India, Jan. 7 -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday lauded the country's rapid advancement in connectivity as he inaugurated the Jammu railway division -- a key step towards linking the Kashmir valley with the rest of the country through rail network.

The PM also inaugurated the Charlapalli terminal station in Telangana and laid the foundation for the Rayagada railway division building in Odisha under the East Coast Railway zone virtually from Delhi.

The Jammu division, which has been carved out from the Firozpur division in Punjab, includes sections such as Pathankot-Jammu-Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla, Bhogpur Sirwal-Pathankot, Batala-Pathankot and Pathankot to Joginder Nagar sections with the combined length of 742.1 km.

"As the r...