Now that the BJP-led NDA government has effectively revoked provisions of Article 370, a debate around the lack of development in the erstwhile state because of the Article has been raging.
Home Minister Amit Shah in the Parliament said that while the country is developing, people in J&K still live in poverty. Shah also said that Article 370 ensured that there was no PPP model in the state, that healthcare has suffered, and that Right to Education has not applied to the children there.
In the context of this debate, here are five sets of indicators showing that Jammu and Kashmir has actually not performed as badly on certain parameters as is being portrayed. In fact, in certain cases, it has ranked better than the national average.
How Does J&K Fare on the Health Index?
1. Overall Health Index
J&K has shown improvement on the overall health index, according to the official data available on the Niti Aayog website. In 2014-2015, the state was ranked on number 11, and its position went up four notches to 7 in 2015-2016.
The lowest ranking states are Bihar, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
2. Infant Mortality Rate
The infant mortality rate (IMR), defined as the overall indicator of the heath status of a country, is 33 (per thousand live births) for the year 2017, according to the SRS bulletin.
The IMR for Jammu and Kashmir is 23, which is lower than the national average and also better than many other Indian states.
Nagaland, Goa and Kerala are the best performing states on this indicator.
3. Life Expectancy
Life expectancy is a statistical measure of the number of years an average person is expected to live.
According to Census of India, the life expectancy at birth – which was 68.7 years for 2012-2016 – has improved from 49.7 years in 1970-75. The life expectancy at birth is at 73.5 years for Jammu and Kashmir, which is again higher than the national average.
Per Capita Net Domestic Product
The per capital net domestic product (at current price) of Jammu and Kashmir for 2016-2017 is Rs 78,163, which is better than many states.
Percentage of People Below Poverty Line
According to Planning Commission, the India’s poverty index in the year 2011-2012 was 21.9 percent whereas that of Jammu and Kashmir was 10.35 percent.
Unemployment Data
The unemployment data according to CMIE, for the month of July 2019, for the state of Jammu and Kashmir is 17.4 percent.
Literacy Rate
The literacy rate in India is 72.99 percent while that of Jammu and Kashmir is 67.16 percent, as per the data available on the RBI website for the year 2011.
States like Rajasthan, Bihar, Arunanchal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh have a literacy rate lower than Jammu and Kashmir.
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