A Wake-Up Call for Administration

Even as Jammu and Kashmir records a commendable decline in multidimensional poverty—dropping from 40.45 per cent in 2005-06 to a mere 2.81 per cent in 2022-23—the revelation by Union Minister for Rural Development Shivraj Singh Chouhan that five lakh people in the Union Territory still lack pucca houses casts a long shadow on this progress. It brings into sharp focus the disconnect between statistical achievements and ground realities.

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The numbers are striking. Over three lakh permanent houses have been constructed in the past two years alone under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY-G), including 2.6 lakh in Jammu and 44,420 in Kashmir. While this is a laudable feat, the identification of an additional five lakh households still awaiting shelter clearly shows that the goal of “Housing for All” remains a distant dream for many.