new Delhi: The Lok Sabha on Monday passed a total budget of Rs 1.42 lakh crore for Jammu and Kashmir for 2022-23, with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman accusing the Congress of a war of words between the Treasury and opposition benches over the exodus of Hindus from the Valley. In the middle of leaving the minority community in the state in limbo.
During the discussion on the budget, Congress, TMC and other parties alleged that the government has not been able to achieve the objectives set by abrogating Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir and demanded early restoration of the state.
Opposition parties also accused the government of not doing enough for the displaced Kashmiri Pandits, an issue that has again gained political currency after the release of the exodus-based film Kashmir Files.
Responding to the discussion, Sitharaman attacked the Congress over a series of tweets issued by the Kerala unit related to Kashmiri Pandits who were displaced from the Valley following the outbreak of militancy in the 1990s.
In a tweet by the Congress on Sunday with the hashtag #KashmirFiles vs true, Sitharaman said that Kashmiri Pandits left the Valley on their own, not because they were forced.
“Our party (Congress) believes that it was not because of terrorism, but this movement was because of the greed of offering financial benefits and land in Delhi… Another belief is that the separatists and standing for India There is a long battle between those who are going to be,” she quoted the tweets as saying.
He also said that the Congress was an ally of the government at the time of the exodus and the then chief minister left people to fend for himself when militancy was on the rise.
He alleged that under Congress rule the then prime minister met a separatist who had allegedly killed an Air Force officer and later admitted it to a foreign TV channel.
MPs from Congress, NCP, TMC and National Conference staged a walkout from the Lok Sabha to protest the minister’s remarks after the Speaker did not allow the opposition members to intervene.
The House passed a total budget of Rs 1.42 lakh crore for Jammu and Kashmir and also passed supplementary demands for grants seeking additional expenditure of Rs 18,860.32 crore for the Union Territory.
Sitharaman said normalcy has been achieved after the abrogation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, whereas earlier it was “fake normalcy”.
In August 2019, the government abrogated several provisions of Article 370, resulting in the end of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir. With this, the state of Jammu and Kashmir was bifurcated into two union territories – Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
“Jammu and Kashmir was not normal under Article 370… there was fake normalcy before the abrogation of Article 370… there is no fake normalcy after its abrogation,” he said.
Sitharaman said that after the abrogation of Article 370, 890 central laws came into force in Jammu and Kashmir.
“It was necessary to remove Article 370, it was delayed… We have fulfilled the promise made to the people of Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.
The entry through the back door has been closed and there is transparency in appointments, he said, adding that the system is getting better day by day.
The government is committed to the development of Jammu and Kashmir and several steps have been taken for the homecoming of Kashmiri Pandits.
He assured the House that the government would fulfill the promises made regarding the rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits.
Looking at the numbers, she said, the government has built 1025 transit houses, while around 1,500 are in the process of construction.
The Minister said that 40,000 projects were completed in 2021-22 in J&K and connectivity is improving in the Union Territory.
The Union Territory has seen a 90 per cent reduction in ceasefire as it has come down from 900 in 2020 to 98 in 2021, he said, adding that terrorism has been contained and infiltration has declined significantly.
Regarding investments, he said, an investor-friendly J&K campaign has paid off.
“Investment proposals worth Rs 44,177 crore have already been received. Out of this, the employment potential is 1.80 lakh. Most of the investment proposals are from outside,” he said.
He said that capital expenditure has increased in all sectors.
He said that between October (2021) and January (2022), a record 50 lakh tourists visited Jammu and Kashmir.
The Finance Minister said that the 2022-23 budget for Jammu and Kashmir is again over Rs 1 lakh crore, which is an indicator of the commitment to make Jammu and Kashmir a model of development.
It is an inclusive budget and will focus on all sectors, he said, adding that the government of J&K will try to double the income of farmers.
He said that the investment proposal under the new industrial policy would be approved on a fast track basis and the power generation capacity is being doubled in the next three years.