Jammu, June 5: Unprecedented security has been put in place ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Jammu and Kashmir on Friday to flag off the Vande Bharat train to the Valley.

A multi-layered security drawn from the special protection group (SPG), army, CAPFs and J&K Police manned by hundreds of personnel will protect the historic visit of the PM.

There is extraordinary vigil around PM Modi’s Friday visit as this is his first visit after Operation Sindoor to J&K.

The ubiquitous presence of security forces is seen in Jammu city, Reasi district, with a focus on the rail track from Katra town right up to Baramulla town in Kashmir.

All vantage points along the mountainous track have been taken over by the army and other security forces, while the rail track is dotted with CAPFs equipped with electronic equipment, drones, sniffer dogs and night vision devices.

“No chances whatsoever are being taken to secure the Prime Minister’s visit tomorrow. You name it, and that aspect of the security has been taken care of. The PM’s historic visit to redefine history in J&K is completely secured and safe for the large number of people expected to witness the event,” said a senior officer deployed to supervise the security around the PM’s visit.

In addition to inaugurating the Vande Bharat train service, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone, inaugurate and dedicate to the nation multiple development projects worth over Rs 46,000 crore.

On Friday, PM Modi will flag off two Vande Bharat Express trains from Mata Vaishno Devi base camp, Katra, to Srinagar and back from Katra Railway Station.

Railway officials said the trains will offer a swift, comfortable, and reliable travel option for residents, tourists, and pilgrims, among others.

The PM will lay the foundation stone and inaugurate various road projects to ensure last-mile connectivity, especially in the border areas of Jammu and Kashmir.

The foundation stone laying ceremony and inauguration of projects will be done virtually from Katra.

The foundation stone laying includes projects like the road widening project from Rafiabad to Kupwara on National Highway and the construction of the Shopian bypass road worth over Rs 1,952 crore.

Two flyover projects at Sangrama Junction on National Highway-1 in Srinagar and at Bemina Junction on National Highway to ease traffic congestion and enhance traffic flow for the commuters are included in the foundation laying programme.

The Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone of the Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Institute of Medical Excellence in Katra, worth over Rs 350 crore. It will be the first Medical College in the Reasi district.

Included in the inauguration programme, the Prime Minister will inaugurate the Chenab bridge, visit the bridge deck at around 11 a.m. Friday and then inaugurate the Anji bridge, the first cable-stayed railway bridge in the country.

Around noon, the PM will flag off Vande Bharat Trains from Katra Railway Station.

Vande Bharat train will take just about three hours to travel between Katra and Srinagar, reducing existing travel time by 2-3 hours.

The PM will also dedicate the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL) project to the nation. The 272-km-long USBRL project, constructed at a cost of around Rs 43,780 crore, includes 36 tunnels (spanning 119 km) and 943 bridges.

The project establishes all-weather, seamless rail connectivity between the Kashmir valley and the rest of the country, aiming to transform regional mobility and drive socio-economic integration.

An unfulfilled dream of over 70 years will unfold into reality on Friday as PM Modi re-writes yet another chapter in the country’s march to become the World’s third-largest economy, driven by performance, unrelenting commitment and single-minded pursuit of a visionary leader who knows to lead both in war and peace.

In Nanded, Maharashtra, Bajrang Dal goons have threatened Muslims with weapons in the area so that Muslims do not sacrifice on Eid-ul-Adha, which is a threat to the state’s atmosphere and there is also a fear of communal violence. In such a situation, the police and administration should take strict action to maintain law and order and curb the miscreants because terrorism by Bajrang Dal goons is on the rise here.

To ensure law and order in the Degulur taluka of Dharmabad district of Nanded district of the state, state Chief Minister and Police Chief DGP have been demanded by MLA and Samajwadi Party leader Abu Asim Azmi to take action against sectarians and miscreants. Azmi has made a serious allegation that Bajrang Dal workers are patrolling the Dharmabad area with weapons and are threatening Muslims and trying to intimidate and spoil the atmosphere so that they do not sacrifice on Eid-ul-Adha, and Hindu extremists have warned Muslims not to sacrifice. Abu Asim Azmi has also sent a letter to the Chief Minister and DGP, demanding immediate intervention from the administration in this matter.

He has said in the letter that a local from Dharmaabad, Sheikh Lal Ahmed, has informed him about the mischief of the miscreants. He has alleged that the miscreants of Bajrang Dal are instructing not to offer sacrifices on Eid-ul-Adha and are also threatening Muslims. He said that the terrorism of Bajrang Dal and RSS should be banned and action should be taken against those who spoil the environment so that peace and security is maintained in Dharmaabad on Eid-ul-Adha. Azmi has appealed that strict police security arrangements be made in Dharmaabad on Eid-ul-Adha so that social harmony is maintained and Muslims can celebrate their festival peacefully.

New Delhi, June 4: The Monsoon Session of Parliament will begin on July 21 and conclude on August 12, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju announced on Wednesday.

Both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha will convene at 11 a.m. on the opening day, marking the start of the first parliamentary session in over three months.

The session is expected to be politically charged, especially against the backdrop of heightened demands by the Opposition for a special session.

Sixteen opposition parties had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, pressing for an immediate session to discuss the recent Pahalgam terror attack and the retaliatory Operation Sindoor — a cross-border military operation targeting nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).

In response, the government has now formalised the Monsoon Session schedule, asserting that all issues, including those raised by the Opposition, can be taken up during the scheduled sitting.

The Budget Session earlier this year ran from January 31 to April 4 in two phases and saw the passage of several key legislations, including the Waqf Amendment Bill which seeks to focus on improving the management of waqf properties, empowerment of stakeholders relevant to management of waqf properties, improving the efficiency in survey, registration and case disposal process, and development of waqf properties.

While the core purpose remains to manage waqf properties, the aim is to implement modern and scientific methods for better governance. The Mussalman Wakf Act, 1923, was also repealed.

Apart from the Waqf Amendment Bill, the government also passed the ‘Tribhuvan’ Sahkari University Bill, 2025, for the establishment of ‘Tribhuvan’ Sahkari University to provide education, training, and capacity building in the cooperative sector and undertake research and development activities in related areas.

The Immigration and Foreigners Bill, 2025, was also passed to simplify the laws for the requirement of passports or other travel documents in respect of persons entering into and exiting from India and for regulating matters related to foreigners, including the requirement of a visa and registration.