New Delhi: Stressing that life has returned to normalcy after three decades of turmoil, democratically-made constitutional changes through major steps taken to strengthen grassroots democracy have helped the new Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir metamorphose from a trouble- prone area.
The earlier practice of daily hartals, strikes, stone pelting and bandhs are things of the past now. For the first time in its history, a duly elected three-tier panchayati raj system has been established in Jammu and Kashmir.
Elections for the members of the District Development Councils were held in Jammu and Kashmir in November-December 2020.
It is submitted that since 2019, the entire region has witnessed an unprecedented era of peace, progress and prosperity.
The Centre on Monday informed the Supreme Court -- opposing petitions challenging the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir – that since 2019, the entire region has witnessed an unprecedented era of peace, progress and prosperity, and the “organised stone pelting incidences connected with terrorism-separatist agenda, which were as high as 1,767 in 2018 has come down to zero in 2023 till date”.
In a counter affidavit filed in the Supreme Court, the Ministry of Home Affairs submitted that the street violence, engineered and orchestrated by terrorists and secessionist networks has now become a thing of the past.
“The organised stone pelting incidences connected with terrorism-separatist agenda, which were as high as 1,767 in 2018 has come down to zero in 2023 till date. In 2018, there were 52 incidences of organised bandh/hartal, which has come down to zero in 2023 till date. In addition, resolute anti-terror actions have resulted in dismantling of the terror ecosystem which is reflected in a significant drop in terrorist recruitment from 199 in 2018 to 12 in 2023 till date," said the affidavit.
The Centre stressed that it has adopted a policy of zero tolerance against terrorism and after constitutional changes, the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir has improved significantly.
The affidavit added that terrorist-initiated instances have been brought down by 45.2 per cent – from 228 in 2018 to 125 in 2022 – and net infiltration has reduced by 90.2 per cent, and also law and order events have come down significantly by 97.2 per cent – 1,767 in 2018 to 50 in 2022, and also security forces' casualties have come down from 91 in 2018 to 31 in 2022.
The Centre said after the historic changes, the region has witnessed “profound ameliorative, affirmative, and progressive changes in the last four years encompassing its entire governance – including the developmental activities, public administration and security matters".
The affidavit said since 2019, the entire region has witnessed an unprecedented era of peace, progress and prosperity and “it is submitted that life has returned to normalcy in the region after over three decades of turmoil”.
“It is submitted that schools, colleges, universities, hospitals and other public institutions are functioning efficiently without any strikes or any kind of disturbances during the last three years. The earlier practice of daily hartals, strikes, stone pelting and bandhs are things of the past now," it added.
The Centre emphasised that with the application of all the provisions of the Constitution, all residents of the region are enjoying all rights which are available to all citizens in other parts of the country.
The apex court is scheduled to take up the batch of pleas challenging the abrogation of Article 370 on Tuesday.
—IANS
.jpg "Life Has Returned To Normalcy In J&K, MHA Informs SC")
.jpg "Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai Offers Prayers to Lord Jagannath at Kunkuri, Seeks Blessings for Chhattisgarh’s Prosperity and Welfare")
.jpg "Jashpur’s Young Climbers Conquer the Himalayas: Scaling 5,350 Meters With Grit and Grace")
.jpg "Lormi Resident Benefits from PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, Embraces Rooftop Solar Power")
.jpg "Centre approves ₹3,462 crore to Chhattisgarh under Tax Devolution")
.jpg "RBI’s New Guideline on 500 Rupees Note, Know the Complete Information")
.jpg "Preparations in Full Swing for First-Ever All India Speakers’ Conference in Delhi: Gupta")
.jpg "Over 22,000 Visitors Flock to Chhattisgarh Pavilion on Opening Day at World Expo 2025, Osaka (Japan)")
.jpg "Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi meets PM Modi in Delhi")
.jpg "“HAQ” Trailer Sparks Applause — Emraan Hashmi & Yami Gautam’s Bold Courtroom Drama Wins the Internet!")
.jpg "India will host the first Blind Women's T20 World Cup in 2025")
.png "Imane Khelif to take legal action against reports claiming she is a man, says IOC")
.png "\"Jasprit Bumrah makes a strong statement: 'The series will not be one-sided'\"")
.jpg "Walnuts: A treasure trove of health, a gift full of nutrition")
.png "Walking Pneumonia On The Rise As Delhi's Toxic Air Quality Know All About This Respiratory Condition")
.png "Drinking Clove water on an empty stomach in the morning can protect you from THESE diseases this winter")
.jpg "Gold prices fall, silver also becomes cheaper")
.png "Ola Electric cuts 500 jobs across verticals")
.png "\"Hindenburg report reduces market value of Adani companies by Rs 7 lakh crore\"")
.png "New Telecom Cyber Security Rules Notified, Govt Can Now Access Traffic Data, But Not Message Content Details")
.png "Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus, Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Appear On BIS, India Launch Might Happen Soon")
