In his monthly 'Mann ki baat' broadcast, he said the "Back to village" programme held in June in Jammu and Kashmir saw enthusiastic participation of villagers everywhere.
Mehbooba Mufti, his eldest child, will likely succeed him.
Two top Army commanders on Saturday said the fresh ceasefire between India and Pakistan will have no bearing on the counter-terrorism operations in Jammu and Kashmir and that the force will exercise 'maximum restraint' in the event of any violation by the neighbouring country.
Waiz-ul-Islam, 19, of Srinagar's Bagh-e-Mehtab locality and Mohammad Abbass Rather, 32, of Hakripora village in Pulwama district were arrested by the NIA, the official said.
Measures are being taken to implement the local self-government concept after the elections, Minister for Tourism and Urban Development Ghulam Hassan Mir said.
Ruling People's Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti on Monday escaped an attempt on her life as militants opened fire on her motorcade near Aishmuqam in south Kashmir's Anantnag district, official sources said.
Earlier, a youth injured during clashes last week succumbed at a hospital in Srinagar on Monday morning.
Gambhir's remarks came a day after a BJP legislator in Madhya Pradesh, Pannalal questioned the patriotism of Kohli and Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma for not getting married in India.
With Lone's death, the number of people killed in the unrest in the Valley, which entered the second month on Monday, reached 55, including two police personnel.
Independent candidates have emerged as big winners in Jammu and Kashmir's maiden District Development Council polls, with 49 of them having been declared elected so far from 280 seats, putting them ahead of parties like the Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party.
Former union minister and senior Congress leader Saifuddin Soz was hackled in one of the relief camps in Kashmir with flood victims expressing anger over alleged absence of state government officials during relief works.
'A war is being fought in South Kashmir.' 'Do not underestimate your enemy, be sensible and cautious and be prepared for the worst if you choose to move in the region unprotected,' advises Sanjeev Nayyar.
A flood alert was sounded in Srinagar city on Thursday as river Jhelum was flowing four feet above the danger mark after incessant rain, while 23 villages have been inundated by floods in south Kashmir districts of Anantnag and Kulgam.
My travels made me realise how different the ground situation and people's mindsets in the two states are. People seemed happy and secure in Tripura whilst there was only complaining and suspicion in J&K, says Sanjeev Nayyar.
The biggest electoral upset in the state was witnessed in Anantnag with National Conference candidate and former high court judge Hasnain Masoodi defeating former chief minister Mehbooba Mufti.
The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said the administration is responsible for protecting the education infrastructure in the state and it should take the "sternest possible action" against those found guilty of such incidents of arson.
In order to consider giving mobile Internet connectivity on such SIM cards, the telecom service providers will have to verify the credentials of the subscribers.
Here's a recap of the events from the past 24 hours.
That's not all, India's out-of-favour cricketer Gautam Gambhir found himself in the middle of the row after adding his own two bit.
He later went on to clarify his stance, tweeting that his words were taken out of context.
"Four policemen, three Central Reserve Police Force personnel and four civilians were injured in the terror attack."
The militant, who was identified as Bashir Ahmed Ganai, had entered the mosque at Sheikhgund village in Anantnag district to evade arrest during a search operation.\n\n
Saquib was killed in Anantnag following a tip-off.
The minimum temperature across the Kashmir Valley and Ladakh Union Territory stayed several degrees below the freezing point, intensifying the cold wave in some areas in the region, an official of the Meteorological Department said. He said Srinagar city recorded the low of minus 6.2 degrees Celsius last night, down from minus 5.8 degree Celsius the previous night.
Kashmir was indeed in need of a messiah that summer; 70 per cent of its population aged below 31 were up in arms against the Indian State. Every nook and corner of the land brought forth stories of youngsters with crushed bodies and an unfaltering spirit.
Complaints of electronic voting machine malfunctioning poured in from several booths on Tuesday during the third and largest phase of Lok Sabha polls which saw voters turning out in large numbers to cast their vote in 116 seats, including all constituencies of Gujarat and Kerala.
Want to catch up on all that happened across the world in the week gone by? Here are 10 images that says it all.
Political parties held protests against the ban on April 7 as well as Wednesday.
The attack came on a day when the union home minister, Rajnath Singh is arriving in the valley to review the states security situation.
Two tourists were killed and six others wounded in a powerful bus blast at Bejibehara in south Kashmir's Anantnag district on Saturday afternoon.
A man injured in a stone-pelting incident in Anantnag district of Kashmir succumbed to injuries, taking the death toll to five in the clashes that erupted in the Valley following hanging of Parliament attack convict Mohammad Afzal Guru.
For five-year-old Saira Bilal who sustained a critical head injury when her family was shifting from their flooded house to safety in Anantnag town of South Kashmir last week, an Indian Air Force chopper came as a "true saviour".
Colonel Yadav often meets the village elders and is seen greeted by an affectionate hug which he calls a jadoo ki jhapi.
The elections to legislative assemblies of Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, and Odisha will be held simultaneously along with the Lok Sabha polls
In Jammu region, three districts of Jammu, Samba and Kathua are in red zone.
Images from the night that had, smiles, laughter, the clothes and the works
