New Delhi Is Determined To Usher Development In Jammu & Kashmir

We as a nation, as a family, have taken a historic decision. A system due to which brothers and sisters of Jammu, Kashmir, and Ladakh were deprived of many rights and which was a big obstacle to their development, that system has been done away with,” said Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his address to the Nation on August 8, 2019 post reorganisation of the state of Jammu and Kashmir into two Union Territories.
In saying so, the Prime Minister was referring to the deprivation as a result of certain anomalies that had come into existence due to the so-called “special status” given to the state by Article 370 and Article 35A, which now stands annulled. There were many socially relevant and development-oriented legislation enacted by parliament and schemes initiated by the central government that was not applicable to Jammu and Kashmir due to the debilitating special status. Lack of audit scrutiny by the center led to the misuse of funds and corruption. The special status allowed a few families to dominate the political spectrum thus eroding the evolution of democratic values in the state. There has been no major upheaval in the state post the decision of reorganization. The change of status has, in fact, been welcomed by the people.