For the first time Mishri Cherry, a produce of Jammu and Kashmir, was exported from Srinagar to Dubai on July 6, 2021 indicating that J&K is embarking on new export frontiers after benefiting from the developments taking place in the agriculture sector. This was highlighted in a webinar, which was organized by a prominent Kashmiri academician Pradeep Kumar marking two years of developments after the Indian government had on Aug. 5, abrogated Article 370 and Article 35 (A) and making it a Union Territory. A number of prominent Indians based in Jeddah attended the webinar on Wednesday to take stock of the recent developments that have taken place in India's Jammu and Kashmir and eye investment prospects. The webinar discussed a slew of development initiatives that were launched in Kashmir valley with Sharma stressing that the people of J&K have begun experiencing positive changes. That Kashmir, famous for its apples and fruits, is focusing on the agriculture sector is evident because of the agri lands and the knowhow in the region. The J&K government and the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd. (NAFED), meanwhile, joined hands to boost the agriculture sector increasing high-density plantations of apple, walnut, cherry, pear, flowers etc. The webinar explained that NAFED is to invest Rs.1,700 crores in the next five years (2021-25) in this sector and is expected to boost the income of farmers in a big way. NAFED will also establish 20-Farmer-Producer Organization in addition to three cold storage clusters, one each in north Kashmir, south Kashmir and Kathua, at a cost of Rs.500 crores. With the highest-ever budget allocation for 2021-22 at Rs.1.086 trillion for J&K, the webinar shone a spotlight on a number of socio-economic measures undertaken in the UT, with the sector-wise developments including political initiatives, constitutional benefits, infrastructure initiatives, economic initiatives, youth initiatives and security initiatives. Among the political initiatives, the first ever Block Development Council (BDC) elections were held on October 2019 with 98.3 % voter turnout, setting the tone and trend for future polls, the webinar said. At the end of 2020, the District Development Council (DDC) elections were conducted in 20 districts of the UT in a peaceful manner, followed by the Halqa panchayats elections, establishing the three-tier panchayati raj system in the valley. With this people were empowered to run local bodies for district and block-level planning, besides implementing various welfare schemes. Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's chairing of the all party's meeting in New Delhi on June 24, 2021, the political process in the UT was revived, with the Delimitation Commission meeting with the political parties on July 6, 2021, to continue the political process. Changes, the webinar revealed, are visible with the representation of the ST communities and protection of tribal rights. But it is in the area of education, where the backward classes have really benefited. On women empowerment there is a marked change with women getting their full rights, while over 20,000 West Pakistan refugees have been given citizenship. One of the major changes in J&K that has been welcomed by all is the amendment of the domicile law, with the non-local spouses now being eligible for the domicile certificate. Sharma cited the example of his own family, as his brother's wife hails from Delhi and his from Karnataka. With this amendment, he said, "We feel at ease on the future of our families." Among the developments highlighted was the 272-km long Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Railway line set to be completed before 2025. This mega project is being built at a cost of Rs.280 billion, this is in addition to Srinagar getting a Metro rail network in three years. The J&K government is planning to strengthen road network by adding 8,000 km all-weather road length across the UT. This is in addition to the 3,167 km new roads being built under 272 schemes in 2020-21 The government has also focused on power projects to strengthen connectivity. Seventeen (17) power projects have been launched at a cost of Rs.1.19 billion. This is in addition to another Rs.540 billion worth power projects that have been approved to generate 3,500 mw electricity in the next 3-4 years. Two other sectors, healthcare and education, too have been prioritized for development. In healthcare, a 500-bed COVID facility has been set up in June 2021 by DRDO in Srinagar. In addition, seven new medical colleges, two AIIMS, two cancer institutes, bone institutes and child hospitals have been established and 74 health infrastructure projects are to be completed this year. In the education sector, J&K will become the only region in the country to have IIT, IIM, two AIIMS and two central universities in the coming years providing a boost for the Kashmiri youths. IITs, IIMs and AIIMS are premier technology, management and medical schools in India. J&K has also given special emphasis to the industrial growth with the 'New Industrial Policy 2021-30', which has a spending outlay of Rs.284 billion, the largest incentive to date. As a start, the sericulture (silk) industry has been revived. The Kashmiri businessmen welcomed the policy soon after it was implemented in the UT. The government while seeking to rebuild the tourism sector has focused on youth and sports with Rs. 2 billion sanctioned under the Prime Minister's Developmental Package to develop the sports infrastructure. Also a Mission Youth has been initiated for greater engagement, empowerment, skill development and employability of local youth. The webinar also highlighted the fact that the number of terror incidents in J&K have reduced, and the government is using every opportunity to turn the youth away from terror activities with positive and developmental program. The participants commended Sharma for an excellent presentation, while seeking information on possible investment areas in the region. The focus was mostly on tourism and the completion of the educational centers that would develop the skills of the Kashmiri youth, while making them competitive globally. The participants also stressed that the development spree, which has proven to be attractive for the J&K people with the benefits and welfare measures percolating down to the grass root level, needs to be sustained in order to bring the people of J&K on par with the other states in the union. Sharma, in his conclusion, said that the Indian government is determined to ensure that the people benefit from the all-round development of J&K, for the government believes that building trust and people's participation are essential for the socio-economic growth in the valley. — SG
