A New Beginning
| Date :15-Sep-2019 |
By ANSHUMAN BHARGAVA :
“We all can come to some use in whatever small way if we have the right prodding and the conducive ecosystem to leverage our skills for social regeneration in Jammu and Kashmir.”
“Through various ups and downs, the prospects of Kashmir are finally looking up once more. Tourists are returning by and by and better policing and administrative measures have lessened the heat, making the atmosphere more conducive for safe travel.”
A TOP Jammu and Kashmir Government official has asked representatives from various sectors to explore business opportunities in the State which will become a Union Territory in October-end. Mahmood Ahmad Shah, Director (Industries & Commerce), is tapping various sectors for investments in Jammu and Kashmir post scrapping of provisions of Article 370 that gave special status to the border State. “We are having an investor summit in November in Srinagar and in order to build the momentum, we are talking to various sectors.
“To begin with, we started it from Pune and today met office-bearers of the Mahratta Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture (MCCIA),” he said. “We are welcoming people who can come and establish hospitals, medical facilities...educational institutes as that can open up employment opportunities as well as quality education for local students,” he said. Shah said they were trying to find out how to go about it and what kind of help they could get from Pune.
“We will get here some industry players from our region and see what kind of opportunities we can explore together,” the official added. Asked about the current scenario in J&K post the Centre’s moves on Articles 370 and 35A, he said the situation in the Valley was improving fast. Private Public Partnership is the order of the day because it is simple economics that the Government cannot share all the economic burden of development. The private sector has the money and other logistics resources which it can and should utilise for flagship development programmes of the Government.
The Government needs to have greater co-ordination and chemistry with the corporate for a sustainable model of development where both play their roles honestly and efficiently to raise superstructures of logistics and services. Nation-building is a collective responsibility where we all have some role to play. Apart from calling private players on board, the Government should also promote individual efforts and engage more with NGOs and other small private organisations or individual groups eager and/or are working towards social uplift at their level.
If they get Government support, the grassroots will get strengthened. We all can come to some use in whatever small way if we have the right prodding and the conducive ecosystem to leverage our skills for social regeneration in Kashmir. It is very important to have a strong social base, without which, no development model will be sustainable and inclusive. Each region of Jammu and Kashmir has a rich cultural heritage and scenic beauty which charms tourists from across the world. These places of beauty must be productively exploited and for this the right planning and implementation of tourist-friendly projects are essential.
Through various ups and downs, the prospects of Kashmir are finally looking up once more. Tourists are returning by and by and better policing and administrative measures have lessened the heat, making the atmosphere more conducive for safe travel. The infrastructure has to be bolstered and a feeling of lasting peace has to be ensured to instill confidence in the visitor, especially given the scary image it has acquired over time due to the Pakistani mischief in the region. Tourism is an important tool of peace and prosperity anywhere and for J&K it is all the more special because of the socio-political scenario of the State. Tourism generates a positive environment and enhanced people’s movement leads to greater exposure of the people to the outer world, which engenders hope and positivity.
Tourism is an important tool to integrate the alienated youth of Jammu and Kashmir to the mainstream discourse. When there are constructive engagements and sources of income, the positive side of life is held up that will make it difficult for terror groups to brainstorm the youth and wean them away to their side. The Government of India needs to locate newer avenues for the youth to be engaged in. This is the only way to defeat the intentions of Pakistan and its terror groups.
The youth of the State are tired and desperate to find a footing that takes them away from the jaded narrative of jihad and bloodbath. Most of them have realised that like Naxalism, Jihad is also a false dream which is only a dark abyss leading to nothing. This is only a way for Pakistan to keep itself relevant in the global pecking order. They need recruits to keep their machine oiled and the gullible youth of Kashmir are made the scapegoats. This can only end when India offers better deals to them and makes them feel they are invaluable citizens of India whom the country needs. Only when they feel one with the country and see themselves as real participants in the development story of India that they will shun the path of violence and disassociate from the Pakistani factions that misguide them. The ecosystem has to be nurtured here which has been destroyed by years of war. If Kashmir shines, it is India’s pride and prosperity. If we lose it to the political quagmire, we lose a precious jewel of the country. We have to retrieve it from that sticky situation and show it the light of the world it deserves. The Kashmiri youth need jobs, they need creative outlets, they need businesses and skills and education and better privileges of life. Most Governments never took on the issues head-on and development always played the second fiddle to high rhetoric.
Most projects in Kashmir initiated three decades back are still hanging fire due to the lack of political will. Shifting goalposts, peace offers hedged around with riders, broken promises, misplaced priorities, corruption, political mudslinging, and lack of a clear roadmap have often marred the possibilities Kashmir offered. It is only in the last 5-6 years that we have seen a renewed focus on Kashmir. It is only in the last 5-6 years that we have seen adequate Government interest and involvement in improving the fate of Kashmir. Several stalled projects in limbo for decades were re-started and completed. Rail and road connectivity has been strengthened like never before and so have power and digital connectivity. This has done a world of good to the Kashmiri youth who are witnessing the changes on the ground. They are finding more opportunities to earn and have a better life and greater exposure to better facilities of education and healthcare which are making them more aligned with India. They are coming to realise that their interests and India’s interests are not at cross purposes. They are realising that joining militancy is akin to bringing ruin to themselves.
They are realising that violence has yielded nothing in the last four decades and joining the mainstream is more rewarding than the other life. India must take advantage of these winds of change. Kashmir needs more presence in mainland India—in different spheres of professional and creative life. To integrate them more completely is the best antidote against terrorism. By the way, positive growth and economic security are the greatest ways to reconstruct a broken discourse. There is no greater power than empowering people – through education and economic security. This is a slow process but perhaps the only process that can change the scenario in the Valley.