2 Years To Abrogation Of Article 370 : Here Is How Naya Kashmir Looks!
On 5 August 2019, the Government of India revoked the special status, or autonomy, granted under Article 370 of the Indian Constitution to Jammu and Kashmir. 2 years from then, here is look at Naya Jammu-Kashmir.
August 5 is the day when Jammu and Kashmir was bifurcated into two Union territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh in 2019. Today, it is the second anniversary of the historic decision, which left a deep impact on the region. Out of 354 State laws in the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir, 164 laws have been repealed, 138 laws modified while 170 central laws have been made applicable. There has been a 262% increase in minority scholarships. Also, five corporations have been set up to unbundle power department corporations, and government funds worth Rs 1000 crores parked outside have been located and channelled into the consolidated fund.
More than three lakh Jammu and Kashmir government employees are now getting benefits under 7th Central Pay Commission such as leave travel, children education allowance and hostel subsidy available to Central government employees. The state’s police, pivotal in the fight against terror and separatism, has been given hardship allowances and additional ration.
A big push for projects:
The highest railway bridge in the world is being built over the river Chenab at 359 metres from bed-level (the Eiffel Tower is 324 metres tall).
By December 2022, places in Kashmir will be connected by train. The Udhmapur-Katra (25 kilometres) section, Banihal-Quazigund (18 kilometres) section and Quazigund-Baramulla (118 kilometres) section have already been commissioned.
Work on Shahpur-Kandi, an 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.
Elimination Of Terrorism:
Incidents of violence have reduced significantly in Kashmir valley after August 5 and security forces have achieved major 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.
No Separate Flag or Constitution:
The special status allowed Jammu and Kashmir to have its own flag and a constitution which determined what portions of the Indian Constitution was applicable in the erstwhile state. It had its own penal code, called the Ranbir Penal Code.
After the special status was abrogated, government offices including the civil secretariat hoisted only the Indian tricolour, the national flag, on their buildings. Jammu and Kashmir’s flag was missing.
People from outside J&K can buy land:
In October last year, the Centre paved the way for people from outside Jammu and Kashmir to buy land in the union territory. In a gazette notification, the central government omitted the phrase “permanent resident of the state” from Section 17 of the Jammu and Kashmir Development Act that deals with disposal of the land in the union territory. However, the amendment did not allow transfer of agricultural land to non-agriculturists except in few cases.
No Passport to Stone Pelters:
The government recently decided not to issue Indian passports to those indulging in subversive and anti-India activities including stone pelting. The Criminal Investigation Department of the Jammu and Kashmir Police issued an order on July 31 this year asking its local units to specifically look for a person’s involvement in cases of stone pelting among other crimes during verification related to passport services. The order translates into denial of security clearance for passport and other government services to those involved in stone pelting or subversive activities.
Impact of the Revocation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir encompasses a year without high-speed Internet, changes in the politics and bureaucracy of the region, priority of counter-insurgency operations, new domicile rules, talks of restoration of statehood, decline in terrorism and stone-pelting among other things.
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