PM Modi likely to hold a meeting of all parties from Jammu and Kashmir next week

New Delhi: This comes after Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Manoj Sinha held a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday at the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in the national capital.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to chair an all-party meet with leaders of Jammu and Kashmir next week, sources said, according to a news agency ANI.

This will be the first such political engagement by the central government after the Centre abrogated Article 370 that gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir and also bifurcated the erstwhile state into two union territories – Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh in August 2019.

This comes after Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Manoj Sinha held a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday at the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in the national capital.

The agenda of the meeting between Sinha and Shah was developmental issues and the current situation of the Union Territory, the official sources had said.

The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act 2019 was notified by the government on August 9, 2019, paved the way for the creation of two Union Territories – Jammu and Kashmir, which will have a legislature and Ladakh, without it.

The Act provides that the number of seats in the legislative assembly of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir shall be increased from 107 to 114, and delimitation of the constituencies will be determined by the Election Commission.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday reviewed the ongoing developmental projects in Jammu and Kashmir and directed the authorities to make sure that refugees from Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) and West Pakistan get the benefits of the refugee package as soon as possible.

“Union Home Minister Amit Shah reviewed developmental works in Jammu and Kashmir. In the meet, Shah asked the authorities to ensure refugees from Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) and West Pakistan get benefits of refugee package as soon as possible,” said an official release from the Ministry.

“The Minister also stressed on the expeditious completion of flagship and iconic projects and industrial development projects,” it added.

During the meeting, the Minister also congratulated Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha for completing 76 per cent of Covid-19 vaccination target in the region and 100 per cent in four districts of the UT.

He said that all-round development and welfare of Jammu and Kashmir are the top priorities of the Central government.

Furthermore, Amit Shah also directed the authorities to strengthen the Panchayati Raj and Urban Local Bodies Institutions by ensuring proper seating arrangement, equipment and other necessary resources for the training of their members and for their smooth functioning.