Modi Lauds Controversial Kashmir Move, Creates New Defense Post
- Commits to spend $49 billion to bring piped water to houses
- Announces new defense chief of staff to sharpen coordination
India's Border Security Force soldiers patrol on a speedboat in Jammu.
Photographer: Rakesh Bakshi/AFP via Getty Images
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi has hit back at critics of his government’s decision to revoke Kashmir’s autonomy, saying its special status had only led to terrorism and corruption.
The move will allow Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh to play a meaningful role in India’s development, Modi said in his address to the nation on Independence Day from New Delhi’s 17th-century Red Fort, before turning to his ambitions for India to become a $5 trillion economy in the next five years.