Last Updated on August 5, 2021 at 6:10 pm
The historic decision of the government of India of abrogation of article 370 left a deep impact on the region. Today (Aug 5) marks the second anniversary of the decision of bifurcating Jammu and Kashmir into two Union territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. The aim and agenda of the government was the development of J&K.
After removal of article 370, several schemes and policies have been announced for the overall development of the region. The region’s unique elements of humanity, democracy and the identity of the people of Kashmir have been revived.
J&K is on the path of development, peace and progress since then. People of J&K have supported and welcomed the decision and have enabled these changes by participating as well as contributing to the positive developments.
There has been a vital development of democratic values in the region. Elections to Block Development Councils were held for the first time in the history of J&K on 24th October 2019 with a voter turnout of 98.3% in which 276 Chairpersons were elected. Aside from this, the decision has brought inclusive governance to J&K, with 33 percent of roles in local self-government institutions reserved for women, facilitating their participation in the political arena.
Another development that took place was in October last year where the Centre paved the way for people from outside J&K to buy land in the union territory. The move opened the doors for property development in the two regions of the UT: Jammu and Kashmir.
Speeding up of the work on the Qazigund-Banihal tunnel on the treacherous Jammu-Srinagar highway marked another development. On August 4, the 8.5km tunnel, which will reduce travel time between Jammu and Srinagar by about 1.5 hours and distance by 16km, was topened for traffic for trials. J&K also constructed a record 3,300km of rural roads under several schemes in 2020-21.
Despite the difficult terrain and weather, policies have been made to improve the infrastructure and connectivity. Out of 54 infrastructure projects identified for the region under the Prime Minister’s Development Package, 20 have already been completed.
40 companies including Tata and Reliance are interested for investment in J&K in information technology, defence, renewable energy, tourism, skill development, education, hospitality and infrastructure and horticulture reportedly.
Also railway project at Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla which will connect Kashmir to the rest of India is expected to finish by August next year.
J&K achieved 100% household electrification under SauBHaGYa before the target date and 3,57,405 beneficiaries were covered.
The government has launched skill development programs for training local youths according to the employment market’s requirements. The government speeded up the recruitment of J&K’s youth and has already advertised 10,000 jobs.
Also J&K has been developing now in the field of Information Technology. Last month, the local government institutions at the village level in J&K were digitally integrated. Similarly, the government has been developing IT labs and computer-aided learning centers.
A student health card scheme has also been launched to provide better healthcare for students in the region. For ensuring healthcare services, Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently launched Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, which will extend health insurance coverage to the people of J&K.
Also, the recent efforts of the J&K Government and the CID Wing of J&K Police for cleaning up of the anti-national elements from the administrative machinery marked a major development.
These have been some of the major developments that took place in the region and many more has to be achieved. People of J&K have suffered a lot in case of peace and progress but it’s a time for a change. Now, with the support of the centre government J&K is on the path of development, equality and all the facilities which people deserved years ago.
