Deciding date of J&K polls will be ECI’s prerogative: Home Ministry

New Delhi, July 19 The decision to schedule elections in Jammu and Kashmir is a prerogative of the Election Commission of India, the Home Ministry said on Tuesday.
In response to a written question about when the situation in Kashmir would be brought to normal so that democratic process can be started in the Valley, Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said, “The decision to schedule elections is the prerogative of Election Commission of India.”
While stating that the number of terror incidents in J&K have come down, the minister said the Government had constituted a delimitation Commission, which has notified Orders on March 14, 2022 and May 5, 2022 on delimitation of Parliamentary and Legislative Assembly Constituencies of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
He said number of terror incidents have gone down and there were 473 incidents terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir in 2021-22, the Home Ministry said.
“Due to concerted and coordinated efforts of all the stake-holders terrorism related violence has been contained to a large extent in the country,” Rai said.
As per government data there was only one terror incident in the hinterland in 2020-21, and in J&K, 244 incidents took place in 2020, and 229 in 2021.
In J&K, 62 security force personnel were killed in 2021, 42 in 2022, and 106 were injured in 2021, while 117 were injured in 2022. In 2021, 37 civilians lost their lives in terror incidents, and 112 were injured. In 2022, 41 civilians were injured and 75 lost their lives.
“The Government has a policy of zero tolerance against terrorism and
the security situation has improved significantly in J&K. There has been
substantial decline in terrorist attacks from 417 in 2018 to 229 in 2021,” the Minister said.
“The Government has taken various measures to normalize the situation in the Kashmir valley. These include a robust security and intelligence grid, proactive operations against terrorists, intensified night patrolling and checking at Nakas, security arrangements through appropriate deployment and high level of alertness maintained by the security forces,” he said.
Rai also listed the measures taken by central government to ensure peace in Jammu and Kashmir, and said, “Government has taken several steps for all round development of Jammu and Kashmir including implementation of PMDP, 2015, Flagship programmes, establishment of IIT & IIM, two new AIIMS and fast tracking of infrastructure projects in roads, power.
“Besides, a new Central Scheme is being implemented for industrial development of
J&K with an outlay of Rs. 28,400 Crores which would provide employment to 4.5 Lakhs persons,” he said.
In another written reply, he said said while district-wise information on employment rate in Jammu and Kashmir is not available, the Government of Jammu and Kashmir has carried out recruitment in the public sector from the year 2019 onwards totaling 29,806.
In addition, employment for 5.2 lakh persons is estimated to have been created through self-employment schemes from August 2019 upto June 2022, the Minster said.
On August 5, 2019, Article 370 and 35A were abrogated and Jammu and Kashmir was made into a Union Territory, bifurcating Ladakh out as a separate UT.