The time for sidelining the people of Jammu has come to an end and now both Kashmir and Jammu will be developed together, Home Minister Amit Shah told a public rally in Jammu on Sunday.

Addressing the rally in Bhagwati Nagar area, the Home Minister said no one will now be able to create any hurdle in the development of Jammu and Kashmir.

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He said ₹12,000 crore worth of investment has already come to the union territory and the government aims at a total of ₹51,000 crore by the end of 2022.

“If the youth join the development of Jammu and Kashmir, terrorists will fail in their sinister design,” he asserted.

The Home Minister said the government is aiming that no civilian gets killed in violence and terrorism is wiped out from Jammu and Kashmir.

Mr. Shah arrived at the well-attended rally amid thunderous applause and sloganeering by people.

Also read: Over 700 held in J&K ahead of Amit Shah’s visit

Amit Shah inaugurates new IIT campus

Earlier amid tight security, Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated the new campus of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Jammu, officials said.

Mr. Shah, accompanied by Union Ministers Jitendra Singh and Dharmendra Pradhan and Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, reached Jammu airport from Srinagar and started his engagements with the inauguration of the new campus of the IIT-Jammu, they said.

Mr. Shah is on a three-day visit to Jammu and Kashmir, his first after the Centre revoked the erstwhile State’s special status and bifurcated it into union territories on August 5, 2019.

The officials said the new campus of IIT-Jammu, built at a cost of ₹210 crore, has all the facilities like hostel, gymnasium, indoor games, along with higher education for the students.

Heavy rains lashed Jammu on Saturday, casting a shadow on the scheduled public meeting of the Union home minister. However, with improvement in the weather, the local unit of the BJP and the administration worked overnight to ensure the success of the rally.

Policemen and paramilitary personnel were deployed in strength in and around the venue.

Mr. Shah arrived at the rally amid thunderous applause and sloganeering by the participants who had reached the venue in large numbers to hear the home minister.

An official of the IIT-Jammu said, “It is a state of the art research centre to cater to students of various disciplines. It is meant for research and development.”.