Salman Mirza
Kashmir valley has forever been a place of interest for its unique beauty, the bounty of natural resources and rich culture. With pride in their Kashmiriyat, people here together prospered in the local livelihoods of farming, tourism, handicrafts, etc. But, with political tensions during the British rule and partition, the secular social fabric of the state almost fell apart. Though, the then separate state happily acceded to India, social tensions across J&K prevailed due to cross border terrorism. Article 370, posing as the savior of the people, was introduced to add a layer of confusion in the functioning of the state.
While the rest of the nation adapted to the on-going global developments, Jammu and Kashmir remained stuck in the past due to conditions imposed by the state laws. This alienated the local people, who found it difficult to come out and grab multiple education and employment opportunities that have been open for them as for any other citizen. Even though the state possesses a good percentage of literate youth, low connectivity with the educational scenario in the rest of the country has limited their awareness about the latest study trends and opportunities.
This had been creating a vacuum in the right educational guidance, which is restricting most of the students of J&K from competing effectively on a pan-India level. The regressive state laws, along with terrorist activities, curtailed the development dreams of J&K, while other states of India moved forward. Thus, over the years, many have contended over the need to scrap Article 370. Finally, India saw its President passing a resolution of scrapping it on August 5, 2019. With the abrogation of Article 370 (and therefore Article 35A), the limitations on land ownership will be dissolved, which will enable higher private investment and setting up of industries in the state. This is invariably going to give rise to technical training institutes. Considering the high number of youth in the state, industries are already eyeing the untapped education market. Quality educational offerings by numerous organizations will be accessible to the youth right in the state. This can bridge the wide gap prevailing between curriculum and industry and infuse confidence into the students. With this, J&K’s youngsters will come in sync with the contemporary industry trends. Further, it will also break social and psychological barriers across the country and unlock multiple employment and entrepreneurial possibilities. Indeed, the annulment of Article 370 is a promising step in the direction of a new dawn that will see the revival of J&K and its economy as the pride of India.
