J&K: Centre refutes "Rs 10,000 Crore loss" claims after abrogation of Article 370

The union government has once again clarified that there is no validity of claims regarding loss of Rs.10,000 crore in three months as trade was abandoned after the Central Government stripped off its special status under Article 370 of the Indian Constitution.

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In reply to MP Badruddin Ajmal's question in Lok Sabha, Union Minister Of Commerce & Industry Piyush Goyal said ,"The people of Jammu and Kashmir have suffered from terrorist violence and separatism supported from across the border for the past many decades. On account of Article 35A and certain other constitutional provisions, the people of this region were denied full rights enshrined in the Constitution of India and the benefits of various Central Laws that were being enjoyed by other citizens of the country. As a result, full economic potential of the region could not be realized by the people of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh regions for the last 70 years."

"After the Declaration Issued by the President under article 370, based on the recommendations of the Parliament and re-organization of the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir into Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and Union Territory of Ladakh, all such aspects have been addressed and the people of Jammu and Kashmir can now realize full potential in all sectors of economy like in other parts of the country.", he said.

The Union Minister also said that due to these recent decisions, certain precautionary measures taken initially have already been substantially relaxed. There is no specific report received from the Government of Jammu and Kashmir regarding any new losses on account of such preventive steps taken as a short-term measure. Under the Rs. 80,068 crores Prime Minister’s package announced on 7th November 2015, 63 major development projects in Road, Power, Health, Tourism, Agriculture, Horticulture, Skill Development sectors etc, are already under various stage of implementation. In addition to the above steps, many flagship schemes of the Government of India including the individual beneficiary centric schemes are being proactively implemented by the Government of Jammu and Kashmir.

He also denied reports of Kashmiri farmers unable to export their crop due to the situation in the valley since abrogation of Article 370 and 35A. In a written reply to the house, he said, " Traders of the valley have dispatched their crops/fruits from residential premises/other suitable locations and upto 21.11.2019, 13.03 LMTs of fresh fruit have been dispatched to various Mandis in the country. Further, Government of India has launched Market Intervention Scheme (MIS) for procurement of apple crops from the growers through National Agriculture Marketing Federation of India Ltd. (NAFED) directly from the growers at five collection centres in the valley and upto 21.11.2019, 9932 MTs in addition to above, valued at Rs 42.98 crore, have been procured directly from the growers, as an option to ensure procurement of apple crop at remunerative prices to benefit the growers. Provision has been made to ensure further procurement."

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