OPINION | Seven Years After Article 370, Jammu And Kashmir’s Economy And Tourism Show New Momentum

O
August
5,
2019,
the
Gove me t
of
I dia
evoked
the
special
auto omous
status
of
the
the
state
of
Jammu
a d
Kashmi ,
tempo a ily
g a ted
to
it
u de
A ticle
370
of
the
Co stitutio .
I
taki g
that
step,
Jammu
a d
Kashmi
was
bifu cated
i to
two
U io
Te ito ies
(UTs)-Jammu
a d
Kashmi
a d
Ladakh
u de
the
Jammu
a d
Kashmi
Reo ga isatio
Act
of
2019.

Yeste day
ma ked
the
seve th
a ive sa y
of
that
decisio
that
holistically
i teg ated
this
egio
with
I dia.
Was
the
move
be eficial
o
det ime tal
i
te ms
of
its
political
a d
socio-eco omic
impact?& bsp;
While
opi io
may
va y,
this
w ite
is
sa gui e
that
ab ogatio
of
A ticles
370
a d
35A
has
b ought
about
a
sig ifica t
cha ge
fo
the
bette
fo
the
people
of
Jammu,
the
Kashmi
Valley
a d
Ladakh.& bsp;

P io
to
A ticle
370
evocatio ,
the
egio
was
i
the
vice-like
g ip
of
sepa atist-led
viole ce,
te o ist
st ikes
a d
civil
u est
that
caused
a
sig ifica t
dete io atio
i
the
law
a d
o de
situatio .
High
levels
of
admi ist ative
co uptio
fu the
c eated
a
hostile
e vi o me t
fo
comme cial
activities
a d
dissuaded
pote tial
i vesto s,
leadi g
to
socio-eco omic
stag atio
a d
bu geo i g
u employme t.

Has
the
evocatio
delive ed
o
the
gove me t& squo;s
p omises
of
i teg atio ,
developme t,
a d
imp oved
secu ity?
A
dispassio ate
assessme t
of
the
post-A ticle
370
ab ogatio
sce a io
clea ly
i dicates
that
i deed,
it
has.

I f ast uctu e
a d
Developme t

The
evocatio
of
A ticles
370
a d
35A
i
2019
has
b ought
Jammu
a d
Kashmi
i
li e
with
I dia& squo;s
b oade
developme tal
f amewo k.& bsp;Today,
we
a e
wit essi g
the
ope i g
of
ew
vistas
fo
t ade
a d
i vestme t.

The
egio & squo;s
imp oved
co ectivity
with
othe
states
has
do e
wo de s
fo
its
eco omic
g owth,
i.e.,
GDP.
GSDP
g owth
i
the
pe iod
betwee
2011
a d
2019
stood
at
a
abysmal
4.81
pe
ce t,
whe eas
i
FY
2025-26,
it
achieved
a
estimated
eal
g owth
ate
of
5.82
pe
ce t,
o
app oximately
Rs.2.86
lakh
c o e
(USD
33
billio )
i
omi al
te ms
a d
Rs.1.50
lakh
c o e
i
eal
te ms.

O ce
ma ed
by
u de developme t,
f eque t
shutdow s
a d
te o ism,
the
egio
ow
boasts
of
imp oved
i f ast uctu e,
especially
i
the
co text
of
its
atio al
highways,
ailway
a d
oad
li ks
co ecti g
bette
with
the
est
of
I dia.

Fo
FY
2026-27,
the
Chief
Mi iste
of
J&K,
a d
its
Fi a ce
Mi iste ,
Oma
Abdullah,
have
p ojected
a
GSDP
g owth
of
Rs.3,15,822
lakh
c o e,
amou ti g
to
a
g owth
of
9.5
pe
ce t
ove
the
evised
estimates
of
2025-26.
I
2025-26,
ag icultu e,
ma ufactu i g
a d
se vices
secto s
co t ibuted
a
estimated
20,
19
a d
61
pe
ce t
espectively
to
Jammu
a d
Kashmi & squo;s
eco omy.

Completio
of
the
lo g-delayed
Udhampu & dash;S i aga & dash;Ba amulla
Railway
li e
a d
co st uctio
of
the
wo ld& squo;s
highest
ailway
b idge
ove
the
Che ab
Rive
betwee
2019
a d
2025
have
bee
a
sou ce
of
atio al
a d
egio al
p ide.

Elect ificatio
p ojects
i
emote
villages
have
b ought
elect icity
to
ma y
homes
fo
the
fi st
time
i
ove
70
yea s.
These
i itiatives
a e
ow
empowe i g
people
to
lau ch
busi esses
a d
c eate
jobs
fo
the
u employed.
Sola
a d
hyd oelect ic
p ojects
a e
also
bei g
fast-t acked
as
pa t
of
the
developme t
mat ix,
while
simulta eously
e ha ci g
sustai ability.
The
expa sio
of
the
telecommu icatio
i f ast uctu e
has
facilitated
g eate
digital
access,
especially
fo
Ge
Next.

With
imp oved
co ectivity
a d
secu ity,
tou ism,
the
key
d ive
of
the
J
&
K
eco omy,
has
su ged.
I
2024,
Kashmi
welcomed
a
eco d
23.5
millio
domestic
a d
ove
65,000
fo eig
tou ists—a
te -fold
i c ease
f om
2019.
Howeve ,
followi g
the
te o
st ike
i
Pahalgam,
which
claimed
26
lives,
the
visito
met ics
d opped
f om
that
eco d
high
to
about
11,16,043
tou ists
i
2025.
Of
these,
10,
93,
050
we e
domestic
tou ists,
while
22,993
we e
fo eig
visito s.

That
bei g
said,
developme t
i
the
tou ism
secto
has
ge e ated
i come,
c eated
jobs
a d
i stilled
a
e ewed
se se
of
p ide
amo g
local
commu ities.
Wi te
tou ism
has
also
take
off
followi g
the
active
p omotio
of
wi te
spo ts
i
Gulma g
a d
app ovals
fo
i vestme t
i
the
hospitality
secto
i
Pahalgam
a d
So ma g,
thus
u de sco i g
ew
ave ues
fo
ge e ati g
eve ue
a d
local
employme t
oppo tu ities.

ALSO
READ
|

‘Fo ced
No malcy
I
J&K
Post
A ticle
370
Ab ogatio ‘:
Oma & bsp;Abdullah
O
Secu ity
Situatio
I
UT

Acco di g
to
the
Eco omic
Su vey
2025& dash;26,
this
secto
co t ibutes
ea ly
seve
pe
ce t
to
GSDP
as
of
date
a d
suppo ts
the
livelihood
of
a ou d
five
lakh
people
di ectly
a d
i di ectly
th ough
hospitality,
t a spo t,
ha dic afts
a d
adve tu e
tou ism.

I
2026-27,
the
UT
admi ist atio
has
allocated
seve al
hu d ed
c o es
towa d
upg adi g
21
disti ct
tou ism
developme t
autho ities
a d
mo etisi g
ea ly
200
tou ism
assets.
Cu e t
visito
umbe s
u til
mid-2026
a e
showi g
a
st o g
ecove y,
headi g
towa d
umbe s
matchi g
o
b eaki g
past
p e-2025
eco ds,
as
co fide ce
to
u de take
t avel
to
J&K
etu s.

The
egio al
eco omy
co ti ues
to
be
majo ly
se vices-based
a d
ag o-o ie ted.
With
va ied
ag o-climatic
co ditio s,
the
scope
fo
ho ticultu e
co ti ues
to
be
sig ifica tly
high
i
J&K.
A
ideal
climate
also
p ovides
the
equi ed
fillip
fo
food
p ocessi g
a d
flo icultu e
oppo tu ities.

As
of
Ma ch
2026,
Jammu
a d
Kashmi
had
a
total
i stalled
powe -ge e atio
capacity
of
3479.45
MW,
comp isi g
1917.23
MW
u de
ce t al
utilities,
1372.9
MW
(state/UT
utilities)
a d
189.25
MW
(p ivate
utilities).
Jammu
a d
Kashmi & squo;s
total
i stalled
powe
ge e atio
capacity
stood
at
3,
607.09
MW,
comp isi g
2345.88
MW
f om
hyd opowe ,
706.22
MW
f om
the mal
powe ,
2678.10
MW
f om
e ewable
sou ces,
a d
95.13
MW
f om
uclea
powe .

Ove
the
last
seve
yea s,
2,227
i dust ial
u its
with
i vestme ts
of
Rs.15,940
c o e
(USD
1.80
billio )
have
become
ope atio al
i
J
&
K,
boosti g
the
UT& squo;s
i dust ial
base
a d
i vestme t
activity.
U til
Decembe
2025,
it
att acted
i vestme ts
wo th
Rs.5,260
c o e
(USD
59.52
millio ),
with
184
i dust ial
u its
ge e ati g
employme t
fo
7,431
& bsp;pe so s.

I
the
se icultu e
secto ,
ea ly
27,000
families
have
p oduced
a ou d
800
met ic
to es
of
bivolti e
cocoo s
a ually,
co t ibuti g
sig ifica tly
to
u al
livelihoods
a d
wome ‘s
pa ticipatio
i
eco omic
activities.

The
st o g
emphasis
o
highway
developme t
ca
be
see
i
the
fo m
of
oad
co st uctio
p ojects
valued
at
USD
23.31
billio ,
which
i cludes
the
co st uctio
of
105
tu els.
Additio ally,
the
co st uctio
of
the
Zojila
Tu el,
ecog ised
as
Asia’s
lo gest
fo
sub-ze o
tempe atu es,
is
o goi g,
with
a
estimated
i vestme t
of
a ou d
Rs.6,000
c o e
(USD
699
millio ).

I
Ju e
2025,
the
Ce t e
app oved
a
Rs.
4,224
c o e
(USD
488.49
millio )
fo
316
u al
oad
p ojects
cove i g
1,781
kilomet es.

As
of
FY
2025-
26,
29
p ojects
with
a
outlay
of
Rs.5,013
c o e
(USD
567.24
millio )
we e
u de
impleme tatio
u de
the
Holistic
Ag icultu e
Developme t
P og amme
(HADP)
to
t a sfo m
the
egio al
ag icultu e
secto
ove
five
yea s.
The
p og amme
is
p ojected
to
c eate
2.88
lakh
jobs
a d
be efit
ea ly
13
lakh
families.

I
FY
2025-26,
19
atio al
highway
p ojects
wo th
Rs.10,637
c o e
(USD
1.20
billio )
we e
sa ctio ed
to
imp ove
egio al
co ectivity
a d
u ba
mobility

P ime
Mi iste
M
Na e d a
Modi
has
i augu ated,
dedicated,
a d
laid
the
fou datio
fo
ume ous
developme t
p ojects
wo th
ove
Rs.46,000
c o e
(USD
5.32
billio )
i
Jammu,
spa i g
secto s
like
co ectivity,
aviatio ,
healthca e,
i f ast uctu e,
a d
pet oleum.

Acco di g
to
the
Telecom
Regulato y
Autho ity
of
I dia,
J&K
had
13.27
millio
wi eless
subsc ibe s
a d
a
tele-de sity
of
96.89
pe
ce t,
as
of
Ma ch
2026.

The
Kashmi
Valley
is
k ow
fo
its
ho ticultu e
i dust y.
I
2023-24,
the
total
p oductio
of
vegetables
a d
f uits
i
the
UT
was
estimated
at
1,996.18
thousa d
met ic
to es
a d
2,643.24
thousa d
met ic
to es,
espectively.

J&K
has
a
i dust ial
policy
that
offe s
att active
i ce tives
alo g
with
a
si gle-wi dow
clea a ce
mecha ism.

ALSO
READ
|

Mehbooba
Mufti
Calls
Aug
5
‘Black
Day’
As
PDP
P otests
Agai st
Ab ogatio
Of
A ticle
370
I
J&K
O
Sixth
A ive sa y

Politics
of
Disco te t

Despite
the
host
of
visible
positives,
leade s
of
ce tai
local
political
pa ties
co ti ue
to
dema d
the
esto atio
of
statehood
a d
the
evocatio
of
A ticles
370
a d
35A.
Some
eve
go
ove boa d,
te mi g
August
5
a
“Black
Day& dquo;
a d
o ga isi g
p otests
ove
what
they
call
the
“u co stitutio al
a d
u ilate al
ab ogatio
of
Jammu
a d
Kashmi ‘s
co stitutio al
gua a tees.& dquo;

Howeve ,
afte
wit essi g
how
local
political
pa ties
have
bee
exploiti g
public
se time ts
i
Kashmi
Valley
to
fu the
thei
ow
motivated
age das
a d
suffe i g
o
this
accou t,
the
majo ity
of
the
people
today
eject
a y
move
that
vitiates
the
e vi o me t
as
this
would
adve sely
impact
thei
livelihood.
& bsp;& bsp;& bsp;

Most
impo ta tly,
the
people
of
Jammu
a d
Kashmi
have
ealised
that
those
opposi g
A ticle
370
ab ogatio
a e
sheddi g
tea s
ove
abst act
issues
like
loss
of
special
status
that
mea
little
i
p actical
te ms.
They
have
also
u de stood
that
with
the
Ce t e
doi g
away
with
the
disc imi ato y
A ticle
370,
a
floodgate
of
oppo tu ities
has
bee
ope ed
fo
the
people
of
Jammu
a d
Kashmi .

The
eality
is
that
though
New
Delhi
may
have
te mi ated
A ticle
370,
it& squo;s
the
people
of
Jammu
a d
Kashmi
who
have
bu ied
it
fo
good!

(The
autho
is
Edito
of
B ighte
Kashmi ,
autho ,
TV
comme tato ,
political
a alyst,
a d
colum ist.
Views
exp essed
i
the
above
piece
a e
pe so al
a d
solely
those
of
the
autho .)

Disclaime :
The
opi io s,
beliefs,
a d
views
exp essed
by
the
va ious
autho s
a d
fo um
pa ticipa ts
o
this
website
a e
pe so al
a d
do
ot
eflect
the
opi io s,
beliefs,
a d
views
of
ABP
Netwo k
Pvt.
Ltd.

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