J&K students on Bharat Darshan tour meet Rajnath

New Delhi, Jan 26 :A group of 40 Jammu and Kashmir school children on Bharat Darshan met Home Minister Rajnath Singh here on Friday on the occasion of Republic Day, an official said.

The children shared their experiences of visits to different historical places with the Home Minister. 

The group from remote and backward bordering areas in the state, consisting of 20 girls and 20 boys, met the Minister at his residence and gave him a token of remembrance, a Home Ministry statement said. 

They also thanked the Border Security Force (BSF) and the central government for organising tours of such nature. 

While addressing the children, Rajnath Singh desired to communicate their experiences gained during this tour, the statement said. 

"It was also told that the anti-national elements should not overpower the thoughts of national integration." 

The children are on Bharat Darshan, a concept for the Jammu and Kashmir children started as an annual feature since 2000, as a part of intensive civic action programme of the Border Security Force (BSF) in remote and backward areas of the border. 

Special Director General BSF, Rajesh Ranjan apprised the Home Minister of the composition of the group informing him that the tour has widened horizons and given the children an opportunity to see the diversities of the nation.

As part of the programme, the children visited Amber Fort, Albert Hall Museum, Junagarh Fort, Jantar Mantar and City Palace in Jaipur, Fatehpur Sikri, Taj Mahal and Agra Fort in Agra, Qutab Minar, Lotus Temple, Rashtrapati Bhavan in the national capital. 

They took a Metro Ride and witnessed the Republic Day parade here. 

After meeting the Home Minister, the children will proceed to Amritsar where they will witness the Retreat Ceremony at Attari Border and also visit the historical places of Amritsar, said the statement. 

A total of 1,619 children from Jammu and Kashmir have participated in the BSF-sponsored 58 Bharat Darshan tours.