Conducting Assembly polls in J&K EC’s prerogative, says MHA
Conducting Assembly polls in Jammu and Kashmir is the prerogative of the Election Commission (EC) and the poll body has initiated the process to revise the electoral rolls there, the Centre informed Parliament on Tuesday.
Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said this in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha on when the situation in Kashmir would be brought to normal so that the democratic process can be started in the valley.
“The Election Commission of India has initiated revision of electoral rolls of voters of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The decision to schedule elections is the prerogative of the Election Commission of India,” Rai said, replying to the question from DravidaMunnetraKazhagam (DMK) member A Ganeshamurthi.
The minister said the government had constituted a delimitation commission, which has notified orders on March 14 and May 5 on the delimitation of the parliamentary and legislative assembly constituencies of the Union Territory.
Thereafter, the EC has initiated the process to revise the electoral rolls in Jammu and Kashmir.
Replying to another question, Rai said the government has a policy of zero tolerance against terrorism and the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir has improved significantly.
There has been a substantial decline in the number of terrorist attacks, from 417 in 2018 to 229 in 2021, he added.
On number of major terrorist incidents, the government said that in last 2 years total 473 terrorist incidents occurred in Jammu and Kashmir in which 104 security perosnals martyred, 223 got severely injured, besides 78 civilians were killed and 187 sustain injuries.
“In year 2020, there were total 244 terrorists incidents in which 62 security personals lost their lives while 106 got injured. 37 civilian also killed in this period while 112 got injured, the reply reads.
With slight reduction in terrorist violence cased 229 terrorist incidents happened in 2021 in which 42 security personals attained martyrdom while 117 got injured. 41 civilian also lost their lives while 75 got injured in different terrorist incidents.
The minister said the government has taken various measures to restore normalcy in the Kashmir valley, including putting in place a robust security-and-intelligence grid, proactive operations against terrorists, intensified night patrolling and checking at “nakas”, security arrangements through appropriate deployment and a high level of alertness maintained by the security forces.
Moreover, he said the government has taken several steps for the all-round development of Jammu and Kashmir, including the implementation of the Prime Minister’s Development Package 2015.
Flagship programmes, the establishment of an IIT and an IIM, two new AIIMS and fast-tracking of infrastructure projects in roads and power are being initiated, Rai said.
Besides, a new central scheme is being implemented for the industrial development of Jammu and Kashmir with an outlay of Rs.28,400 crore, which would provide employment to 4.5 lakh people, he added.
Nityanand Rai also said that 29,806people have been recruited in the public sector by the Jammu and Kashmir administration since 2019.
Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai also said employment for 5.2 lakh people is estimated to have been created through self-employment schemes from August 2019 up to June 2022.
“The government of Jammu and Kashmir has carried out recruitment in the public sector from the year 2019 onwards totaling 29,806,” he said replying to a written question.
The Article 370, which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir, was scrapped on August 5, 2019 and the erstwhile state was bifurcated into two Union Territories Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. Jammu and Kashmir has been under central rule since 2018.
