New Delhi, Oct 4 (TIWN) Flagging off the second semi-high speed indigenous Vande Bharat train from the national capital to Katra in Jammu and Kashmir, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday announced that Kashmir would be in the "list of most developed Indian states in the next decade and a beginning in that direction has already been made today by the Railways".

"With the scrapping of Article 370, Kashmir has become a part of India like the other states," he said.  The Minister said Article 370, which was scrapped on August 5, was not only a hurdle in country''s unity and integrity, but also the biggest obstacle in the development of Jammu and Kashmir, which has now been bifurcated into two Union Territories -- Jammu and Kashmir with an Assembly and Ladakh without one.  "I have firm belief that we will gain success in complete eradication of terrorism and terrorist ideology from Kashmir after abrogation of Article 370. Our Kashmir would be mentioned in the list of most developed Indian states within 10 years," Shah said.  The Minister said the Vande Bharat train, which has been manufactured at a Chennai-based factory, was a gift to the countrymen from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.  "A new history is being created through Vande Bharat, which will be a great medium of tourism to Jammu and Kashmir," he added.  Vande Bharat Express will run between Delhi and Katra facilitating travel upto the Hindu shrine of Vaishno Devi. The booking for the train will start from Saturday.  The Minister said that there is great importance of religious tourism in Jammu and Kashmir for the development of the region.  Shah said that the journey to the shrine had been very difficult in the past but Vande Bharat would make it very easy.  This move is part of an initiative adopted by Narendra Modi government since it came in power in 2014, the Minister said, adding the motive was to spread a web of high speed trains across the country aimed at bringing down the journey time with safe travel in felicitating people to reach their destinations including religious.  Shah said it is true that PM Modi played a great role in adjoining Kashmir with India forever by abrogating Article 370, a move which was never expected.