Amidst an aggressive ‘Outreach Programme' in Jammu Kashmir Union Territory, the central government has flooded Jammu Kashmir UT especially Kashmir valley with the visits of union ministers. On an average, there are four Ministers paying regular visits with 3-4 days stay in Jammu Kashmir.
This time, the centre's strategy is to enlarge the scope and impact of visits of union ministers covering to outer districts of capital cities than to confining to Jammu and Srinagar cities. The main focus of ministers is to interact with the grass-root Panchayati Raj Institutions and have an understanding of the situation and problems at the ground level. It would surely improve the broad understanding of the council of ministers whs are ultimately presiding the union government which would minimise the communication gaps and find out the people's issues and problems and find appropriate responses.
The exercise brought the ruling party politicians near to the people and is being felt at ground level.
Over and above the Union Home Ministry, has come out with a 38-page booklet titled – “the dream of one nation, one law, one symbol fulfilled.” The Ministry states that with freedom from Article 370 and 35-A, Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee's resolve of ‘One Nation, One Law and One Head of the nation' became a reality after 70 years of Independence.
The MHA has tried to enumerate the achievements since the abrogation of Article on August 05, 2019. It claimed that Kashmir is now keeping pace at par with the rest of the country. ‘170 Central made applicable in J&K; security provided to Hurriyat leaders withdrawn, 82 accounts of Hurriyat leaders frozen, militancy related incidents on decline; Valley youth being brought into mainstream.'
At present all the Central laws are applied in the UT of Jammu & Kashmir. Out of the 334 State laws, 164 laws have been repealed and 167 laws have been adapted, according to the Indian Constitution. For the people living in areas adjoining the international border, a provision of 3% reservation in jobs and educational institutions has been effected, the ministry claimed.
Among achievements it boasted of domicile law that has been now applied to the displaced refugees from Western Pakistan whose human and civil rights has been flaunted for all these years by the Kashmir centric governments. It says that the way has been paved for the resettlement of Kashmiri Pandits ousted from the Kashmir valley in 1990.
It said that the protection of rights of the women marrying outside Jammu & Kashmir, as well as their children, has been ensured. The MHA booklet said that Jammu and Kashmir is gaining freedom from militancy and moving on the path of development.
The government is fully projecting the ‘Employment & Skill Development' that would provide employment to the unemployed youth in JK UT. It further claimed the biggest recruitment campaign of 10,000 vacancies have been identified in the first phase of the biggest ever recruitment campaign, out of which, 8575 vacancies have been advertised by the Services Selection Board. As a part of the second phase of the recruitment campaign, 12379 posts have been identified.
These initiatives no doubt have shown some results in the sphere of social and economic upliftment in J&K but these are too short of what was expected when the Article 370 was scrapped. How soon these exercises would turn around the economic transformation and employment opportunities in Jammu Kashmir is yet to be seen.
