Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday hailed the successful mission of astronaut Shubanshu Shukla aboard the International Space Station and said this is a step in the direction of hoisting the national flag on the Moon.
"It is good that he (Shukla) returned safe and sound. Earlier, our astronauts had gone on a space mission with Russian teams, but this time he went there aboard the International Space Station,” Omar told reporters on the sidelines of a function here.
He said the Government of India had a mission to send humans to the Moon on our own, and “this is a step in that direction. I hope the time will come when the country's flag will be hoisted on the Moon”.
Referring to ongoing Amarnath Yatra, the CM expressed hope that the number of pilgrims would cross 3.5 lakh this year.
"There was a time when we were sceptical about anyone coming for the yatra this time due to the Pahalgam attack. So far, 2.50 lakh people have visited the cave, and if this trend continues, the number will easily cross the 3.50 lakh as the yatra will continue till August 9. I hope the number will increase further," he said.
On the controversy surrounding his government's decision to make Urdu mandatory for the Naib Tehsildar recruitment examination, the CM defended the move, saying, "We do not have any wrong intention to keep anyone outside."
"You have to keep in mind that our revenue records, even before independence, were in Urdu, so we will not deploy staff who cannot read Urdu. What work will they do?" he said.
The CM said earlier, IAS and JKAS officers with no knowledge of Urdu were given six months to one year to acquire basic knowledge of the language.
"So, it will be better if there is some policy to give the Revenue Department staff time so that they can achieve some sort of proficiency in Urdu otherwise, they cannot read the revenue records," he said.
Omar also welcomed the Opposition’s strong pitch for the restoration of full statehood to the Union Territory, reiterating that the demand is neither new nor unjustified.
“It’s a good thing; we’ve been waiting for this day, the day when our voice will be raised strongly in Parliament and in Delhi from the opposition’s side. I am grateful to Kharge and Rahul Gandhi for raising the issue of the restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s statehood along with other markers,” he said.
Omar pointed out that the statehood assurance had been reiterated in various forums, including parliamentary debates, judicial proceedings, and public statements.