Mangaluru, Sept 22: The BJP's prime objective of protecting the integrity of the nation and it's development agenda led to the decision for abrogation of Article 370 and 35 A of the Constitution that gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir, according to Union Minister D V Sadananda Gowda.

He said the party had long back started the process to annul both the Articles, which offered special status to J&K.

The minister said that once normality is restored in Kashmir, the Union government would focus on the development of the region.

"Since the abrogation of Article 370, not a single shot has been fired in Kashmir.

The special status accorded to Kashmir earlier had made it a heaven for terrorists," the Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilisers said.

He was addressing a public awareness programme on Article 370, organised by the Udupi district unit of BJP at Manipal on Saturday.

Gowda said even Congress leaders, including Karan Singh and Jyotiraditya Scindia, had appreciated the Centres decision on Kashmir.

To a question from a participant on when the union government would implement the Uniform Civil Code in the country, he said the BJP manifesto had clearly mentioned that it wanted the UCC.

The government too desired it, he said.

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Bengaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has announced a cash prize of Rs 6 crore for sportspersons who win gold in the Olympics, and expressed confidence that sportspersons from Karnataka would reach the top in their respective games.

The CM, speaking during the ‘Karnataka Olympics 2025’ awards ceremony organized by the Karnataka Olympics Association, Bengaluru, on Sunday, congratulated the winners.

Assuring that the state government was supportive of sports, he said that, sportspersons who win silver would be given Rs 4 crore and bronze-winners would get Rs 3 crore as cash prize.

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Siddaramaiah added that reservation for sportspersons in appointment to government jobs is being implemented starting January 2026. “Up to 3 per cent jobs in the Police and Forest Departments and 2 per cent in the other government departments are being reserved for sportspersons. An official order will be passed in this regard in January 2026,” he said and called upon youngsters to enter the sports field in larger numbers.

The CM also lauded the contributions of the Karnataka Olympics Association in the field of sports, since 1958, when it was founded. “The Association has been even more active since MLC Govindaraj took charge as Chairperson. It is a matter of pride that just like in Andhra Pradesh and Kerala, the Olympics Association in our state too functions from its own building,” he added.