From Laggard to Leader | J&K leads in major developmental parameters across India

Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir is leading the country in several developmental criteria, indicating the Union Territory’s remarkable transformation during the last four years.

A comparison of some of the most important development criteria reveals that J&K outperforms the rest of India in parameters that indicate UT’s development and economic growth.

According to statistics, J&K has a higher life expectancy rate than the rest of the country.

According to the NHFS, life expectancy in India (national average) is 69.4 years, whereas it is 74 years in J&K.

J&K has a superior teacher-pupil ratio at the elementary level of 1:14, while the national average is 1:32. The average monthly agricultural household income in India is Rs 10,218; in J&K, it is Rs 18,918, more than Rs 8000 greater than the rest of India. This suggests that farmers in J&K make more money than farmers in the rest of the country.

The Neonatal Mortality Rate per 1000 live births in J&K is 9.8, which is much lower than the national average of 24.9. The infant mortality rate per 1000 live birth in India is 35.2, however, it is just 16.3 in J&K.

In J&K, the sex ratio at birth (last 5 years) is 976 girls per 1000 boys, compared to 929 at the national level. In J&K, the institutional birth rate is 92.4 percent, whereas the national average is 88 percent.

Giving birth at a medical facility under the supervision of trained and competent health staff is referred to as institutional birth. It also denotes the availability of resources to deal with the problem and save the mother and child’s lives.

Fully immunised children (12-23 months) in Jammu and Kashmir are 96.5 percent, whereas fully immunised children nationally are 76.5 percent, indicating that J&K has a higher rate of vaccination.

J&K has a per capita energy consumption of 1384 units, which is greater than the national average of 1208 units.

Higher education has a gross enrollment ratio (GER) of 32.4 percent in J&K and 27.1 percent nationally. Gender parity in higher education is 1.05 in J&K and 1.01 overall in India.

Forest and tree cover in J&K is 54 percent double than the national average of 24.5 percent.

“Post 2019 when Article 370 was read down, Jammu and Kashmir has witnessed a transparent, responsible, and accountable governing structure.  We are now executing five times as many jobs, and the average cost has also decreased. This is a significant accomplishment in terms of a transparent system,” said a senior government functionary.

Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha last month stated that the pace of developmental works in Jammu and Kashmir at present has never been witnessed in the past even as he called upon the people to isolate the forces who want to take the nation back.

“Within a very short duration of time, a complete transparency and honesty has been witnessed in the works which was not seen in the past,” Sinha said while addressing monthly ‘Awaam Ki Awaaz’.

Asserting that Jammu and Kashmir has been undergoing an era of development presently, Sinha said such a pace of development has never been witnessed in the past here.

“Everyone is feeling the pace of development,” he had said and called upon the people to isolate those forces who want to take the nation back as every citizen wants to see development in the Union Territory.