Two years of abrogation of Article 370: What’s changed in Jammu and Kashmir?

Kashmir used to be the favourite destination for film shooting once, but years of turmoil proved to be a major setback for the Valley as the production houses gave less preference to locations here. Bollywood’s love affair with Kashmir began from the 1960’s, when several movies like Himalaya Ki God Mein, Jab Jab Phool Khile, Kashmir ki Kali and Janwar were some of the popular films shot in Jammu and Kashmir. It was not just national, but also international filmmakers who were attracted to it. Two international movies, The Razor’s Edge in 1983, and The Climb in 1986, were shot in two different locations in Kashmir Valley. However, there is a renewed hope in this direction.

It is now two years since Article 370, which gave a special status to Jammu and Kashmir was abolished, and the state bifurcated into two union territories (UT) of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. This change could actually facilitate socio-economic development in the new UTs by empowering people. The abrogation of Article 370 may enable benefits of all the flagship schemes of the Centre to reach and benefit the people of J&K and Ladakh. Many locals admit that following the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, the state has shown signs of some progress. With a safer environment for women and increased work opportunities for the youth, especially in regions like Shopian which was infamous for violence not long back, the public life does appear a tad happier now. 

After the removal of Article 370, the center has demonstrated a keenness in investing in infrastructure and capacity building, which will provide Kashmiris a continuous opportunity to improve their career prospects. For example, the government has released nearly Rs 80,000 crore under the Prime Minister’s Development Package, of which a substantial amount has been utilized for setting up Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and Indian Institute of Management (IIM). These facilities could go a long way in helping local youth to fulfil their aspirations and create opportunities for at least 25,000 students. The AIIMS at Samba and Avantipora that were stalled due to land and forest issues have now been cleared for completion. Five new medical colleges at Baramulla, Anantnag, Rajouri, Kathua and Doda have been approved. The government is also making efforts to fast-track stalled projects such as the Shahpur Kandi Dam project that has been in limbo for 40 years. Similarly, work has begun on several other such projects to ensure constant power supply, a crucial factor in the region’s growth and development.

Incidents of violence seem to have reduced in Kashmir valley after August 5 and security forces have achieved a degree of success against terrorists, according to Union Ministry of Home Affairs report, which also noted that terror-related activities have reduced by around 36% in the valley after the abrogation of Article 370. 188 terror-related incidences were recorded in Kashmir valley from January 1 till July 15, 2019, and this number has reduced to 120 in 2020, said the MHA report, adding that 126 terrorists were killed in Kashmir during the same period in 2019 while 136 terrorists were eliminated during the same time period in 2020. 

Out of 354 State laws in the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir, 164 laws have been repealed, 138 laws modified while 170 central laws have been made applicable, such as, Scheduled Caste and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1954; Whistle-blower’s Protection Act, 2014; National Commission for Safai Karamcharis Act, 1993; Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forests Rights) Act, 2007; National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992; Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009.

Before August 2019, women residents of Jammu and Kashmir lost their right to buy property in the erstwhile state if they married a non-local man. Their husbands were not treated as residents of Jammu and Kashmir and also not allowed to inherit or buy property. The rules were changed in July this year to allow domicile certificate to be granted to the husbands of local women married to people from outside Jammu and Kashmir. The move will allow them to buy land or property in the Union territory, or apply for government jobs. People who have resided in the UT for 15 years, or have studied for seven years and appeared in Class 10 or 12 examination in an educational institution in the region, and their children, are eligible for grant of domicile status.

In the last two years, investment proposals worth Rs 20,000 crore have been received from over 40 companies in Jammu and Kashmir for sectors ranging from information technology, defence and renewable energy to tourism, hospitality, education and infrastructure.  Two huge IT parks are being set up in Jammu and Srinagar. Fifteen power projects have been inaugurated and 20 more have been started. Jammu has achieved 100 percent household electrification according to the NITI Aayog Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) India Index, 2020-21 report, about 53 per cent of rural households have access to drinking water, which is close to the national average of 51 per cent. With increased investment in tourist infrastructure such as hotels and other related facilities tourist arrivals are expected to grow in numbers.  Moreover, the impetus given to film/music video shootings, adventure and religious tourism will also benefit the rural economy.  The initiation of PPP models has provided opportunities for local entrepreneurs and there has been a rise in rural tourism. Proposed private investment would bring quality health care to the state that in turn could create jobs and growth and possibly make J&K a medical tourism hub.

The world’s highest railway bridge over river Chenab in Jammu and Kashmir is expected to be ready by next year, which will connect the Valley with the rest of India by train for the first time by 2022. The bridge, which has a central span of 467 metres, is being built at a height of 359 metres from the bed level. The government introduced an array of insurances schemes including the Atal Pension Yojana in the newly carved Union Territory. The Centre launched a number of people-oriented development schemes, like PM-KISAN, PM-KISAN-Pension, Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana and Stand-Up India in Jammu and Kashmir. 

The second wave of COVID-19 dealt a huge blow to the tourism industry in Jammu and Kashmir. The industry suffered a loss of about 1500 crores during this period. However, those in the tourism business have pinned their hopes high on the government and believe that the situation should improve soon in the Union Territory. ‘Vaccination will change the situation in Jammu and Kashmir,’ according to health experts.

Intermittent clashes along the LoC in the past few months and their potential to escalate into a greater conflict between India and Pakistan as well as increased militant activity threaten to draw attention away from, or even disrupt, the fight against COVID-19 in J&K. There may be no break from violence for Kashmir even during a pandemic, and it remains to be seen how the government balances its response between addressing security threats and containing the spread of the virus.

Footnote

The ‘abrogation’ of Article 370 is difficult to digest for many in India, too. Accustomed to the status quo, a change of this magnitude is disconcerting for many. But it is also a fact that much as many of us would like to ignore it, the status quo on Kashmir had become unsustainable long back. The ‘Kashmir problem’ has always been a bilateral matter between the people of J&K and New Delhi. The rest of India has been living with one set of policies vis-à-vis J&K for the last seven decades, and the results have been underwhelming. 

Experts believe that the silence of people with regard to the drastic changes in Kashmir should not be ignored. Developments have been coming hard and fast: the abrogation of Article 370, the bifurcation of the state, a downgrade to a union territory, domicile law changes, delimitation of constituencies, notifying “strategic areas” for use by the army, a six-month political logjam followed by a pandemic lockdown, and a connectivity embargo. All these moves are fanning the flames of popular anger and it sooner or later it will burst out in a disaster. At the point, handling the resulting crisis would be an uphill task for New Delhi.

Rwittika Ghorui

Intern, Asia in Global Affairs

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author in her personal capacity and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Asia in Global Affairs. Asia in Global Affairs does not take responsibility for the authenticity and originality of the opinion piece.