Srinagar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated on Sunday that after constitutional reforms, democracy and development had reached the grassroots in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, a clear reference to the repeal of Article 370.

This was the Prime Minister's first visit to Jammu Kashmir after the BJP govt at the Centre stripped the state of its special status and divided it into two UTs on August 5, 2019.

Modi added that the next generation of Jammu Kashmir (J&K), the former state, and notably the Kashmir Valley, which has endured decades of war, mayhem, and political uncertainty, would not suffer as their forefathers had, but instead would experience springtime full of life and bloom. "I ensure, rather, pledge, that the young of J&K would not face the same difficulties and sufferings as their parents and grandparents," Modi added. "Today, a total of Rs 20,000 crore worth of connection and electrical projects were inaugurated. "This place's youth will find work," he said.

On National Panchayat Raj Day, Modi spoke at a massive crowd in Palli Gram Panchayat in Samba district, close to the Pakistan border.

Though the day is observed across the country, some political observers saw the Prime Minister's choice of J&K as an attempt to highlight his government's "achievements" in the UT after August 2019 and send a political message that the "historic decision" to end its special status had triggered a major positive political and social transformation.

PM said, J&K was establishing a new example in terms of democracy and growth. "In the previous 2-3 years, new aspects of development have emerged in Jammu and Kashmir," he said, adding, "This year Panchayati Raj Day is being commemorated in J&K as a sign of progress."

The Prime Minister claimed that a slew of new legislation, as well as amendments to existing ones and the application of several Central laws to the UT, had aided in the empowerment of all residents, notably women, children, and the disadvantaged.

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