The major challenge in Jammu and Kashmir is to shed the tag of “ basket” case, an ugly tag with which it has been seen and addressed for decades. There was a perennial tag that Delhi has pumped billions of rupees into the erstwhile state, which is now downgraded to the status of the union territory since October 31, 2019, as a sequel to the Reorganization of Jammu and Kashmir following the repeal of the special status granting constitutional provision under Article 370 on August 5 that year.
The territory, rich in natural resources and world famous for its beauty, handcrafts, and fruits, was made to look like a place always seeking funds from the Centre to sustain itself. Since 1947 when it became part of India, through an instrument of accession signed by Maharaja Hari Singh, it looked up to the Centre for all sorts of economic help as before and after the accession, the state faced extraordinary situation, because of Pakistan’s invasion of Jammu and Kashmir, the arrival of the Indian army after the instrument of accession was signed, and the perennial conflict that came as a consequence of the United Nations Security Council resolution. That kind of situation posed two problems – one, rehabilitating a large chunk of the population that came from the areas which now form Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.
Second, there were huge challenges in ensuring political stability. Delhi was unsure of itself, and also it adopted artificial measures to cover up its failures. It opened its purse strings to buy loyalties, ignored the cult of corruption that set in, eroding the institutions, and never allowed political stability through elections. The real-time democracy was made hostage to its own compulsions.
It’s almost four years since the abrogation of Article 370. One of the promises made, at the time of the abrogation of the constitutional provision, was that the economy would flourish in the territory. Alongside investment for industrialization, which would generate employment, ending all-time woes of joblessness, too was promised.
Much has changed in Kashmir. The most visible positive sign is the arrival of tourists in huge numbers. Kashmir Valley received close to two million tourists in 2022, this year trend is continuing. The tourist arrivals broke all-time records, and it justified in more than one way the benefits that the abrogation of Article 370 had delivered to the place. The number of tourists and the tourism-friendly climate in Kashmir has been the lingua franca of Delhi within and outside of the country. The boom in tourist arrivals resuscitated the industry that had slipped into coma because of the recurring troubles. The knock-on consequence was the sense of normalcy that the business houses and small shopkeepers and other establishments relished and gained from. This has brought substantial economic gains, and as a result of which the government of the UT has imposed property tax, which no government in the past had dared because of the fear of backlash. There were many protests across the UT this time, too, but the government went ahead with the property tax since April 1, 2023. The paying capacity of the people has been invoked. These are signs of giving a sense of sustaining things on their own, without looking for all time exemptions and subsidies.
Another development, which has not been highlighted as much as it should have been, is that in this era of new found normalcy several start up units have come up, ranging from poultry farms, cake making, small ventures into agriculture, floriculture and tea making. These add up to the visuals of quest for self-employment, generating jobs for few more, and search for more ventures where Kashmiri youth were hesitant to tread earlier. There have been stories of young boys and girls who have shared their enthusiasm to expose the beauty and talent of their villages to outside world, through the use of social media.
Is that enough? By all standards, these are highly successful ventures, but these at best are baby steps. Locals need to be involved in bigger things, made partners in sharing details about big projects, as they know better which industry suits the climate. There is a long road ahead to rip apart the tag of basket case, but it is not impossible if things are done in an imaginative manner, rather than imposing and peddling the theories that non-locals have all the monopoly on thinking intellectualism and entrepreneurship. Unless the locals are involved as equal partners, this tag of more than 70 years may continue to flutter.
| Posted by Sameer Khan | 
