Srinagar: Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, Ramdas Athawale, announced on Thursday that the central government might restore statehood to Jammu and Kashmir before October this year.
During a press conference in Srinagar, the minister mentioned that the legislative assembly elections might also be conducted in October.
“Polls are scheduled for Maharashtra, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh before October. I believe statehood could be restored and elections held in Jammu and Kashmir around the same time,” he stated, encouraging a strong voter turnout.
He reiterated that the Union Home Minister had previously assured the restoration of statehood and the holding of assembly elections following the abrogation of Article 370.
The minister praised the high voter turnout in the Lok Sabha elections and commended the people for their role in strengthening democracy.
Speaking about his meeting with Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha in Srinagar, Athawale highlighted the boom in tourism since the abrogation of Article 370.
“Over 2.11 crore tourists, including foreigners, have visited here. People no longer fear traveling to Kashmir. Earlier, terrorism deterred many from visiting, but now, peace prevails with only occasional incidents,” he noted.
According to the minister, over 2 lakh pre- and post-matric scholarships have been awarded to SC students, and more than 84,000 scholarships to OBC students in J&K. He also pointed out that while SC and OBC communities each constitute 8% of J&K’s population, there are no SC families residing in Kashmir.
The union minister also mentioned that 74 cases had been registered under the Atrocities Act concerning SC and OBC communities. “We are planning to establish an old age home in each district. Currently, there are 16 old age homes in J&K,” he added.
The minister announced that his party, the Republican Party of India, plans to field at least 10-15 candidates in the upcoming Jammu and Kashmir legislative assembly elections
