Union minister Jitendra Singh on Friday told officers ifthey believe that the detention of three Kashmiri leaders has helped in maintaining peace in the Kashmir Valley, then the trio should "remain inside".Singh was addressing officers here after inaugurating a two-day regional conference, which focuses on the implementation of good governance practices in the region.

"Ab app kah rahay hai ji ki woh teen aadmi aunder thay,is liya theek hai. Is ka matlab hai un ke ander rahnay say theek Hai, tou hunkoo ander he rahana chahiya (Now you (officials) say that situation is right,because those three persons are inside. If the situation is peaceful, because they are inside, then should they remain inside," Singh said."You(officials) are indirectly supporting that (move),'''' he added.Singh, however,did not name any detained leader.He said the government has to change thenarrative on Jammu and Kashmir in a bid to have good governance and developmentin the region with a focus on the youth.

"There is a section of people who don''t know what theyhave been deprived of. The deprivation happened to that extent," he said."Wehave a new dispensation and new order reporting directly to the Centre and weowe it to the people of this region to cooperate with them and make itsuccessful," the minister said.

"We owe it to youth because they comprise 70 per centof the population. They have deprived of enormous opportunities that wereunfolded by the Modi government in the last five years. Aspiration of the youthis litmus test for us", he said.Mainstream leaders, including three formerJ and K chief ministers, were taken into preventive custody in the wake of theCentre''s decision to revoke the special status of Jammu and Kashmir underArticle 370 on August 5.While Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti remain underhouse arrest, Farooq Abdullah has been detained under the controversial PublicSafety Act.

The regional conference, which is being organised on thetheme of "replication of good governance practices in the unionterritories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh", also witnessed the presenceof LG Girish Chandra Murmu.It is being organised by the Department ofAdministrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG).

The main objective of the conference is to bring nationaland state-level organisations on the same platform to share experiences indigital governance, citizen-centric governance and capacity building andpersonnel administration.Singh said the work culture needs to be changed tosuit the changing demands of today.

He said serious thought has been given by the Centre to takeall decisions and things will unfold in an unimaginable manner, asking peoplenot to be led by misconceptions."This year has been the most peacefulfestive season in many years in recent past. Youth aspirations are the litmustest for us, which will be facilitated by the government," Singh said.

He said it is a first of its kind conference being organisedat the initiative of the central government of since the two UTs of J and K andLadakh came into existence."This is a curtain raiser for the upcominginitiatives which will be undertaken in these two UTs under the leadership ofPrime Minister Narendra Modi," the minister said.

"The PM''s focus has been to bring the peripheralstates closer to the other parts of India in terms of development," headded.He emphasised upon tapping the economic potential of J and K."Weneed to expose J and K to the similar opportunities as available to the otherparts of the country. With the abrogation of Article 370, many suchopportunities are now available here," Singh said.

The allowances available to the government servants acrossIndia will now be available in these UTs also and many laws applicable to otherparts of the country will now be applicable here also, he said.