It has now been over a year since the historic act of Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) revoking of the special status granted under Article 370 of the Indian Constitution to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir on Aug. 5, 2019. Despite a clamor of its implementation then, statistics show that the situation in the valley is much better than ever in the history of the land. It has been reported, by the Indian media, that less militancy and more progress mark the region, now a union territory, as the administration's attempts for reform gradually take shape. The major changes in Jammu and Kashmir since abrogation of Article 370 are slowly taking roots. Among the major changes, one that needs a special mention is that out of 354 erstwhile state laws in Jammu and Kashmir, 164 laws have been repealed, 138 laws have been modified while 170 central laws have been made applicable. There has been increase in minority scholarships. Also, five corporations have been set up to unbundle power department corporations, and government funds worth Rs1,000 crores parked outside have been located and channeled into the consolidated fund. Incidents of violence have reduced significantly in Kashmir valley after Aug. 5 and security forces have achieved major success against terrorists, according to Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) report, which also noted that terror-related activities have reduced by around 36% in the valley after the abrogation of Article 370. About 188 terror-related incidences were recorded in Kashmir valley from Jan. 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. A total of 110 local terrorists have been killed in Kashmir in 2020 so far, including over 50 from Hizbul Mujahideen and around 20 each from Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad. At least 14 terrorists from ISJK and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind were also eliminated by security forces during the same period. Some wanted terrorists like Hizbul commander Riyaz Naikoo, Lashkar commander Haider, Jaish commander Kari Yasir and Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind Burhan Koka have been killed by security forces in 2020. The security forces have also busted 22 terror hideouts till July 15 besides recovering 190 weapons, including several AK 47 rifles. Another major development is that there has been a 40% decrease in the involvement of local youth in terrorist organizations as only 67 youths of Kashmir valley were brainwashed and made to take up guns against India. Jammu and Kashmir's Principal Secretary Rohit Kansal said that over 10,000 vacancies at all levels have been identified for recruitment in various departments in the first phase. Notably, the administrative council has approved a simple and efficient procedure for filling up of class IV vacancies. The Union Territory administration has decided to provide reservations to Pahari-speaking people (four percent) and economically weaker sections (10 percent). So far, the reservation was available only to people living in villages on the Line of Control, but it has been extended to those living on the international border, benefiting nearly 70,000 families. In addition major projects have been initiated. The world's highest railway bridge over Chenab River in Jammu and Kashmir will be ready by next year and is expected to 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 meters, is being built at a height of 359 meters from the bed level. In July this year, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated six bridges in border areas of Jammu and Kashmir and asserted that development of remote areas in the region will continue to be a "key priority" for the NDA government. Work on Shahpur-Kandi, electricity, and irrigation project hanging for five decades, has started. The Ujh project has been fast-tracked. And the metro rail is on its way to Srinagar and Jammu. The government has introduced an array of insurance schemes including the Atal Pension Yojana in the newly carved union territory. The center launched 85 people-oriented development schemes, like PM-KISAN, PM-KISAN-Pension, Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, and Stand-Up India in Jammu and Kashmir. In Jammu & Kashmir animal husbandry plays a significant role as 0.13 percent of GDP of the state is contributed by this sector. The state has a precious wealth of livestock in the form of cattle, buffalo, sheep, goats, poultry etc. The cattle and poultry among all the livestock are considered the most important tool for the development in rural economy. The production of pashmina shawls and other animal products like carpet, shawls and blankets of Kashmir earn handsome foreign exchange. With a steady growth in the production of milk, Jammu & Kashmir has become a milk surplus state. As the demand for milk and milk products has been increasing there is much scope for dairy development. According to the Preliminary Economic Assessment Loss Report released by Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industries (KCCI) in December last year, Kashmir's economy suffered a loss of Rs.17,800 crore and 4.9 lakh jobs were lost between August and October 2019. "The loss to business in Kashmir now stands at Rs.40,000 till August 2020," said Sheikh Ashiq, president KCCI, adding that the job losses vary from season to season. "Last year, most jobs were lost in the hospitality sector after the government ordered tourists to leave Kashmir three days after [Article] 370 was taken down," said Sheikh Ashiq. Till December 2019, at least 2.5 lakh youth, including 1.5 lakh postgraduates and Ph.D. scholars, got themselves registered with the government. Horticulture, floriculture, agriculture, and sericulture have seen for 12,000 job losses. In the manufacturing sector, 70,000 job losses were reported, followed by 60,000 and 20,000 in the transport and construction sectors respectively. Horticulture provides livelihood to 30 lakh people directly and indirectly in Kashmir. Handicrafts industry employs more than 2.5 lakh artisans. Most of these artisans lost their jobs as the lockdown disrupted access to raw material and exports. In the carpet belt in Baramulla, thousands of carpet weavers closed their looms and took to menial labor to earn a living. The condition of artisans dealing with shawls, Papier-m'ché, and wood carving is no better. According to Syed Kounsar Shah, an award-winning Papier-m'ché artist, most artisans couldn't sell their stocks due to the lockdown and communication blockade last year. The two factors have resulted in the loss of lakhs of jobs and the borrowers of financial institutions have lost the capacity to fulfill their commitments, according to the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI). "The tourism sector is in shambles. Artisans and weavers are jobless. The losses are more than Rs.1,056 crore. It was multiplied further by the pandemic," KCCI stated. There have been 144,500 job losses in Kashmir's tourism and handicrafts sector — mostly dependent on earnings from travelers — since Aug. 5, 2019, as per an estimate of the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The number of tourists in Kashmir also came down by 86% in August-December 2019. Meanwhile, for the first time an oil extraction plant with the latest technology has been set up in Srinagar which can extract 4.5 liters of oil at a given time. People associated with cultivation of aromatic plants including lavender and Kashmiri rose will get a boost due to this plant, an official of the Floriculture department said. People associated with Floriculture sector can extract oil from their crop free of cost and export it out of J&K. This can boost up the business of aromatic plants. Football players have got an exciting boost as J&K got first football stadium. Floodlights installed at the TRC ground are of high quality, which will open the door for high-definition quality live telecast of matches. The scrapping of Article 370 has benefitted Jammu & Kashmir completely with parcel delivery and e-commerce services getting improved with India Post parcel hub in Srinagar becoming fully operational. In the absence of parcel hub people were facing obstacles due to lack of e-commerce services with transparency. India Post Parcel hub was inaugurated in January. With it several facilities like sorting, new weighing machines and online booking of parcels came to action. Locals have appreciated the initiatives especially at this time when the country is facing COVID-19. — Agencies
