After much speculation and tug-of-war, the NDA government finally scrapped the Article 370, which endowed special status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir since the independence of India. The monumental bill was passed on 5th August, 2019 which changed the entire demographic landscape of Jammu & Kashmir. Abolishment of this article in simple terms means that J&K which was earlier exempted from the Indian constitution is now an integral part of India, and all the laws of Indian constitution are now applicable in the valley. Furthermore, the entire state was bifurcated into two union territories of Ladakh and Jammu & Kashmir, respectively. J&K among which shall remain with a legislature and Ladakh won’t have an assembly.
The area of Jammu and Kashmir has been center of controversy ever since the independence of India. The valley has been the key reason for unrest between India and Pakistan. The area has faced many types of hostilities and also being one of the violent landscapes due to militancy and terrorism that was pushed into the area from across the border. Thus, even being one of the most beautiful places on the earth; the state was never able to progress economically as it constantly remained under the hood of political unrest and terrorism. Article 370 also barred the people outside Kashmir from making any investment or buying properties in the valley, which eventually stopped all means of industrial growth or real estate development. Apart from that, many other international projects like the Indo-Iran gas pipeline project’s fate hung in the balance as it had to make its way through the valley.
The basic economy of Jammu and Kashmir is typically tourism. Some pockets of the state have fruits and agricultural produce, and few have businesses of glass, plastics, and building materials. Scrapping of Article 370 shall allow the investors to build or set up their own establishment in this area, which will allow industrial growth. This abolishment will end the age-old dilemma of the people over here of not being able to buy land for their homes and send their children to educational institutes. The scrapping of this article will open up new avenues for industrial investors and also give an opportunity to the local workforce to gain employment and maintain their families.
The geographical outline of the valley might be beautiful but also creates ample of limitation as well. The demography does not support heavy industrialization, but small scale establishment can certainly do well in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. As tourism is the main economic driver of this region, interested parties will be able to buy land for constructing hotels will give a boost to the tourism industry. Sports goods and handloom products of Kashmir are quite famous across the country and around the world. With a free and fair trade taking place after the abolishment of Article 370, this sector can also expect some growth.
The greatest help which the union government will get is to combat terrorism in this area. Till now, there has been interference of local government in military operations due to political interests and refrained them from taking any stern action. But after the abolishment of Article 370, the government shall have a free hand to deal with militancy in the valley. It is also imperative for the union government to make an amicable condition for the local population and make them a part of this progressive movement. This will give them the confidence to do trade and business without hesitation and also the investors will feel much secure to set up their establishment which will eventually add to the growth and prosperity of Jammu and Kashmir and make the state a true heaven what it really is.
