Rajouri, April 17: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Friday emphasized that a nation is defined by its remotest village where our borders begin and our identity shines before the world.

“Under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji, India advances with renewed resolve. Border areas are no longer the nation’s edge but its first village and foremost opportunity. New commitment thrives and connection with mainstream has taken root,” the Lieutenant Governor said.

The Lieutenant Governor was speaking at a public gathering during his visit to vibrant village Sariah in Rajouri, where he inaugurated the Common Service Centre and initiated several development projects. These projects include Water Conservation Works under JSJB 2.0 and development of playgrounds in vibrant villages Sariah, Pukharni, Bhawani, Chapardhara and Namban. He also paid tributes to Brig. Mohammad Usman.

The   Lieutenant Governor said that through the Border Area Development Programme under Vibrant Villages Programme, we are ensuring infrastructure and welfare schemes reach every border village.

“No map fully captures the true essence of our border villages, which reveal only lines. Within those lines, I see a vibrant society and steadfast families advancing the nation’s progress,” he said.

The Lieutenant Governor said that national security flows from soldiers at the borders and border village residents who dwell there.

“A road reaching a border village builds not just passage but unshakeable confidence in our defense. Electricity lighting a border village home offers not mere illumination but fresh hope. Employment for a border village youth transforms not only one life but the trajectory of an entire community.

My vision is clear that border village development is integral to national security, and every border village must rank among our nation’s most prosperous,” the Lieutenant Governor said.

The Lieutenant Governor said that since assuming responsibility for Jammu Kashmir in August 2020, he had prioritized border villages’ aspirations.

“In border villages where women rise each dawn dreaming of brighter futures for their children amid challenges, where farmers toiling in their soil through hardships, and where communities stand as sentinels without uniforms, we have ignited a new dawn of progress,” the Lieutenant Governor said.

The Lieutenant Governor also called upon officers to achieve 100% saturation of HADP, Mission Youth, Mudra Yojana, and all welfare schemes, leaving no eligible citizen behind.

“Our commitment has transformed lives, and I affirm with confidence that change is tangible in Jammu Kashmir’s border villages where roads now weave networks, healthcare is thriving, digital connectivity is transforming the education sector and residents now feel integrated to India’s rapid growth,” the Lieutenant Governor said.

The Lieutenant Governor said true development means equal opportunity, dignity, and instilled confidence and the Vibrant Villages Programme embodies this, advancing employment, education, infrastructure, and digital empowerment holistically.

“It is our moral duty to secure every citizen’s brighter future. Sariah’s border village residents have guarded our borders alongside soldiers; we owe them comprehensive progress, leaving none behind.

Border village residents have endured much for this nation; now, they must stand at prosperity’s core. A developed India demands a strong rural heartland, incomplete without its first villages. I call upon Sariah’s residents to unite in realizing the Vibrant Village resolve. All officials will ensure 100% saturation of every central scheme and welfare program,” the Lieutenant Governor said.

On the occasion, the Lieutenant Governor visited the exhibition on Gyan Bharatam and inspected the stalls installed by various departments and stakeholders. He launched the Vibrant Village Anthem and handed over sanction letters and appointment letters to various beneficiaries under Mission Yuva, HADP, PM Mudra, PMAY-G and other different schemes. The Lieutenant Governor also distributed TV Sets with DTH, and felicitated TB Cured Warrior, Nasha Mukt Abhiyaan volunteers, and citizens from diverse backgrounds for their valuable contribution to society.

Atal Dulloo, Chief Secretary; Nalin Prabhat, DGP J&K; Shaleen Kabra, Additional Chief Secretary, Jal Shakti Department; Ashwani Kumar, Additional Chief Secretary, Power Development Department; Ms R. Alice Vaz, Commissioner Secretary to Government, Planning and Information; Ramesh Kumar, Divisional Commissioner Jammu; Bhim Sen Tuti, IGP Jammu; Amitava Chatterjee, MD & CEO, J&K Bank; Abhishek Sharma, Deputy Commissioner Rajouri; senior officials of army, police and civil administration, political leaders, prominent citizens and people in large number were present.

Posting doctored videos, hate speech, or communally inflammatory content on social media platforms in Jammu district will attract a jail term of up to three years, officials said on Friday.

District Magistrate Jammu, Dr. Rakesh Minhas, IAS, has issued a prohibitory order under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, banning the posting, sharing, or forwarding of such content for 60 days, reported news agency KNS.

The order, which came into force with immediate effect, applies to all persons within the territorial jurisdiction of District Jammu, regardless of the platform used or the physical location from which the content is posted, if it affects public order within the district, officials added.

The directive explicitly prohibits seven categories of online activity, including: posting content promoting enmity between communities on grounds of religion, race, caste, language, or region; circulating morphed, doctored, or out-of-context images and videos; spreading rumors related to law and order; and organizing mob violence through social media, they said.

The order covers all major digital platforms, including WhatsApp, Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube, and Telegram, officials said.

Violations will attract simultaneous action under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, and the Information Technology Act, 2000, they added.

According to the order, promoting enmity between groups under Section 196(1) BNS carries up to three years’ imprisonment or a fine, or both. Acts endangering the sovereignty, unity, and integrity of India under Section 152 BNS can lead to imprisonment of up to seven years or a life term, along with a fine.

Administrators and moderators of WhatsApp groups, Telegram channels, Facebook pages, and YouTube channels operating within or targeting residents of District Jammu shall bear joint responsibility for ensuring no prohibited content is circulated, the official said.

Social media intermediaries have been directed to act expeditiously on takedown requests via the government’s Sahyog platform, failing which they will lose safe-harbor protection under Section 69A of the IT Act, 2000, officials said.

The Senior Superintendent of Police, Jammu, has been directed to ensure prompt registration of FIRs against violators, they said, adding that the Cyber Crime Unit, Jammu, shall undertake 24×7 surveillance of social media platforms to proactively identify prohibited content.

Special Social Media Monitoring Cells shall be constituted at the sub-divisional level under the supervision of respective Sub-Divisional Magistrates (SDMs), the official said.

All residents have been directed to refrain from forwarding inflammatory content and to promptly report such material to the nearest police station or the Cyber Crime Unit, officials added.

The order shall remain in force for 60 days from the date of issuance, unless extended, modified, or revoked earlier, the official further said. (KNS)