AR Bhat
Jammu & Kashmir is a union territory of India that has distinct & peculiar cultural ethos of its own. It shares the international boundary with Pakistan & China. It is enriched with the heavenly beauty of snow-clad mtns, large natural lakes, forests, rivers & springs. The UT is divided into 20 districts for the ease of administration & security. Many inspiring stories have been put up as storyline from the valley of Kashmir, in sports, civil services, cosmetics & many more. The Kashmir we know & the Kashmir we see when we finally get on ground ourselves are two different scenarios. Today 26% of Kashmir is having four-wheeler, average houses in Kashmir are much better than many of the people who comes from upper middle class in other states. It is not that it is economically backward or people here are real poor, It’s the case of infrastructural development in various areas of Kashmir which needs our special attention by some strategies & looking deep in these areas there is an assurance of exponential growth in the region.
The slow growth of the state of Jammu & Kashmir can be attributed to various factors. The climate of armed militancy in Kashmir during the past few decades has been a major factor. Low productivity in agriculture & allied sectors has impeded employment & income generation. Poor industrial infrastructure along with the poor investment climate has left the industrial sector in its infant stage.There has not been a suitable strategy for the potential sectors to achieve higher economic growth. Lack of good governance & sound fiscal mgt has also been responsibility for the poor economic growth of the state. Agriculture, the predominant sector of the economy of Jammu & Kashmir, supports about 80 percent of its population. Rice is the chief crop of Kashmir zone, followed by maize, barley & wheat. Jammu region dominates both in maize & wheat prod. The prod of three imp food crops, namely, rice, maize & wheat, contributes a major portion of the food grain in the state & accounts for 84 percent of the total cropped area; the balance 16 percent is shared by inferior cereals & pulses. Nearly 75 per cent of the country’s temperate fruits, mainly apples, are grown in the state.
Considering the growth prospects of this sector, the state govt should plan for higher prod & productivity of each major cereal in order to achieve an annual agricultural growth rate of 3-4 percent. The state should shift its agriculture development strategy from food security mode to the value additional mode by growing certain products like high value fruits, vegetables & some cash crops which can give good returns to the cultivators. There is good scope for the prod of high value, low volume crops like saffron, black zeera & other spices especially inKashmir region. Regular availability of agricultural inputs such as seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, credit etc. should be ensured. The example of Punjab, which has launched a massive crop diversification plan the same needs to be implement. Sericulture is the traditional occupation for a large section of the population in Jammu & Kashmir. It is estimated as per the Kashmir development report that 25.28 thousand families were engaged in the extraction of silk fibre in 1999-2000.
It is discouraging that the silk industry, which has seen a glorious past is on a decline. Superior varieties of disease-resistant silk worm species suitable to local conditions should be evolved to boost silk prod. As the development report of the region says, the state govt should provide the infrastructure to the private investor. As multi-crop cultivation of mulberry is not possible, the state govt should encourage the farmers to plant mulberry trees on the edges of their rice fields & orchards on a large scale. Integrating mulberry cultivation with farm & horticulture activity can provide more income & employment to the rural agricultural labor force. Jammu & Kashmir is an industrially backward state without a strong industrial base. However, the development reports have made us clear about the fact that many small & medium-scale Industries have come up both in the traditional & new areas in the state. With the government’s support in the form of loans & incentives to set up industrial units, their number has increased. Mineral deposits available in the state are bauxite, lime stone, sapphire, gypsum, coal & marble, most being located in border areas & in difficult terrain.
Roadways are the only means of transportation since railways are not well developed in the state. Therefore it cannot compete with other states due to high transportation cost. The fragile ecology of the state also inhibits the setting up of large industries based on minerals. The importance of the fisheries sector has also been highlighted as a major food source & also a means of attraction for tourists. As an imp activity allied to agriculture, it strengthens the productive base of agricultural economy & generates self-employment. Private enterprise should be encouraged for marketing of fish & the possibility of selling fish in neighboring districts of Punjab should be explored. Infrastructure support by way of purchase of refrigerated containers or vehicles & working capital, should be extended to the private sector. Organizational fishing festivals or tournaments could attract fishing enthusiasts from the rest of India & abroad.
A comprehensive & analytical review of existing industrial estates in the state is required so that reasons for the failure or non-performance of units located in the industrial estates can be ascertained & corrective action taken. Sector-specific strategies should be adopted to promote industries in Jammu & Kashmir keeping in mind the climate, accessibility, raw material availability, human resources & consumption pattern. To encourage investments in the state, Government should play a lead role to build up the confidence of the private investors. Common Facilities Centers should be provided to the industrial units set up in the estates. Better infrastructure incl uninterrupted power supply & connectivity should be provided to the units. A dream of developed & peaceful heaven is no more a dream with the plans & ideas of development & the ideology of a new Kashmir where a person can proudly be a part of country, fully aware of his rights & hence be an informed citizen of the country. The change will start on the day we start making Kashmiri’s believe that they are Kashmir later but an Indian first. This motivation can take any industry or any field to its peak to see our nation’s flag setting high & make whole country proud.
As a territory with unique features & a strategically imp loc, the speedy development of Jammu & Kashmir needs an integrated approach. A sound policy should be devised to exploitthe potential in the sectors of strength. The development of potential sectors such as horticulture, handloom & handicrafts, biotechnology, tourism & information technology will have strong inter-linkages with the rest of the sectors. The top priority of the govt should be to create a secure environment by improving the law & order situation in the state. State finance should also receive proper attention in order to ensure better mgt & finally we can conclude that, sound policy & good governance can lead the union territory of Jammu & Kashmir to a faster development path.
