PM's Pak visit will lead to other steps: MoS in PMO

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Pakistan is a "positive step" which would lead to more such steps, Minister of State in the PMO Jitendra Singh said today while noting that peace parleys between the two countries would benefit Jammu and Kashmir the most.
"This (PM's Pakistan visit) is a positive step which will lead to other and subsequently other leads will follow. A meeting ground has been formed to discuss other issues," Singh, who hails from Jammu, told reporters here.
He said Jammu and Kashmir which has borne the brunt of terrorism would be the biggest beneficiary of the peace parleys between India and Pakistan.

"There is no second opinion about the fact that in the second half or quarter of the century, Jammu Kashmir is the greatest sufferer as far as terrorism is concerned and therefore any process which seeks to restore peace in the subcontinent and the region, will certainly have the most important benefit for Jammu and Kashmir," said the MP from the state.
He said the entire world was surprised over the Prime Minister's visit to Pakistan also also welcomed his move aimed at mending relationship between the two nations. "The entire world was surprised and the Pakistan media also. The most interesting fact was that when Prime Minister got out of the aircraft and the Pakistan media was running forward to cover him he along with Nawaz Sahab immediately boarded the helicopter and Pakistan media was not aware of anything," the Minister said.

"This is something which has been welcomed by and large by everybody", he said.

Earlier, while speaking at the function Singh said that
today's India belongs to youth and those who are unable to accept this reality, are doing so at their own risk.
Addressing an interactive youth programme on the theme "Role of youth and present socio-political scenario",Singh said, for generations together, the thinkers and political pundits took the conventional line to state thattomorrow belongs to youth, but herein today, we are faced with a scenario where nottomorrow, but today itself has been taken over by youth.
"Whereas at the time of independence in 1947, the population of India was around 44 crore, in today's India, the population below the age of 35-40 years is almost double to the extent of over 80 crore and every third person walking in the streets of India is a youngster," he said.

He said that while India is the world's biggest resource pool of youth force, the challenge now is, how best to channelise it for the benefit of India without letting it go waste or under-utilised.
Singh said, during the last two years of the Modi government, a number of youth-centric revolutionary decisions have been taken which no government in the past 70 years dared to do.
Citing example, he said, within few months of taking over, the age-old practice of getting certificates attested by the gazetted officers was abolished which had been a legacy of the British colonial rule.
"Beginning from January1 this year, the Central government abolished interviews for appointments to junior posts. The recent decision to change the legal tender of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes is also motivated by a long term plan to make the youth of India an intrinsic part of the global economic management system, while at the same time, seeking to utilize the hoarded black money for benefit of enormous youth welfare schemes announced by the Modi government," he added.

As for Jammu and Kashmir, Singh said, for the youth living in all the three regions of the State, there are certain issues, which are of common concern.
Singh said, there is a huge youth energy waiting to be explored across the country, including in Jammu and Kashmir, and it is a challenge for all of us, more so for the elders, to ensure that this youth power is appropriately streamlined to achieve the objective of making India a "world power".