nPresident Ram Nath Kovind on Wednesday chose his Independence Day address to the nation to express confidence that the people of Jammu & Kashmir will immensely benefit from the revocation of provisions of Article 370 that gave special status to the state and its bifurcation into two Union Territories.

Delivering his address, Kovind also said the changes made in Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh recently will enable the people to access and enjoy the same rights, same privileges and same facilities as their fellow citizens in the rest of the country.

“...I am confident that the recent changes made in Jammu-Kashmir and Ladakh would be of immense benefit to those regions. They will enable the people to access and enjoy the same rights, same privileges and same facilities as their fellow citizens in the rest of the country,” Kovind said on the eve of the 73rd Independence Day.Kovind made a reference to the changes in Jammu & Kashmir while recalling that the illustrious generation that led us to freedom did not perceive Independence only in terms of transfer of political power.

“They considered it a stepping stone in a longer and larger process of nation building and national welding. Their objective was to improve the life of each individual, each family and society as a whole,” he said.

He said the recent enactment of new laws and amendments to existing ones will also be beneficial to people of Jammu and Kashmir, adding the law making instant triple talaq a criminal offence will deliver justice for “our daughters”.

“These include progressive, egalitarian laws and provisions related to the Right to Education; accessing public information through the Right to Information; reservations in education and employment and other facilities for traditionally deprived communities; and justice for our daughters by abolishing unequal practices such as instant triple talaq,” he said.