Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir): A year has passed since the Special Status to Jammu and Kashmir was snapped and the erstwhile state was divided into two Union Territories (UTs) on August 5, 2019.
The immediate and harshest impact of the Centre's move was on the economic scenario of Jammu and Kashmir. The steady lockdown after the abrogation of Article 370 and 35A in August last year, lasted for about seven months. The second lockdown was imposed in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak in March this year. Almost a year-long lockdown has crippled the economy of the troubled region, with experts pegging the loss at a whopping Rs 40,000 Crore.
Speaking to ETV Bharat, Shaikh Ashiq, chairman Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industries (KCCI), said that Jammu and Kashmir lost Rs. 40,000 crore during past one year due to the government-imposed clampdown and the subsequent COVID-19 lockdown. He said this huge loss to the Kashmir economy has increased unemployment further. He added that the situation has forced both big as well as small business units to make job cuts.
Abrar Ahmad Khan, Co-Convener of Jammu Kashmir Economic Confederation (J&K) told ETV Bharat, "All the business sectors including transporters and the tourism industry got terribly affected due to the twelve-month-long lockdown. Everybody is facing great trouble due to these crippling economic conditions and because of the growing unemployment."
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After the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019, the tourism industry in Kashmir got straight-away affected. Now, a year later, people related to the industry are facing misery and hopelessness.
"While the people related to the tourism industry were trying to get in terms with the loss caused by the revocation of special status and the subsequent lockdown, another misfortune occurred in the form of the pandemic. Our houseboat industry has suffered a loss of Rs 200 crore during the past one year," said Abdul Rashid, General Secretary of Houseboat Owners Association.
The forum for Human Rights in Jammu and Kashmir recently released a report saying that Jammu Kashmir has lost about Rs 40,000 crore since the government's move on Article 370 and 35A in August last year. The forum is an informal group of former judicial officers, academics, former civil servants and human rights experts.
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