PM Modi urges foreign media to visit Kashmir to witness 'sweeping positive changes'

New Delhi: Hailing the process of development, good governance and empowerment of the people of Jammu and Kashmir which "is to be seen to be believed", Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday urged the foreign media to visit the region to witness firsthand the "sweeping positive changes" happening on the ground.

"I would encourage you to visit Jammu and Kashmir to witness firsthand the sweeping positive changes happening on [the] ground. Do not go by what I or others tell you. I went to Jammu and Kashmir just last month. For the first time, people have a new hope in their lives. The process of development, good governance and empowerment of the people is to be seen to be believed," PM Modi told Newsweek in an interview.

Replying to another question, PM Modi stated that India's minorities don't buy the narrative of religious discrimination anymore.

"These are usual tropes of some people who don't bother to meet people outside their bubbles. Even India's minorities don't buy this narrative anymore. Minorities from all religions, be it Muslim, Christians, Buddhist, Sikh, Jain or even a micro-minority like Parsis are living happily and thriving in India," he said.

Prime Minister Modi specifically mentioned how his government has worked hard and come up with a unique saturation coverage approach for the first time when it comes to schemes and initiatives.

"They are not restricted to a group of people belonging to a particular community or geography. They are meant to reach everyone, which means that they are designed in such a way that there cannot be any discrimination. Be it amenities like houses, toilets, water connection or cooking fuel or be it collateral free credit or health insurance, it is reaching every citizen irrespective of his community and religion," he told the visiting Newsweek team at his residence in the national capital recently.

Calling India "the mother of democracy", PM Modi said that India is a vibrant democracy, not only because its Constitution says so, but also because it is in the genes of the people of the country.

"Constantly increasing voter participation is a big certificate for the people's faith in Indian democracy. A democracy like India is able to move ahead and function only because there is a vibrant feedback mechanism," he mentioned.

PM Modi added: "There are a few people in India and in the West who have lost [connection with] the people of India - their thought processes, feelings and aspirations. These people also tend to live in their own echo-chamber of alternate realities. They conflate their own dissonance with the people with dubious claims of diminishing media freedom."