What NC’s resolution on J&K’s economic scenario says? Here is the full text

Srinagar, Dec 5: J&K National Conference has passed a resolution at the Delegate Session held on Monday, 5 December, on the economic scenario of Jammu & Kashmir.

Ziraat Times here reproduces the full text of the resolution verbatim here:

The economy of the country is in a bad shape, so is the case with Jammu and Kashmir. This session of Jammu and Kashmir National Conference, therefore, expresses its dissatisfaction on the overall economic scenario in J&K. This important meeting demands that the Government should take urgent measures to improve these conditions, which have left the people gasping for succour and relief. As if the disturbed conditions of law and order and political turmoil and uncertainty were not enough, people have been left to grapple with a host of problems and also to encounter an unresponsive and unsympathetic administration.

The flood of unemployment is raging unabated and lakhs of young girls and boys are knocking at the doors of the Government for employment. It is a matter of concern that the ranks of these luckless youngsters are becoming larger by the day and the people at the helm are witnessing this phenomenon with a stone hearted detachment and apathy. This session of JKNC is of the opinion that this state of affairs is not only depriving the society of the rich talent of this human resource but is also putting their poor parents to hardships, both financial and emotional.

This session feels that the continued non engagement of this tremendous work force can have sinister consequences. It can disturb the balance of our society and create a volatile situation. JKNC demands that this most urgent issue should receive the attention of the authorities at the highest level and they must come up with an expeditious plan to solve this problem. Another major issue confronting the people is the unprecedented price rise. The skyrocketing prices have broken the back of the common man. It is becoming difficult for him with each passing day to make both ends meet. Bringing food grains and other cereals in the GST net recently has added fuel to the fire. Needless to mention, these items were out of the tax net till this recent decision of the Government.

According to the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) monthly report of October 2022, along with an uncertain macroeconomic outlook, the year 2022 also brought to the fore the vulnerability and inter connectedness of the global food system to shocks. Russia and Ukraine being key suppliers of agricultural commodities, their conflict has choked the supply and fuelled food inflation, impacting overall food security. Heat waves and adverse climatic events in several countries have further impacted food production and restricted their supply to the world market. India’s grain availability was impacted by the untimely heat waves and deficiency of the southwest monsoon in the current year. There is one cause of concern as food inflation has contributed significantly to overall CPI inflation. During the first five months of 2022, food inflation was imported from elevating global prices of oils and fats. Since June 2022, however, domestic seasonal factors have been the major source of food inflation, mostly seen in the elevated prices of vegetables, cereals and their products.

The fruit industry in Jammu and Kashmir, which is the main source of income in the rural populace, is in doldrums. During the current year it faced a serious crisis as never before. Markets for the produce fell drastically causing huge losses to the growers. Mismanagement of transport required for the purpose was another cause of loss to the growers. Thousands of tons of fresh fruit were abandoned in the orchards because the cost involved in the process of harvesting and transportation would exceed the amount the growers would fetch on its sale. Instead of encouraging and helping the local growers, apple was imported from Iran and Turkey, further crushing the already distressed industry. It would be in the fitness of things to review the import policy in this regard. This session demands of the Government to assess the losses incurred by the distressed fruit growers and pay suitable compensation to them.

The Union territory is without an elected government for the last more than four years. As such the people have no forum to take their grievances to. In these circumstances the claim of the Central Government that they strengthened democracy in the Union territory is absurd. The Panchayati Raj institutions, which they frequently make mention of, have failed to deliver. The DDC members elected by popular vote have been confined to hired hotel rooms. They are seldom permitted to visit their constituencies due to so called security reasons.

This session of JKNC expresses its concern that in spite of a much-inflated budget, the people of Jammu and Kashmir have to face financial crunch in their day-to-day life. They have to face difficulties in the fields of power supply, health care, insufficient teaching staff in educational institutions, damaged roads and by and large, poor infrastructure in every public service. A section of the bureaucracy, at the upper and lower levels, is not at all responsive to the needs of the common man and is indulging in its arrogant ways. This financial and departmental mismanagement is taking its toll. Many bills and claims are not getting cleared from the State treasuries and bureaucrats are callous to the legitimate needs and requests of the public.

This session of JKNC draws the attention of the Government to the plight of the common man and demands that it must activate its machinery for the people’s welfare; and remove the bottlenecks which are coming in the ways of people getting their due from the huge investments of the Government. The session demands that the negligent officers/officials must be kept under constant scrutiny and should not be allowed to relapse into lethargy and neglect in their services to the common people. The session also expresses its deep anguish at the growing menace of corruption and corrupt practices at the various levels of administration. We demand that these culprits be given exemplary punishment and measures taken to stem the rot.

In conclusion, this session of JKNC stresses upon the Government of Jammu and Kashmir to urgently attend the aforementioned and other grey areas of the economy, to ensure that the people of Jammu and Kashmir lead a happy, prosperous and stress-free life.