Union Minister for Power, Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal Khattar on Monday said any resumption of dialogue between India and Pakistan would be possible only after Pakistan takes credible action against terrorism.
He was responding to a question about a letter reportedly written by at least 117 prominent citizens from India and Pakistan urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to revive bilateral dialogue and take steps towards lasting peace in the region.
Referring to the aftermath of the Pulwama terror attack, he said Pakistan must dismantle terrorist camps operating from its territory, take action against terror groups and ensure that terrorism no longer has any role in Jammu and Kashmir before further discussions can take place.
On being asked about PM Modi’s Haryana visit, Khattar said that the PM will visit Haryana on July 17 to launch the Hydrogen-powered train and dedicate several other development projects. Khattar was interacting with media persons during his visit in Karnal city.
He first chaired a District Development Coordination and Monitoring Committee (DISHA) meeting at the Mini Secretariat, where nearly 80 government schemes under 14 agenda items were reviewed.
He instructed officials to ensure 100 per cent registration of farmers on the Meri Fasal Mera Byora (MFMB) portal by July 31 and called for wider coverage under the Prime Minister Fasal Bima Yojana.
Khattar also emphasised promoting natural farming, strengthening school management committees, verifying BPL beneficiaries through surveys, accelerating the distribution of pending Ayushman cards, identifying more street vendors under the PM SVANidhi scheme, and encouraging proper utilisation of Self-Help Group loans.
Khattar also reviewed sanitation, rural infrastructure, drinking water, revenue matters and welfare programmes, directing officials to ensure timely implementation and effective monitoring of all schemes.
Later, he visited the Noor Mahal Chowk, which will be renamed after Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee and his statue will be installed.
“A final decision to rename this chowk after Dr Mookerjee will be taken after discussions with local authorities,” said Khattar.
Responding to remarks made by Congress MP Kumari Selja against the BJP government during her recent visit to Chanot village, Khattar said those who had led “inefficient governments” in the past were judging the present government by their own standards. “BJP government has delivered transparent and well-planned governance over the past decade,” he said.
Later, Khattar inaugurated the newly constructed Swami Dayanand Saraswati Chowk near the Sector 12-13 traffic light in the city.
When asked about the absence of Union Minister Rao Inderjit Singh and three BJP MLAs from a recent programme attended by Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, Khattar said he was aware of the matter but maintained that any action, if required, would be taken by the Haryana BJP unit.
On concerns over ethanol-blended fuel, he said the country has gradually increased ethanol blending from 5 per cent to 10 per cent and now to 20 per cent.
He said that several automobile manufacturers have already developed vehicles capable of running on 85 to 100 per cent ethanol. He said that ethanol, produced from domestic agricultural resources, reduces India’s dependence on imported fuel and strengthens energy security.
“If any technical issues are reported, experts and manufacturers will address them as technology continues to evolve,” he added.
