Opinion | Article 370: Seven Years Of Transformation
News india Opinion | Article 370: Seven Years Of Transformation Opinion | Article 370: Seven Years Of Transformation Written By, Last Updated: August 05, 2026
News india Opinion | Article 370: Seven Years Of Transformation Opinion | Article 370: Seven Years Of Transformation Written By, Last Updated: August 05, 2026, 20:07 IST The abrogation of Article 370 has shifted Jammu and Kashmir from a cycle of disruption towards one of development and mainstream participation Residents of Jammu and Kashmir now enjoy the same fundamental rights, legal protections and developmental opportunities as other Indians. (Representational image/Pexels) On August 5, 2019, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Article 370 was abrogated, ending the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and reorganising the erstwhile state into Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. This decisive constitutional step, accompanied by the nullification of Article 35A, integrated the region fully under the Indian Constitution. All central laws, fundamental rights and national schemes became applicable without exception. Seven years later, as of 2026, the region presents measurable evidence of positive change across security, economy, infrastructure, tourism, social equity and democratic participation. One of the most significant outcomes has been the sharp improvement in the security environment. Prior to 2019, Jammu and Kashmir faced high levels of terrorism, organised stone-pelting and separatist-driven disruptions that paralysed daily life, education and commerce. Terror-related incidents have declined dramatically. From 153 incidents in 2019, numbers fell to 46 in 2023. By 2025, incidents stood at around 35, reflecting an overall drop of nearly 75–83% compared with pre-abrogation peaks. Stone-pelting incidents, which numbered in the hundreds annually (including 1767 organised events linked to the separatist agenda in 2018), have fallen by 90–99% and approached zero in recent years. Organised hartals and shutdowns have largely disappeared. Local recruitment into militant ranks collapsed. From nearly 200 recruits in 2018, numbers dropped to single digits or near zero in subsequent years. Security forces and civilian fatalities also fell substantially. Civilian deaths dropped from 44 in 2019 to 14 in 2023 in some datasets; overall terror-related fatalities reached multi-decade lows in 2025 (around 92, even accounting for the dastardly Pahalgam attack that year). Security personnel casualties also declined. Intelligence coordination improved once dual centres of power and political interference ended. The dismantling of overground worker networks and consistent counter-terror operations created space for normal civic life.
Schools function regularly without frequent closures due to violence. Markets remain open, and ordinary mobility, especially for women, has increased. While isolated attacks may occur, the overall terror ecosystem has been significantly weakened. Economic indicators reflect steady growth after the constitutional change removed barriers to investment and national schemes. The Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) of the Union Territory rose from approximately Rs 1.64 lakh crore in 2019-20 to Rs 2.25 lakh crore in 2022-23 (CAGR of about 11% in nominal terms during that window) and further to around Rs 2.62 lakh crore by 2024-25. Per capita income increased from roughly Rs 1.2 lakh to Rs 1.55–1.7 lakh over comparable periods. Private and public investment activities have expanded. Pre-2019, private investments over decades totalled only about Rs 14,000 crore. Post-abrogation, industrial policy reforms and the New Industrial Development Scheme attracted proposals worth nearly Rs 1 lakh crore across dozens of sectors, with land demand exceeding tens of thousands of kanals. Actual investments and ongoing units moved from under Rs 300 crore in 2019-20 to over Rs 2400 crore by end-2023 in some accounts, with completed projects and production-linked units generating tens of thousands of direct jobs. In FY 2025-26 (first nine months), investments of around Rs 5260 crore were recorded and new central schemes proposed further employment for over 50,000 youth. Tax revenues improved, with GST collections and non-tax income rising. Start-ups grew from 69 in 2020 to over 1255 by late 2025, including hundreds led by women, spanning agri-allied, IT, services and manufacturing. Horticulture, handicrafts and services benefited from better market access and stability. Domestic capital and government-supported industrial estates provided tangible momentum. Tourism, long constrained by insecurity and frequent disruptions, experienced a dramatic rebound and has become a major contributor (around 7% of GSDP), supporting nearly five lakh livelihoods directly and indirectly, post-abrogation of Article 370. Tourist arrivals climbed from about 3.47 million in 2020 to over 21 million in 2023 and a peak of 2.36 crore in 2024. Even after a temporary dip to around 1.78 crore in 2025 following the Pahalgam incident, the sector rebounded with improved infrastructure and visitor confidence. Over 5000 new hotels and guest houses, plus more than 20,000 tourist vehicles were added.
The BriefWire