Pulwama attack: India will give befitting reply, says Prabhu

India will give a befitting reply to the perpetrators of the Pulwama terror attack that left at least 40 CRPF men dead, Union Minister Suresh Prabhu said on Friday.

The Minister for Commerce and Industry described as "unfortunate" the killing of the security personnel on Thursday when a suicide bomber of Pakistan based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) rammed his vehicle carrying over 100 kg of explosives into the CRPF bus.

"It is an unfortunate incident in which our enemies attacked our soldiers. We will not only condemn the attack, but give a befitting reply. We cannot tolerate such acts and will respond appropriately," he told reporters.

Speaking at the 'Noida Dialogue - Vision 2030 Gautam Buddh Nagar', Prabhu said there was a need for people to prioritise the country ahead of themselves.

The minister recalled his visits to countries like Japan and China, where he said the people's sense of ownership of their land had led to cleaner cities and better quality of life.

"The government has initiated Smart Cities programme across the country. Noida will also be developed as a smart city where people, we believe, will have a world-class experience," he said.

Noting the limited availability of water and land, the Union Minister said emphasis should also be laid on better utilisation of natural resources to meet challenges thrown by an ever growing population.

"Gandhi ji said that most of India resided in its villages. True. But now a lot of people are moving towards cities so there is another challenge to ensure good quality of life for people living in cities," he said.

It is also to be ensured that participation of women is made mandatory when we want to establish new cities, he added.

"We must create a society that strives towards complete development," he said further.