Jammu and Kashmir is a region bordered between India and Pakistan and has been in conflict since British rule. Both the nations claim the mountainous valley to be part of their respective nations and thus has been in an ever long political dispute (Ishfaq-ul-Hassan, 2018). For the longest time, Kashmir has been a victim of terrorism, unstable political situation and to top that, infrastructure has also been one of the major issues. The difficult terrain of Kashmir makes it especially challenging for construction and thus has been lagging when compared with most of the other states. Kashmir was for a long time, the princely state and the only Muslim majority state which joined India in 1947. Both India and Pakistan have thereon captured parts of Kashmir but are still in a tiff to have a bigger portion of the state.

An Overview of the Infrastructure Scenario of Kashmir

Infrastructure in Kashmir which includes health, education, tourism, industrial development has lagged for an exceptionally long time.  A survey of the Union Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation has shown that Jammu and Kashmir have the poorest sanitation facilities compared to the other states.  It is also important to note that the majority of the population still live in rural areas so the health and education infrastructure is not still as developed as it should be (Pandey, 2019). The rural areas lack private schools and the government schools are also in a bad state. Poor school infrastructure is one of the important reasons for the low literacy rate of the state. Several surveys conducted on the schooling facilities of Jammu and Kashmir have shown that due to lack of proper infrastructure, the students are made to sit on the floors, they do not have proper sanitation facilities in those schools etc. The buildings of the schools are in a worn-out state and on top of that, the 2014 floods in Jammu and Kashmir have damaged no less than 1400 schools (Digital, 2019). This leads to higher dropout rates in the state. Another important issue faced is that most of the schools do not have electricity. These infrastructural problems have been identified over the years and even though the government did put in efforts to resolve these issues, the condition of infrastructure in the state has not improved to a large extent.

As more and more tourists turn up each year, the pressure on the mountains is increasing at an alarming rate and poor infrastructure can cause unforeseen disasters if not taken care of immediately.

Why Article 370 Was a Cause of Concern?

According to Article 370 which was drafted by the then Chief Minister of Kashmir, other than a few areas of national concern like defence, foreign affairs, communication and finance, the central government had to take the consent of the state government to apply any laws or policies in Jammu and Kashmir. This article was made to be permanent and henceforth even more stringent. In simpler terms, the people of the state did not fall under the same rules as the rest of the country and lived by the rules of the state, hence given the status of special autonomy (Jaitley, 2016). This also gave the state’s government, the power to decide who could have ownership of land, or who could and could not invest in the land of Kashmir. This led to a huge problem as people who did not belong to Kashmir, could not officially buy land. This in turn meant that there weren’t any major external investments coming to Kashmir. The Modi government has linked Article 370 as one of the major reasons for the state’s infrastructure remaining underdeveloped for an awfully long period of time. In August 2019, Article 370 was finally abolished (TNN, 2019).

All of this has led to a rise in the need for a planned and vast investment boost in infrastructure in Kashmir to look forward to a better and safer future.

Huge Infrastructure Boost on the Way

The central government has aimed to bring a huge infrastructural boost to Jammu and Kashmir. The objective of this investment is to generate employment and investment in the state. Jammu and Kashmir was officially divided into two federally controlled territories on Oct 31, 2019. The region mostly depends on tourism, handicrafts and farming and has suffered poor infrastructure for decades continuously.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has agreed on an investment boost of $3.8 billion after scraping out article 370. This is done in the view of increasing investments in the territory and generating employment opportunities. 

Let us now look at the investment programs brought through this infrastructural boost:

1. There has been investment in an elevated Mass rapid transit system in Kashmir. Kashmir will have two Light Rail transit systems (LRTS). The LRTS I is a 17 km long corridor that connects Bantalab to Greater Kailash with 17 stations to be crossed. The LRTS II will be 6 km long that connects Udheywala to Exhibition Ground (Digital, 2019).
2. There are infrastructure plans are Srinagar which will have two corridors. It is a 12.5-km-long corridor I which will connect HMT Junction to Indra Nagar crossing 12 stations. The second corridor is a 12.5-km-long corridor II that will connect Osmanabad to Hazuri Bagh. In order to further develop Srinagar and Jammu, the Metropolitan Regional Development Authorities (MRDAs) have been set up. Satellite townships with 50,000 new houses each are being developed in Greater Srinagar and Greater Jammu. These new townships will have one million sq ft IT parks (Digital, 2019).
3.  In view of improving connectivity, there have been investments to develop the Bilaspur-Manali-Leh railway line. The corridor will help improve connectivity with Jammu Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh. This railway line will be the world’s highest railway track and 465kms long. 52 per cent of the total 465 km length will pass through tunnels. The longest tunnel will be 27 km long. The total length of the tunnels is expected to be around 244 km (Digital, 2019).
4. The construction, operation and maintenance of 2-lane bi-directional Zojila Tunnel with Parallel Escape (Egress) Tunnel were approved during 2018 by the cabinet that excluded approaches on Srinagar-Leh section connecting NH-1A at Km 95.00 in Jammu & Kashmir. The 14 km-long tunnel will be India’s longest road tunnel and Asia’s longest bidirectional tunnel. This tunnel will be a sigh of engineering excellence considering the difficult terrain that it will be built on. The construction of this tunnel will provide all-weather connectivity between Srinagar, Kargil and Leh (Digital, 2019).
5. The Dal Lake will also be restored. The government has planned investment to improve and beautify the lake further. Srinagar and Kashmir are also set for new pollution free e-buses (Digital, 2019).

Possible Impact of the Infrastructure Boost on Kashmir’s Economy

The increase in public as well the private investment is looked forward to bringing a significant amount of income through Kashmir. The government is expecting to attract $5-6 million through these investment programs (ANI, 2020). As the Modi government was for long against the special status given to Kashmir, they now hope that the scraping out of Article 370 along with such a huge boost in the infrastructure will not only lead to a better life for the natives of Kashmir but will also help generate income to a very large extent.

The boost in infrastructure will lead to improvements in the tourism sector to a large extent. The tourism sector is one of the most important sectors of Kashmir. As every year, the number of tourists only rise, the infrastructure must be able to support the rising strengths, along with protecting the mountains and the ecology of the place (Vignesh Radhakrishnan, 2019).

The railway lines and corridors approved for construction will lead to better connectivity among the places which has been a major problem for a very long time. These large constructions were due for a long time and a properly planned and executed infrastructural project can generate employment as well as income for the long term.

The geographically difficult terrain makes it even more important focus on the infrastructure of the place for it being able to operate at its optimum capacity. The natives of Kashmir have been in distress for almost all their lives along with the fear of terrorism at any given time (IBEF, 2020). The beautiful landscape has a lot of potential for generating income and employment for its people. And this huge infrastructural boost will hopefully help in attaining that potential along with maintaining an adequate ecological balance.

Conclusion

The debate on stabilizing the economy of Kashmir has been a highlight for decades now. However, with this infrastructural boost on the way and the projects taken up by the government, there seems to be some light at the end of years of the dark tunnel.

Bibliography

Infrastructure boost for Kashmir! From highest railway line to longest tunnel, check upcoming projects. (2019). Times Now.

Ishfaq-ul-Hassan. (2018, January 23). Jammu and Kashmir: Infrastructure development gets massive boost; funds for new bridges, tunnels, highways earmarked. Retrieved from DNA: https://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-jammu-and-kashmir-infrastructure-development-gets-massive-boost-funds-for-new-bridges-tunnels-highways-earmarked-2577795

Digital, E. N. (2019, June 15). Infrastructure boost for Kashmir! From highest railway line to longest tunnel, check upcoming projects. Retrieved from ETNOWNEWS.COM: https://www.timesnownews.com/business-economy/industry/article/infrastructure-boost-for-kashmir-from-highest-railway-line-to-longest-tunnel-check-upcoming-projects/436943

Jaitley, A. (2016, 26 June). India needs $1.5 trillion for infrastructure development: Arun Jaitley. Retrieved from ZeeNews: https://zeenews.india.com/business/news/economy/india-needs-1-5-trillion-for-infrastructure-development-arun-jaitley_1900273.html

ANI. (2020, August 2). Kashmir gets infrastructure boost in higher education sector. Retrieved from yahoo!news: https://in.news.yahoo.com/kashmir-gets-infrastructure-boost-higher-043022239.html

Vignesh Radhakrishnan, S. S. (2019, August 7 ). Is Jammu and Kashmir underdeveloped as stated by Amit Shah? Retrieved from The Hindu : https://www.thehindu.com/data/where-does-jammu-and-kashmir-stand-in-comparison-to-other-states-in-key-indicators-of-growth-and-development/article28855512.ece

IBEF. (2020, November 17 ). Jammu And Kashmir Presentation And Economic Growth Report | IBEF. Retrieved from India Brand Equity Foundation : https://www.ibef.org/states/jammu-and-kashmir-presentation

Pandey, G. (2019, August 5). Article 370: What happened with Kashmir and why it matters. Retrieved from BBC News : https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-49234708

TNN. (2019, August 3). What is Article 370? Three Key Points . Retrieved from The Times of India : https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/What-is-Article-370Article-370/articleshow/35678708.cms

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THE MUSLIM WOMEN (PROTECTION OF RIGHTS ON MARRIAGE) BILL or TRIPLE TALAQ BILL

Muslim women celebrate the passing of Triple Talaq Bill from Lok Sabha

Going by the chronological order, the first bill that caught the attention of the public eye was the Muslim women bill, which criminalized the act of triple talaq as a mean of divorce by a Muslim man. The Supreme Court pronounced Triple Talaq to be unconstitutional and following suit, the Indian government made Triple Talaq a crime, where if a Muslim man pronounced a divorce in form of triple talaq through a verbal or written contact, he would be imprisoned for a time going up to three years along with a fine. Further, the custody of a minor child from the marriage would go to the mother and the man would have to provide allowance as declared by the magistrate. Like any act, this one also had two sides in which the government proclaimed this act to be protecting the basic fundamental rights of Muslim women and saw it is a method of women empowerment and community inclusion. On the other hand, criticism came from various opposition members as well as legal experts. The most common argument was made of taking a civil dispute i.e. marriage or divorce and mixing it up with criminal intent by creating a cause for imprisonment. They also claimed that imprisoning the Muslim man would only make things more difficult for the wife and therefore, a civil arrangement had to be prepared to tackle the issue. In this case, Shashi Tharoor in his claims in Lok Sabha perfectly encapsulates his opposition to the bill when he says,

“The bill conflates civil law and criminal law by criminalizing the Triple Talaq which is an ‘irregular’ form of divorce, already declared null and void in our country post the Supreme Court’s decision on the Shayara Bano v Union of India case.”

Despite the criticism, the bill was passed on 25th and 30th July by Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha respectively and as of now, it stands in retrospective effect from 19 September 2018.

THE JAMMU AND KASHMIR (REORGANISATION) BILL or THE REVOCATION OF ARTICLE 370

New map of Jammu and Kashmir releaseed by Government of India

After the Triple talaq bill, came the reorganization of Jammu and Kashmir act which was done via the revocation of article 370 and 35A from the Indian constitution. The move was considered to be a prime objective of the BJP government and the same was done on 5th August 2019 when a presidential resolution to scrap the articles was moved by Amit Shah and a bill which reorganized the state of Jammu-Kashmir was introduced. The act became effective from 31st October 2019 and is seen as a rather poorly implemented move. The background to the Kashmir issue is well known among the general Indian population but still, some may not have the best idea of article 370. The basic elements included a special status to the state wherein, it had its constitution and administrative autonomy. More importantly, citizens from the rest of India could not purchase land or property in the state. Just before the bill was introduced, Kashmir had been in a state of lockdown under section 144 preventing civil assemblies. All this happened under President’s rule which had been there since 20 June 2018. What caused an uproar, was the house arrest of major politicians of the state like Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti. A large number of paramilitary troops were deployed citing terrorist threat. It was this air of tension that worsened the distrust between the Kashmiris and the central government. Going to what exactly has changed with this bill; one has to look at the statutory provisions. The act creates two new union territories i.e., Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. Jammu & Kashmir will have its legislative assembly, much like Delhi and Ladakh will be administered by a lieutenant governor. Leh and Kargil will also come under Ladakh.

Another important aspect is that foreign investment will be allowed along with the right of citizens outside of J&K to buy land will be created. Lastly, the laws passed by the central government will also apply to the two union territories. The central government defended this move by claiming that it will open up the economy of the region as the foreign investment will open up new educational and job opportunities. Further, the allowance to buy property will help boost the local real estate market. Nonetheless, there has been a lot of criticism against the move made by the BJP and more importantly, the way it has been implemented. The criticism has not only come from within the country but outside as well. Pakistan has been vocal about the lack of respect towards international law and other countries have also raised concern. Former J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah calls it an ‘insult being heaped on an injury.’ The Kashmir lockdown, which was initially done under threat of terrorism, has been ongoing for more than a year. This lockdown was much more stringent initially where total media and communication blackout was installed but now the restrictions have been reduced, but the lockdown continues. More than 4000 have been arrested. In an opinion piece in the Washington Post, claims have been made that this is Modi 2.0 darkest moment, citing concern over the future of fundamental rights of Kashmiris. However, the Dalit immigrants and Kashmiri women got freedom from the stringent rules enforced on them as the former was not allowed to choose any job other than that of menial labour while latter would lose its Kashmiri status if she married anyone outside of Kashmir.

CITIZENSHIP AMENDMENT ACT (CAA)

Anti-CAA protests at Shaheen Bagh

Pakistani Hindus celebrating passage of CAA in Delhi

The act which caused one of the biggest student and national protest in recent Indian history, CAA was brought to create a crucial amendment in the citizenship laws of the country. To give a little background, one also needs to keep in mind NRC or the National Registry of Citizens. Even though NRC has been on the agenda for a long time, and even previous Prime Ministers have suggested having a proper registry of citizens but no sort of exclusion from the country of the citizens was suggested before. It was under Modi 2.0 that NRC is being seen as a threat to democracy. In NRC, one will have to prove in the form of document that one’s ancestor was presiding in India with the date of March 24, 1971, given as the final date. NRC has only been implemented in Assam and a lot of flaws have been seen but that is another issue as the rules for it were set under former PM Rajiv Gandhi and it was implemented under Supreme Court of India’s supervision. Amit Shah had previously claimed that NRC will be implemented throughout India. Coming back to CAA, in terms of its provisions, the key to understanding it is the simple fact that as per the new system, only Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi and Christian can get citizenship, for which they will have to prove religious persecution against their community in Pakistan, Bangladesh or Afghanistan. The government has defended the move by claiming that it protects the minority rights of those in neighbouring countries. The key exclusion here is that of Muslims as the said countries are theocratic states with Islam being their official religion. This caused a huge uproar which started in Assam but eventually protests moved to Delhi, where student clashes with the Delhi police reported in Jamia Milia Islamia University and JNU. Reports also came of police brutality against students who were not even protesting. The protests eventually moved to Delhi University and further solidarity protests came from all over the country including students from IITs, NLUs, IIMs and even foreign universities showing solidarity. Eventually, most of the states had some form of protest going on against the act, the most famous of which came up in Shaheen Bagh in Delhi where the community, lead by women had been protesting. Criticism which has even been identified internationally, by various countries and organizations with Office of the UN High commissioner for Human Rights is the most vocal.

Looking at the criticism, the finding is that when NRC and CAA are put together, if a Hindu loses citizenship due to exclusion from the registry, he/she can get back the citizenship under CAA and for that matter, anyone belonging to the religions state above, can gain their citizenship back, except Muslims. A Muslim who has been excluded from the NRC won’t have citizenship and will be transferred to a refugee camp which a few have compared to the Nazi concentration camp. This argument is made by the opposition whereas the government maintains that NRC and CAA are completely different and bringing them together is bending the law. The Modi 2.0 government also maintains that CAA is only for the refugees and not those who already live in India. Ex-Minister in Rajiv Gandhi’s cabinet and present Governor of Kerala, Dr Arif Mohammed Khan maintains that CAA and NRC are progressive moves and that violent protests are an act of terrorism. The COVID pandemic has slowed down the protests and it seems that the government will be able to properly implement it. The Supreme Court has also refused to put a stay on the matter.

CONCLUSION

To say that the Modi 2.0 has been bold would be an understatement. Just looking at these acts, one can see how the BJP government wants to embed its ideology within India and it has been successful so far. A lot of other things like the construction of Ram Mandir, the RTI act, handling of the COVID crisis are discussions in themselves. The idea of this article solely was to bring to light the facts regarding the three of Modi 2.0 government’s most controversial acts. What one can do at this point is to try to form their own opinions and conclusions after knowing all the facts and try to understand what the next four years have to offer.

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