KASHMIR SITUATION:
Steps taken by Jammu & Kashmir Administration since 06 August to normalize the situation:
Essential supplies, including 24×7 electricity, water supply, healthcare and sanitation are being ensured.
Enough stock of all essential items, food items and baby foods are available in Jammu & Kashmir and is routinely replenished. There is no shortage of cooking gas. Stocks for 3 weeks are available. With winter approaching, as in the past, more than 200 winter stock centres have been established and stocked with essential items.
Hospitals and medical facilities are functioning normally. There is no shortage of medicines. More than 90% of the wholesale and retail pharmacy are open and fully stocked. 6 weeks reserve of all medicines available in all Government hospitals.
No case of over-pricing of medicines.
All health care facilities are operating and health care professionals are on duty. 1437 hospitals and health centres are fully functional in Jammu. In Kashmir, 10 district hospitals, 33 sub-district hospitals, 222 primary health centres, 604 health sub-centres and 158 new type Primary Health Centres are open and providing health service to the population. To further enhance healthcare, recruitment of 800 additional doctors has been approved.
Government Medical College (GMC) in Kathua was inaugurated on 14.09.2019. On the same day, construction work began for an additional 200-bed hospital for GMC Kathua. Government has announced a new medical college in Leh. Administration in Budgam released USD 15,000 on 25.09.2019 for improvement of health infrastructure at district hospital Budgam.
Banking and ATM facilities operating normally and cash is regularly loaded so that public do not face any difficulty. More than 15 Million USD equivalent Indian Rupees had been disbursed through J&K Bank ATMs alone during the last three week of August 2019. (Doesn't include ATMs of other banks)
No movement restriction in Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. Air service to Srinagar, Jammu and Ladakh operational. Rail service to Jammu operational. Vehicular movement in Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh is normal. Private taxis are plying normally. Government offices are fully functional.
All schools in Kashmir (around 8000), all schools in Jammu (more than 15,000 schools) and all schools in Ladakh are open and functioning normally. Colleges are also open. Medical and Dental colleges are functioning smoothly and students are appearing in examinations without any inconvenience.
A meeting to identify land for 16 new Degree Colleges in Kashmir was held on 25.09.2019. In addition, four professional colleges and one Administrative College were approved. Construction of new medical college in Anantnag is progressing well. District Administration of Srinagar announced on 20.09.2019 modernization of 25 government schools.
Landline telephone communication has been restored. All telephone exchanges are operational. Mobile connectivity has been restored in 14 of the 22 districts. It includes Kupwara and Handwara districts in Kashmir. Special arrangements were put in place to make phone lines available to enable people to contact their family members in India and abroad. Internet kiosks have been setup in all 10 districts in Kashmir region.
No restriction on media / journalists in Jammu & Kashmir. All Mainstream Newspapers are being printed. 37 English dailies, 53 Urdu dailies and 2 Kashmiri dailies are published in Kashmir. Five local newspapers published in Ladakh. All major national and regional newspapers published in Jammu.
Satellite channels and Cable TV networks are operational.
No restriction during Friday prayers. Prolonged relaxations in movement restrictions were made in most parts of J&K and Ladakh during pre-Eid Shopping (10-11 Aug); Eid Prayers (12 Aug). Pilgrims going on Haj and returning from Haj were specifically facilitated. Special arrangements were made for smooth celebration of Muharram festivities.
Economic activity is being given a boost. Apples contribute approximately USD 1.2 billion to Jammu & Kashmir economy. 700,000 farmers in J&K grow 2.2 million metric ton of apples. This being the harvest season, harvest of apple & other fruits and their transportation to market is facilitated. Kashmiri saffron got Geographic Indication (GI) registration on 25.09.2019
Government launched a 'Special Market Intervention Price Scheme' for price support to apple farmers under which, till 03 October, USD 500,000 worth apples have been procured directly from farmers. Special effort is also on for boosting production of Almond and Walnut production in Jammu & Kashmir. Action Plan for promoting saffron cultivation, storage and processing at a cost of USD 12 million was approved on 28 September 2018 under National Saffron Mission.
To provide employment to the youth, government has identified 50,000 job vacancies, which will be filled in the next few months, thus generating employment for the youth in Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. District police in Baramulla, Awantipora and Srinagar has started recruitment of youth for Special Police Officers posts in the respective districts.
PM has, in his Address to the Nation, (8 August) conveyed that the people would have the opportunity to elect their representatives as soon as the situation returns to normalcy. The Governor of J&K said (28 August) that restoration of normalcy and deepening of democracy remained the government's priority.
As a first step, elections to 310 of the 316 Block Development Councils (BDC) would be held on 24 October 2019. Chief Electoral Officer of Jammu & Kashmir kick-started the election process with a notification on 25.09.2019 on 'symbols for the BDC elections'. Nomination of candidates can be filed till 09 October 2019.
Permission has been granted for leaders from National Conference (NC) including the party's Jammu head and 14 others to meet National Conference Chief Omar Abdullah and Farooq Abdullah. They met him on 06 October 2019. Permission has also been given for a delegation from Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to visit PDP Chief Mehbooba Mufti.
A number of cultural, sporting activities continue to be organized in Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. A week long Naropa festival (16-20 September) was held at Hemis monastery in Ladakh; Under 19 and Under 17, boys and girls cricket tournament was held in Kishtwar, Jammu on 18-19 September; Radio Jammu organized a cultural event Raag Durbar on 18.09.2019 in Jammu; A badminton tournament for children was organized by a local club at Zaripora Zoonimar in Kashmir on 24.09.2019.
The Supreme Court of India has observed that Government needs to be given more time in its sincere efforts to bring normalcy in the situation. It has constituted a 5 member constitutional bench to hear petitions challenging Parliament decision regarding Article 370. These are listed for hearing in October 2019.
There has been no incident of major violence. Not even a single live bullet has been fired. There has been no loss of life in police action. Some protests have been handled by local police while exercising full restraint.
However, terrorists and their proxies are trying to create an atmosphere of fear and intimidation in Kashmir, to disrupt normalcy in Jammu & Kashmir. These include terror attack on a family of apple growers in Sopore on 07 September, where a 3-year old girl and her family were injured, terror attack outside District Commissioner Anantnag's office on 05 October where 13 innocent civilians were injured, arson & burning of taxis, other vehicles, threatening posters by HM, JeM, LeT, threatening school children & their parents, youth, government employees, shopkeepers to observe 'shutdown' or face consequences.