Abrogation of Article 370: 3 years later, What has changed in Jammu & Kashmir?

By: Yash Gupte

5th August 2019 was a landmark date in the history of India when the centre revoked the special status provided to the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Article 370 provided special status to the state – empowering it to have a separate flag, separate constitution and the autonomy in the internal administration of the state.

5^th August 2019 was a landmark date in the history of India when the centre revoked the special status provided to the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Article 370 provided special status to the state – empowering it to have a separate flag, separate constitution and the autonomy in the internal administration of the state. No law which has been passed by the Parliament of India was applicable to the state without the approval of the legislative assembly. Article 35A defined the permanent residents of the state and all the provisions related to them. The demand of abrogation of Article 370 and 35A was finally met on 5^th August 2019.

In its election manifesto of 2014, the ruling BJP had mentioned of abrogating the article 370 and 35A but the promise was fulfilled only after the 2019 elections which the BJP won with a bigger mandate. The opposition parties were very critical of the move to abrogate the special status of the state as they observed that the article 370 is a bridge between Jammu & Kashmir and the Union of India whereas on the other hand the ruling BJP argued that the article has only proved as a hindrance in the development of the state and has alienated the Kashmiris from India.

The data from different sources shows that the region is on the path of development ever since the abrogation of Article 370. The union territory has witnessed fall in terror related incidents and acceleration in the process of development and effective implementation of the government schemes.

Source: Ministry of Home Affiars, Government of India

The incidents of killing, except for the year 2020, have been decreasing. Less number of civilians and security forces have been killed after the abrogation of special status. This shows that the Kashmir Valley which was the epicenter of violence and insurgency since 1990s is moving towards normalcy. 2020 saw an increase in the deaths of militants as compared to previous years. Many experts have observed that after the curfew (which was imposed in 2019) was lifted in 2020, there were immediate and spontaneous reactions from the terrorist organizations like Hizbul mujahedeen and Lashkar-e-Taiba. But due to the effective functioning of the law and order machinery in the state and effective counter-terrorism operations conducted by the security forces, the incidents of killing and terrorist activities have been on a decline.

One of the significant changes brought post 2019 is the application of 890 central laws, repeal of 205 state laws and modification of 129 laws which has extended the protection of law to the people of the region. The rights of marginalized groups, such as Scheduled Tribes, traditional forest inhabitants, and Scheduled Castes, are now protected by the application of pertinent Acts, which is the other major development.

The Qazigund-Banihal tunnel section of the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway was completed post-2019, reducing travelling time by six-and-a-half hours. The average macadamization of roads that stood at 6.54 km per day before 2019 have been increased to 20.68 km a day as per the data given by government. Since 2019, the government has been able to build 2,127 km of PMGSY roads annually, up from the 1,622 km built under the programme each year prior to 2019.

These were some of the major developmental activities undertaken after the abrogation of Article 370.