Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu on Monday said that India wants to have peaceful relations with all its neighbours, including Pakistan.
He was interacting with a group of girl students from Jammu and Kashmir, who are on a tour to Delhi and Agra, at the Uparashtrapati Niwas here. He lauded the Indian Army for facilitating the tour.
According to an official release, the Vice President said that it was necessary for students to travel across the country to see its diversity and appreciate the thread of cultural and emotional unity that lies underneath.
He said travel would also help students understand the challenges faced by the country and visualise solutions to these problems.
The Vice President called upon the students to be well-versed in their mother tongues and spoke of the need for primary education to be in the mother tongue.
He referred to cultural richness and diversity of Kashmir and said that it is a composite culture based on the values of humanism and tolerance which is collectively known as 'Kashmiriyat'.
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Noting that development of Kashmir has suffered a setback due to constant cross-border militancy and terrorism, the Vice President said that the abrogation of Article 370 was the need of the hour and it would put the state on a rapid growth trajectory.
"Recent changes in the structure of the state are intended to extend all the benefits which other Indians have been enjoying all this while," he said.
Terming terrorism as the enemy of humanity and a constant roadblock in the path to progress, the Vice President said that development suffers if there is terrorism.
He expressed concern over rising instances of discrimination based on caste, class and gender and called for relentless efforts to ensure equal opportunities to all.
Naidu referred to Kashmir's long tradition of literary excellence and said languages of India must be preserved, protected and promoted.
He urged students to take up social movements like Swachch Bharat, Fit India, Poshan Abhiyan, eliminating single plastic use and programmes like Skill India, and Start-Up India and make efforts to transform them into mass movements.
Calling upon students to learn about India, its history, geography and culture, he asked them to be conscious of their duties along with their rights as citizens.
"You must strive for excellence in all spheres of life, develop scientific temper and adhere to the eternal values India has stood for," said Naidu.