Two years after Art 370 abrogation, winds of change in J&K

It is two years since the abrogation of the Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir and the winds of change are bringing smiles to the faces of ordinary people in the two new Union Territories (J & K and Ladakh). It is now established that Article 370 had proved to be an inhibitor for the growth and development of the people. With its annulment, the region is witnessing a rapid pace of all-round growth and development based on several indicators.

The property rights in the erstwhile state of Jammu & Kashmir were heavily biased against the women. If they were to marry outside the State they were deprived of all the property rights. Even their State citizenship was annulled once a woman married to an outsider. One of the major advantages of the abrogation of Article 370 and related Articles has been the unshackling of the chains of bondage for them as it has allowed them an equal social status in the society.

Another section of the society, whose alienation continued unabated till the abrogation of Article 370, is the refugees from West Pakistan. They had been deprived of the citizenship of the state and had not been issued with the Permanent Resident Certificate (PRC). Similarly, the sanitation workers (Valmiki community members), brought to the State in 1953 from Punjab to quell the unrest there, are given a new lease of life. No jobs were on the offer earlier to them nor were their children permitted to go to schools locally.

Social experts are acknowledging the fact that with the outsiders now given the right to purchase property in the region, integration of the area with the rest of the nation was getting easier. Simply put, J & K always missed the growth story of the rest of the country. Right to Education is now applicable to Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh which gives children of the deprived sections an opportunity for quality education free of cost.

As has been the case, Art 370 had put a few political families in a dominant position and all benefits had been cornered by those few. Devolution of powers to the local bodies post-abrogation of the Article has led to a positive change in the development paradigm with infrastructure getting a boost. Government departments and officers are now accountable to the Panchayats. A new industrial scheme has also been launched in which the Government is extending an incentive of Rs 28,400 crore.

Arguably no other State in the country can boast of such an industrial policy under which the government is giving a 300 per cent incentive in GST. Government estimates are looking at nearly Rs 40,000 crore investments in the mid-future. The fact that the Reserve Bank of India now exercises complete control over the banks is reinforcing investors' confidence. Recent reports also suggest that militancy has come down a lot and tourism is picking up. Hawala routing has been drastically cut and all illegal money channels are almost closed, clipping the wings of separatists. Sad that a section of our society and politicians clamour for restoration of Article 370 still.