Post-Article 370 infrastructure is rebuilding Jammu & Kashmir

The contrast between India's constructive strategy in J&K and Pakistan's divisive approach in PoJK couldn't be starker.

- ASHISH SINGH

The abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019 marked a turning point in the trajectory of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K), both politically and developmentally. While Pakistan continues to exploit youth in the region through indoctrination, radicalisation, and terrorism, India has responded not with coercion but with construction: laying roads, railways, tunnels, and runways to stitch the Union Territory firmly into the national economic fabric.

The contrast between India's constructive strategy in J&K and Pakistan's divisive approach in Pakistan-occupied Jammu & Kashmir (PoJK) couldn't be starker. The infrastructure transformation following the abolition of Article 370 has not only enhanced connectivity but also instilled hope, created jobs, and brought remote regions into the mainstream.

INDIA'S INFRASTRUCTURE PUSH India's renewed push to strengthen infrastructure in Jammu and Kashmir, following the revocation of Article 370, is visible across various sectors, including transportation, power, and digital connectivity. As of 2024, more than 2,200 infrastructure projects worth over Rs 25,000 crore have been completed or are in progress in Jammu and Kashmir under various schemes, including the Prime Minister's Development Package (PMDP), Bharatmala, and the Udhampur-Srinagar-Baramulla Rail Link (USBRL).

ROADS AND HIGHWAYS One of the most significant transformations has come in road connectivity. The construction of highways and all-weather roads is transforming mobility in a region previously marred by isolation. Under the PMGSY (Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana), over 12,000 kilometres of roads have been built or upgraded, ensuring last-mile connectivity to hundreds of villages in mountainous terrain.