President Murmu spoke about a wide range of topics, including recent paper leak cases, higher voter turnout in Kashmir valley during recently held Lok Sabha polls, concerns over EVMs, India’s agriculture and forthcoming budget.
In her opening address, President Murmu invoked Emergency calling it “an attack on the Constitution and a source of chaos and panic in the country”.
“The Constitution of India withstood all hurdles that came its way when it was being formulated and implemented. It also overcame attacks that it faced after independence, in the form of National Emergency imposed in the country 50 years ago,” she said.
Referring to the recent irregularities in the NEET-UG examination and other paper leaks, President Murmu said that the government is committed to a fair investigation of the recent incidents of paper leaks as well as stringent punishment for the guilty.
“It is a continuous effort of the government to ensure that the youth of the country gets adequate opportunity to display their talent. My government is committed to a fair investigation of the recent incidents of paper leaks as well as stringent punishment for the guilty. Even before this, we have seen paper leaks in different states. Rising above partisan politics, a nationwide concrete solution is needed for this. Parliament has formed a strict law against irregularities in examinations.”
Amid concerns raised over Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) by the opposition, President Murmu praised the EVMs in her address and said the “misinformation campaign was unfortunate”.
She said EVMs were used in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls “to ensure the sanctity of the electoral process” and praised the Election Commission of India for holding the “largest election in the world”. “The EVM has passed every test, from the Supreme Court to the people’s court, in the last few decades,” she said.
The president further highlighted that the process of reforms in the Armed Forces should continue to keep it combat-ready. “For a capable India, modernity in our armed forces is essential. We should be the best in the face of war – to ensure this, the process of reforms should go on continuously in the armed forces. With this mindset, my government took several important steps in the last 10 years. With reforms, India is indulging in defence manufacturing of more than ₹1 lakh crore. In the last 1 decade, our defence exports have increased by 18 times and touched ₹21,000 crores,” President Murmu said.
President Murmu also highlighted the fact that today’s India provides solutions for global issues ranging from climate change to food security and from nutrition to sustainable agriculture.
She said that India achieved its climate-related targets much ahead of schedule and the country’s initiatives to become a Net Zero economy are an inspiration for many countries.
“We are providing various solutions for issues ranging from climate change to food security and from nutrition to sustainable agriculture. We are also running a campaign to popularise our coarse grains – Shree Anna – as a superfood across the world. On India’s initiative, the year 2023 was celebrated as the International Year of Millets worldwide,” she said.
She also said that now India is changing its agriculture system keeping in mind its current needs. “My government has provided ₹3.20 lakh crores to the farmers of the country under PM Kisan Samman Nidhi. Since the beginning of the new term of my government, an amount of more than ₹20,000 crores has been transferred to the farmers. The government has also made a record increase in the MSP for Kharif crops. Today’s India is changing its agriculture system keeping in mind its current needs,” the President said.
Follow this link to join our WhatsApp group: Join Now
Be Part of Quality Journalism |
Quality journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce and despite all the hardships we still do it. Our reporters and editors are working overtime in Kashmir and beyond to cover what you care about, break big stories, and expose injustices that can change lives. Today more people are reading Kashmir Observer than ever, but only a handful are paying while advertising revenues are falling fast. |
| ACT NOW |
| MONTHLY | Rs 100 |  |
| YEARLY | Rs 1000 | |
| LIFETIME | Rs 10000 | |
