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While PM Modi reaches out to J&K, many skeptical of capitalistic push

EconomyWhile PM Modi reaches out to J&K, many skeptical of capitalistic push

PM Modi reaches out to J&K via infra push, inaugurating projects worth Rs 20k crore, tells youth “You won’t suffer the way your parents did.’

This is PM Modi’s first outreach to the people of J&K since August 2019, when J&K was stripped of its special status and made a Union Territory.  Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a rally on Panchayati Raj Day, atS, Sunday, April 24, 2022, inaugurated a series of projects in Jammu and Kashmir as part of a robust infrastructure push, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday.

Specifically speaking to the youth of the Valley, PM Modi said, “Ghati ke naujawano, aap ke mata-pita ko, aap ke dada-dadi ko, aap ke nana-nani ko jin museebaton se zindgee jeeni padi… aap ko kabhi bi aisi museebaton se zindagi jeeni nahi padegi. Yeh mein kar ke dikhaunga. Yeh mein aap ko vishwas dilaney aya hoon (Youth of the Valley, you will never face the kind of sufferings that your parents and grandparents faced. I will accomplish this and I have come to assure you that),” he said.

The newly launched projects worth Rs 20,000 crore —which PM Modi inaugurated from Village Palli in Samba district of Jammu and Kashmir — include the Banihal-Qazigund road tunnel that is expected to reduce travel time between Jammu and Srinagar by two hours which was started in 2011 and completed in 2021, and a 500 KV solar power plant at Palli. Foundation stones were laid for the Rattle and Kwar hydel projects on River Chenab, and the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway, among others.

On speaking about a change in work culture in the Union Territory, Prime Minister Modi on the occasion of Panchayati Raj Diwas said that there was a time when a government file from Delhi used to take two to three weeks to reach Jammu and Kashmir. “Today, I feel happy that a 500 KV solar power plant gets commissioned within three weeks and also starts generating power,’’ he said, stressing that all the houses in Palli Village will now get solar power, making it carbon-neutral and self-reliant in energy.

Pointing out that his government has worked to achieve the vision of ‘Ek Bharat Shresht Bharat’ in a bid to focus on connectivity and eliminate distances, he said, “Distances, whether of hearts, languages, customs or of resources, their elimination is our very big priority today.”

The PM said the Banihal-Qazigund road tunnel (the longest tunnel in India) is a step in that direction, however, failed to mention the project was started by the previous government in 2011. The arch bridge linking Udhampur, Srinagar, and Baramulla will be completed soon, and the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway too will considerably reduce the distance between Delhi and the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine, Modi said.

The day will not be far off, he added, when the Goddess of Kanyakumari and Mata Vaishno Devi will be connected by one road, saying efforts are on to ensure that most parts of J&K stay connected with the rest of the country throughout the year.

Ceremonies for projects worth Rs 38,000 crore in the private sector were also held on the occasion.

Investment

He said Jammu and Kashmir “will write a new script” in the next 25 years, the PM referred to his interaction with a delegation from the UAE, Abu Dhabi, and Dubai, saying, “They are very enthusiastic about Jammu and Kashmir… After seven decades of Independence, only Rs 17,000 crore of private investment came to Jammu and Kashmir while this figure has reached Rs 38,000 crore in the last two years.’’

UAE firms are expected to propose investments worth over Rs 3,000 crore, a first for J&K’s infrastructure development. The UAE has largely taken a neutral stand on the Kashmir dispute.

PM Modi also said that districts in J&K, through their elected panchayats, have been allocated funds worth Rs 22,000 crore this year, up from Rs 5,000 crore three years ago.

Without naming Article 370 or its abrogation, Modi said that since August 2019, the government has been focused on bringing about wide-ranging reforms to substantially improve governance and enhance ease of living for the people of the region.

However, The Investment Deals are Met with Skepticism

A journalist shares this:  The backstory behind “foreign investment” in Kashmir

Last month, a 36-member delegation from the UAE visited Kashmir purportedly to explore investment options in the region.  Out of 36, 13 were Emirati & rest were affluent Indian expats & folks with RSS links.  businessman, the man behind the whole show, who put the entire delegation together and, in fact, paid for the charter plane from his pocket, has long been a target of different Indian agencies.

And then, in March 2022, Rathore used his connections in the UAE to bring a mixed delegation of Emiratis (mostly his close friends) and Indian expats to Kashmir. Ashok Kotecha of BAPS Swaminarayan Temple, Abu Dhabi was also part of the delegation.Bal Krishen’s story is a clear example of how Indian authorities use arm-twisting to force affluent Indian expats to bring investment and promote their sense of “normalcy” in Kashmir.

After the UAE delegation visit last month, JK’s Lt. Gov. Manoj Sinha claimed that investment in J&K will cross ₹70,000 crores in the next 6 months.

But did any Emirati sign MoU to invest in Kashmir? In fact, many Emiratis were perturbed by the massive presence of security forces.

Some were extremely pissed that their international sim cards were not working in Kashmir.

PS: In its PowerPoint presentation to the UAE delegation, the JK administration projected Kashmir as the safest place to do business & cited its lowest share in crime rates.

BJP ruled Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Gujarat topped the crime chart.”

Some people express, “Adani will purchase the whole of Kashmir and he will be the only industrialist and businessman of the Valley, a situation akin to the farmers’ plight.”

Nothing Much Has Changed Feel Kashmiris Though Tourism is Slowly Climbing Up

Nothing much has changed, feel Kashmiris, in fact, tourism was far better in the past.  There has been a sharp decline in tourism since the removal of article 370 in J&K.  According to Jammu and Kashmir administration records, the Kashmir Valley attracted a record of million tourists annually between 2011-and 2014.

In 2015, 9,27,820 tourists visited the Valley and numbers have been declining since.

However, there are several attempts to make cheap tourists packages for Jammu and Kashmir and J&K tourism department data reports over 3.5 lakh tourists have visited Kashmir in the last three months. This number is expected to go up in the coming months.

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