There has been a 70 per cent decline in terrorism-related incidents in Jammu and Kashmir since the abrogation of Article 370, Home Minister Amit Shah said on Thursday as he claimed that a new era of peace and security has begun in the union territory.
Shah launched an e-bus service in Jammu and distributed more than one thousand appointment letters for Jammu and Kashmir Combined Examination-2024 and compassionate appointment through video conferencing from Delhi.
"After the abrogation of Article 370, there has been a 70 per cent decline in total terrorism-related incidents, an 81 per cent reduction in civilian deaths, and a 48 per cent decline in the death of security forces. This shows that a new era of peace and security has begun in Jammu and Kashmir,” he said.
Shah noted that Jammu and Kashmir is going through a phase of change and instead of terrorism, bomb blasts, firing, stone pelting and strikes, now studies, schools, colleges, various institutions, industries and infrastructure are being seen there.
He claimed that there were 2654 incidents of organized stone pelting in 2010, which were reduced to zero in 2023; there were 132 incidents of organized strikes in 2010, while not a single incident took place in 2023.
“Similarly in 2010, 112 civilians died in stone pelting, in 2023 not a single civilian died and in 2010 the number of civilians injured in stone pelting was 6235, which is zero today,” Shah said, adding that the Modi government is strictly cracking down on terror financing, sealing and freezing assets of terrorists, and has also outlawed several terrorist organizations to crack down on them.
Shah noted that after Modi became the prime minister, Panchayat elections were held in Jammu and Kashmir in 2018 in which 74 per cent voting took place, Block Development Council elections were held in October 2019 in which 98 per cent voting was recorded and 3,650 Sarpanches were elected in 4,483 constituencies.
“In this way, the Modi government has given an opportunity to 35,000 Panches, Sarpanches and public representatives of local bodies to work in a democracy,” the minister claimed.
Shah further pointed out that an investment of Rs 297 crore came to J&K in 2019-20, which increased to Rs 2,153 crore in 2022-23. “Along with this, an investment of Rs 6000 crore is in the pipeline,” he claimed.
He mentioned that the number of colleges in Jammu and Kashmir has increased from 94 to 147 while the number of medical colleges rose up from four to seven. The Union territory now also have an IIT, IIM and two AIIMS, he said.
“There was not even a single nursing college, today there are 15 nursing colleges, medical seats were 500, now they have increased to 1300, PG seats were 367, now 300 more seats have been added and 3000 nursing seats have also been increased,” the minister noted.