Kashmir still a challenge due to Pakistan's destabilising activities: Rajnath

LAKHIMPUR KHERI/BAHRAICH (UP): Kashmir is still a challenge due to destabilising activities by Pakistan, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said here on Monday.

He was talking to mediapersons after inaugurating the administrative building, residential block and officers' mess at the SSB sector headquarters in Lakhimpur.

"Kashmir is still a challenge due to destabilising activities by neighbouring Pakistan. However, the Army, the CRPF, the J&K police and intelligence bureau men are acting in better coordination," he said.


Speaking about Naxal incidents, the home minister said they had dropped by 50 per cent during the last four years.

Extremist violence in northeastern areas saw a decline of 80 per cent, Singh said.

Lauding improvements made on the internal security front, he said, "No major terrorist incident had taken place in India during the last four-and-a-half years (of the Narendra Modi government)."

Singh said the country's economy today was counted as the world's fastest growing.

"By 2030, the Indian economy would rank among top three economies of the world," he said.

"The Modi government has launched the world's largest universal health care scheme Ayushmaan Bharat which has benefitted 7.5 lakh people so far," Singh said.

The Union minister also visited Bahraich, where he laid the foundation stone of the state's first Integrated Check Post (ICP) at the Indo-Nepal border in Rupaideha area. The ICP was constructed at a cost of Rs 200 crore.

Singh said the security forces were tackling well the terrorists pushed into India by Pakistan.

"Pakistan sends terrorist to separate Jammu and Kashmir from India, but the security forces are dealing well with the anti-national elements and terrorists," he said.

Responding to a question about the alliance between the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party in Uttar Pradesh, Singh said the BJP would win not less than 72 seats in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.