The turnaround in J&K is visible now; tourists are coming, industry is booming

Jammu and Kashmir will soon host a G20 meeting. After three decades, the international community will witness the rise of the new Jammu and Kashmir. Preparations are in full swing in the Union Territory for hosting international dignitaries. The foreign diplomats would not be surprised to see peace and tranquillity in the Kashmir valley, because thousands of tourists from their countries must have already told them that J&K is no more a terror hotbed.

The touchstone of durable peace is private investment. Industries abandoned Jammu and Kashmir when Pakistan-exported terrorism arrived in the valley. But a new dawn came to the valley after Prime Minister Narendra Modi took the oath of office in 2014. With PM Modi closely monitoring the development works in J&K, the US is witnessing a massive push in infrastructure development which will unlock industrial and tourism along with integration with the national and international markets for local products. Jammu and Kashmir are now flooded with applications for setting up industries. The J&K administration has received 60,000 applications for setting up industrial units. In addition, the administration is carrying out development works of a whopping Rs 50,000 crores in the UT. The district administrations have in the last couple of years roped in farmers, entrepreneurs and others to become the stakeholders in the turnaround of the economy of the UT. Jammu and Kashmir are now exporting vegetables and fruits to the Middle East. Also, the J&K administration is tapping the wealth of the scientific community to give the scale to the farmers in the UT to tap the export opportunity. The success of the snow sports in the Kashmir Valley has again demonstrated that the UT has made stone-pelting history. There is fear in the minds of terrorists, not the citizens. This is a big leap for bringing the fruits of development to the people of Jammu and Kashmir.But the dynasties of Nehrus, Abdullahs, Muftis, and Mohammed Yusu Tarigami of the CPI cannot see the positive changes as they fan a fake narrative in the Kashmir Valley. They have ganged up to serve their vested interests with a common agenda. This is to train the gun at the temples of India so that their political business flourishes. The narrative of the troika will be countered with development. The sense of entitlement of the ruling family members of the Kashmir Valley will be countered by ensuring that the true democratic aspirations of the people are fulfilled. They created a terrorism capital in J&K and supported stone pelters. Now that the business of stone-pelters, the troika is busy peddling fear that there will be demographic changes in the valley. This is being done with an ulterior motive. This is being done to negate the aims of the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019.

The women of the UT who lost their rights if they married outside have finally been given back their rightful dues. The women who merely married outside will now get the right to vote in their constituencies in J&K. For many years, they were stripped of their rights to vote in Vidhan Sabha elections. After the scrapping of 370 and 35A, the women, scheduled castes and scheduled tribes have become equal stakeholders. Lakhs of people in Jammu and Kashmir have availed benefits from the Ayushman Bharat Scheme, which was not earlier available to them. Lakhs of houses have been built. The same goes for toilets. The Narendra Modi government is not looking at the religion of the people in extending the benefits of the Central schemes. They are for all the citizens of the country irrespective of their caste, creed and religion. This has to be countered. The people will give a befitting reply to the ruling political class who rue the loss of entitlement. In the BDC and DDC elections, as many as 22 lakh people came forward to vote. This paves way for the arrival of the new crop of leadership in J&K, They will help in fulfilling the democratic aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

(Author is the national general secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party)