Jammu: While New Delhi allotted Rs 1 lakh crore budget annually to Jammu and Kashmir, it generates revenue less than Rs 10,000 crore annually thus making it dependent on centre funds for the development.
As per the official figures accessed by news agency Kashmir Indepth News Service (KINS), the annual budget in J&K has exceeded Rs 1 lakh crore, while it generates revenue of around Rs 10,000 crore annually. The rest Rs 90,000 crore is allotted by New Delhi to keep the development ticking in Kashmir. Similarly, the GSDP of Kashmir was 19 billion dollar and GSDP rate 8.2 % against Pakistan administered Kashmir (PaK) 7 billion dollar and 4.7 %, respectively.
“Government in Pakistan has been allotting Rs 13,000 crore to feed a population of 4.5 million in PaK. The comparison on infrastructure development projects is even more surprising wherein India had spent Rs 6724 Cr in 2019 in J&K against mere Rs 1028 Cr in PaK,” the figures reveal.
The focused development on infrastructure in J&K completely routs PaK where 4 airports and 28 railway stations exists in J&K against 02 non-functional airports and non-existence of railways in PaK, it says.
The per capita income in J&K as per the figures stands tall with a fig of $1200 in comparison with PaK’s $525.
“The poverty rate in PaK stands at 34% with the unemployment rate being 18.1% as compared to a poverty rate of 10.35% in J&K and an unemployment rate of 12.13%. Pak government has spent only Rs 135 Cr in 2019 on education against Rs 1100 Cr by Indian government in J&K”, the figures reveal.
Even the figures of universities and educational institutes in J&K is overwhelming with 183 universities and colleges including 18 medical colleges in comparison to only 8 such institutes in PaK including 3 medical colleges. The spending on health care system has been alarming where Indian government has spent Rs 3,000 Cr in J&K in 2019 against a mere spending of Rs 29 Cr in PaK, it says.
Some of the engineering marvels like the Chenahi Nashri tunnel, the upcoming tallest bridge in the world on Chenab river, the under construction Zojilla tunnel, the ensuing ring road in Srinagar and other parts, the ongoing work on an all weather tunnel liking Jammu with Srinagar are some of the massive infra projects.
This enforced closure of business establishment and disruption of normal life, unfortunately, made Kashmir an unsafe haven for private investments. “Compared to such an unfavourable environment for promoting business activities (in Kashmir), PaK and GB should have been way ahead of Jammu and Kashmir in economic and infrastructural development. But, what is transparent on the ground is a melancholic state of affairs with economy running on pittance and infrastructure lying in tatters,” it says.
“On the other side, take the handling of the ongoing crises of Covid-19 by J&K administration and its counterparts in PaK. While J&K is among the best performing states in India in terms of testing and provision of better healthcare, people in PaK have been forced into uncertain times.” (KINS)