Anil Gupta

Jammu & Kashmir has always been a deprived State. It requires a leader to take the march towards progress

Jammu & Kashmir is on the verge of writing a new chapter in its chequered history. Since the past 60 years, people have been a victim of gross corruption, poor governance and colossal financial mismanagement. Political parties and their leaders have played with the sentiments of citizens by misleading them with emotive issues. Wealth is confined to a few influential and political families. Basic necessities are non-existent for the common man.

The net result is that the political class of the State is the richest. Jammu & Kashmir is known as one of the most corrupt States in the country. It is one of the most underdeveloped States, leaving behind even the tribal States. It cannot boast of 100 per cent literacy even after 60 years of democratic rule. Basic infrastructure like road, transport, energy and communications are one of the worst. There is nothing much to show in the field of social infrastructure like education, healthcare, childcare, social security etc.

This is despite the fact that the State gets massive grants and funds from the Union Government. The reasons are also well known. Rampant corruption, lack of accountability, poor planning, absence of good governance, nexus between the politicians and politico-bureaucratic-criminals. All can be summed up as the few obvious reasons. In a nutshell, despite having been flooded with funds by successive Central Governments, the Gross Happiness Index in Jammu & Kashmir is much below the desired level.

Jammu & Kashmir is a heterogeneous State and is aptly described as a ‘bouquet of flowers’. It has three different regions with different needs and necessities due to their geographic location and layout. Despite the justified allegations of regional discrimination, all the three regions are unanimous in their demand for development. The people of all the three regions aspire for a better living and improved job opportunities.

In this era of virtual world led by electronic and social media with its wide reach, they tend to compare their plight with the rest of their countrymen. They feel highly dejected and disappointed. If you ask a young man in the street what would he prefer: A job or ‘self-rule', his prompt reply will be,“job”. Similarly, if parents are given a choice between ‘greater autonomy' and opening of industries that could provide employment opportunities to their children, they would respond in unison for the latter. It has dawned upon all that the panacea of their ills is development.

A vast majority of people living in remote and far flung villages have been deprived of the basic necessities of life. People have to walk miles to reach to the nearest road head; during monsoons or during severe winters in mountainous regions, they remain cut-off for days together; their children have to move to urban areas for education; the sick are not able to get immediate medical treatment; drinking water is a luxury and electricity continues to play hide and seek. Urban dwellers are a bit lucky, but the basic necessities and civic amenities in the towns are woefully inadequate due to unplanned growth. Public transport system is either obsolete or non-existent, and State and national highways have become virtual death traps resulting in numerous accidents daily. The drainage system is also the victim of neglect and apathy. Basic cleanliness is lacking. Environmental degradation and rampant cutting of forests have made the ecosystem very fragile. The threat of natural disaster one after the other looms large. In a nutshell, the citizens have been subjected to a rule of the jungle rather than the rule of law expected from elected Governments.

The common man is in a state of despair and awaiting a miracle to happen to uplift his spirits. Can this miracle happen? The need of the hour is a holistic development and inclusive growth of all the three regions of the State. Regional aspirations need to be kept in mind along with the physical assets and constraints. People need to be made part of the development story or to say that it ought to be a people's movement. It is easier said than done.

An insecure environment is detrimental to development. Borders have to be made secure to prevent our unfriendly neighbours to interfere in our march towards prosperity. There are a few inherent economic disadvantages that discourage rapid development in the State. According to the Rangarajan Commission Report of 2006; remoteness, poor connectivity, hilly and often inhospitable terrain, vulnerability to natural disasters, a week resource base, poor infrastructure, sparse population and shallow markets are the main economic disadvantages of the State.

The commission in its report also commented on the complacent attitude of successive Governments. It stated, “Excessive and prolonged dependence on central assistance led to a complacent attitude towards resource generation, fiscal responsibility and accountability for results.”

The need, therefore, is to identify a developmental model that can negate these economic disadvantages, change the bureaucratic outlook and encourage private investment. We should, therefore, aim at generating economic activity within the State and mainstreaming the state into national and global economy. Priority needs to be given to sectors like tourism, basic and social infrastructure and industrialisation. The private sector has to be encouraged. We need to choose the people who can do all this.

(The author is a Jammu-based political commentator and security and strategic analyst)

Courtesy: Pioneer:  Anil Gupta Friday, 05 December 2014