Jammu and Kashmir on a progressive path

A LOT has changed in Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370 and 35(A) on August 5, 2019, and experts believe more are lined up to make the region progressive.

In August 2019, the central government scrapped Article 370, which gave special rights to the people of Jammu and Kashmir, and bifurcated the region into two categories – Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.

It is three years now and the Union Territory has seen overall development like speedy construction of highways, improvement of the health-care and education sector with world-class infrastructure, and more participation in sports activities by the local youth.

With the decline in terror-related activities and no protests and stone-pelting incidents, the tourism sector in the Kashmir Valley has reached new heights.

Professor Parikshat Singh Manhas, an academic and policy analyst, said: “People have started feeling the fact that the economic scenario is going to change or is changing. Certain policies are coming into place. Obviously, a lot of things have been working on paper but, still, these thoughts need to be built up and these thoughts need to be actually put into action.”

According to the information provided by Nityanand Rai, the Minister of State for Home Affairs, 53 projects worth Rs 58477 crores (over R12 million) in various sectors such as roads, power, health, education, tourism, agriculture and skills development are being implemented in Jammu and Kashmir under the Prime Minister Development Package (PMDP).

Investors from the rest of the country and even abroad have been showing keen interest in Jammu and Kashmir.

Employment

Since August 5, 2019, the Jammu and Kashmir Administration has recruited 29 806 people, whereas more than 5.2 lakh (over 500 000) employment opportunities were estimated to have been created through various self-employment schemes.

This has changed the perception of the people of Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35 (A).

Manhas said: “People of Jammu and Kashmir obviously in some ways feel wanted now and understand the fact that they are an integral part of the Union of India. We all can stand under one flag, that’s the most important thing. Vis-a-vis, facilities and rights are concerned, obviously, rights are there, rights have come and lots of positive things are accrued to the people of Jammu and Kashmir.”

Development

Experts say the government has announced a lot of development projects and policies, and the time has come for their implementation to benefit the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

“The people of Jammu and Kashmir may not be enjoying better facilities at this moment, but these facilities are improving day by day.

“Roads are being built and more are coming up.

“What I mean is if more professionals are involved and more people are taken on board and more experts especially from Jammu and Kashmir are taken on board, I think these things will move up at a very fast pace in a very positive manner, in a more progressive manner,” said Manhas.

He said these things would make the people, especially the youth, of Jammu and Kashmir more empowered.

Some recent developments reported include:

Kashmir’s no-go zones are seeing a spurt in tourist attraction.

According to IANS, there is an increase in tourist interest in Kashmiri locations situated in the bordering villages which were prone earlier to arbitrary shelling.

A group of 40 people, including women and children, became the first outsiders to visit the border village of Machil in Kupwara district in north Kashmir from July 16 to 17 this year. Farah Zaidi Ali, co-founder of the Kashmir off Road (KoR), organised the trip to Machil, according to a media report.

She said this was a positive and welcomed development.

“For locals, tourists visiting the Kashmiri offbeat locations closer to the India-Pakistan border is like a dream come true.”

● Kashmir Valley is witnessing a tourism boom, breaking a 10-year-old record. The Jammu and Kashmir government said on Saturday that the Kashmir Valley was witnessing an exponential increase in the tourism flow due to the successful campaigns to attract maximum tourists towards the region.

According to statistics of the Jammu and Kashmir tourism department, March 2022 broke the 10-year tourist arrival record in Kashmir, signalling that the tourism industry was finally on the path to recovery, a statement said.

● A rail project from Delhi to Kashmir amid the Himalayan range is near to completion.

The central government, along with the Indian Railways, will soon be opening the Delhi to Kashmir rail route for the public as the project is in its final stage.

The railway bridge on the Chenab River in the Reasi district on the Baramulla railway line is also near to completion. |