'Normalcy in J&K; Citizenship Amendment Bill, NRC different:' Amit Shah in RS

New Delhi: Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday addressed national issues like Article 370, Citizenship Amendment bill and National Register of Citizens (NRC) in the Upper House of Parliament.

The Home Minister said that the situation in Jammu and Kashmir is completely normal.

''Not one person has died due to police firing after the abrogation of article 370 on August 5,'' Shah said. ''The incidents of stone-pelting have considerably reduced,'' he added.

Speaking on the decision regarding the internet services in Kashmir, he said the decision to lift the curb will be taken at an appropriate time by the J&K authorities.

He further said there is an adequate supply of medicines in J&K.

''Availability of medicines is adequate, there is no problem. Mobile medicine vans have also started. The administration has taken care of health services."

''Availability of petrol, diesel, kerosene, LPG, and rice is adequate. 22 lakh metric ton apples are expected to be produced. All landlines are open,'' he said.

Retorting to Congress' Ghulam Nabi Azad's claim of the stats being wrong, Shah said, "I challenge Ghulam Nabi Azad to counter these facts which I presented, why don't you object to these figures on record? I am willing to discuss this issue for even an hour."

He also said that all Urdu, English newspapers and TV channels are functioning in the UT. ''Banking services are fully functional as well,'' he said.

''All govt offices and all Courts are open. Block development council elections were held, 98.3 pc polling was recorded,'' he said.

Speaking on the Citizenship Amendment Bill, Shah said, ''Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, Jain, Christian, Parsi refugees should get citizenship, that is why Citizenship Amendment Bill is needed so that these refugees who are being discriminated on basis of religion in Pakistan, Bangladesh or Afghanistan, get Indian citizenship.''

Speaking on the NRC, Shah said that ''It has no such provision which says that no other religion will be taken under NRC. All citizens of India irrespective of religion will figure in the NRC list. The NRC is different from Citizenship Amendment Bill.''

"The process of NRC will be carried out across the country. No one, irrespective of religion should be worried, it is just a process to get everyone under the NRC," he added.

Shah said, "People whose name have not figured in the draft list have the right to go to the Tribunal. Tribunals will be constituted across Assam. For those who can't afford legal counsel for the Tribunal, the Assam government will bear the cost to hire a lawyer."

The Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, which was passed in the Lok Sabha on January 8, aims at granting citizenship to non-Muslims from Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan who came to India before December 31, 2014.

In the final NRC list published on August 31, a total of 3,11,21,004 persons were found eligible for inclusion in the list leaving out 19,06,657 persons, including those who did not submit their claims in Assam.