During the past three years, youth in Jammu and Kashmir have become the torchbearers. They have emerged as leaders and equal stakeholders in the peace and prosperity of the region.
J&K’s reorganisation and its transition into a Union Territory have opened new vistas for the generation-next. Youth have been provided with a plethora of opportunities to build their careers and eke out their livelihoods.
Till Article 370 was in vogue, Kashmir-based leaders used to claim that it was a shield which protects the J&K people and safeguards their privileges. But its abrogation has proven that it was nothing but an impediment.
Disillusion ends:
Till 2019, youth were caught in the quagmire of uncertainty. They were disillusioned as they had nothing to fall back upon. Unemployment was one of the major reasons for Pakistan sustaining terrorism in the erstwhile princely state for 30 long years.
Politicians, who ruled J&K, after the Pakistan-sponsored insurgency broke out in the region in the early nineties, couldn’t devise a strategy to engage with the youth. They acted as mute spectators and allowed the youngsters to go haywire.
Pakistan stooges, who preached sedition and separatism for three decades, took full advantage of the chaos and confusion that prevailed in the young minds. They first provided them with stones and then guns.
The revocation of Article 370 led to the stone-pelting and street protests coming to an end as the masterminds, who worked on the instructions of their handlers sitting in Pakistan, was shown their right place. Many of them are either behind bars and a few of them have died.
After August 2019, the henchmen of separatists, who used to lure the youth by providing them petty amounts of pelt stones, were identified and booked. Funding channels of the Pakistan agents in J&K were blocked. The Hawala transactions to fund stone-pelting and terror were choked.
Misguided youth were counselled and different schemes were devised to engage them. From 2019 to 2023 Kashmir has not witnessed a single incident of stone pelting and the local recruitment in terror ranks has declined to zero.
Pens replace stones:
The decision of PM Modi led the regime to end J&K’s 70-year-long status-quo and merge it completely with the Union of India has replaced stones and guns with pens and laptops.
As of date, J&K youth are availing the benefits of self-employment schemes. They are getting recruited by government departments and are even moving to other parts of the country in search of better career prospects.
The change which J&K couldn’t witness in 30 years has taken place within a short span of three and a half years.
The government has been working to achieve a goal to engage J&K’s 100% young population in productive activities which can turn them into engines of growth for the overall socio-economic transformation of the Union Territory.
The J&K youth are fast turning into mature, successful and good human beings. The potential of the youth is being harnessed in a way that everyone contributes towards the prosperity of the region and they achieve their desired goals.
Govt engages with youth:
Schemes have been introduced to make the livelihood generation easy, education accessible, and develop skills. Career counselling along with financial assistance is being provided to the youth.
J&K is moving on the path of becoming industrious through mutual cooperation.
Helmsmen promoting startup culture in J&K is helping the youth to come forward with their innovative ideas. The government is providing incubation and seed funding to workable business ideas. This has made things easier for J&K’s new generation.
Young innovators are being heard:
They are being provided with all the support to explore and implement their innovations and ideas. Besides earning a livelihood for themselves they are engaging others in their ventures and are creating new employment avenues.
The creation of industry innovation clusters has encouraged the young generation of entrepreneurs to lead from the front and build a new world for themselves.
J&K youth have shunned the label of being stone pelters. They have rejected Pakistan’s fake propaganda by turning their backs towards extremist elements.
Wanted lists of stone-pelters and overground workers of terrorists have disappeared from the police stations as the youth have understood that the violence won’t take them anywhere.
A complete merger fills in the void:
The J&K youth have embraced the idea of India by saying no to guns and stones. They are looking for new opportunities and avenues within the Union Territory and outside J&K. Many youngsters have opened handicrafts showrooms, Wazwan (traditional Kashmiri cuisine) restaurants, IT companies, call centres and other ventures in different states. Complete integration of J&K has settled all the issues once for all.
No state is inaccessible for J&K youth and the same holds good for the people from other states and UTs who are coming to J&K to expand their businesses.
As of date many youth from J&K have joined hands with the youth from other parts of the country and are running successful joint ventures.
Similarly, students from J&K are studying in different states and many youngsters have taken admission to the colleges and universities in J&K. Artists and sportspersons from UT are performing everywhere.
The revocation of Article 370 has filled in the void which existed between the J&K people and the denizens of the other states. From 1947 to 2019, J&K people were told that they enjoy special privileges but the change that the Himalayan region witnessed has revealed that till August 5, 2019, when J&K’s so-called special status was done away with, people of the erstwhile state were fed with lies by their own leaders to keep their chairs intact.
Article 370 provided special privileges to the politicians and a reason for Pakistan to interfere in the internal matters of India. (ANI)
