The Kashmir Pulse

SRINAGAR — Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Tuesday said his government would not implement the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in the Union Territory and backed the INDIA bloc’s march to the Election Commission over alleged deletions from electoral rolls.

Abdullah also welcomed the Supreme Court’s intervention on the issue of voter deletions, saying the court had sought responses from the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the Union Government.

Speaking to reporters in Srinagar, Abdullah said the INDIA bloc had recently finalised a calendar of programmes in Delhi and that its Members of Parliament were taking part in a march to the Election Commission as part of the campaign.

“This process will continue,” Abdullah said, referring to the opposition alliance’s programme.

On alleged deletions from voter lists during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), the Chief Minister said he had repeatedly raised concerns over the issue and welcomed the Supreme Court’s scrutiny.

“It is a good thing that the Supreme Court is also raising questions now, especially regarding the deletions that took place from the voter lists,” he said.

The Supreme Court on Monday sought responses from the Centre and election authorities on petitions questioning the decision-making process within the poll panel and matters related to the electoral-roll revision. The court also declined to grant an interim order suspending Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.

On the Uniform Civil Code, Abdullah said a law described as “uniform” should apply across the country and asserted that his government would not implement the UCC in Jammu and Kashmir.

“Uniform Civil Code is not uniform until it is applicable everywhere. We will not apply Uniform Civil Code here,” he said.

Abdullah challenged the BJP-led Union Government to bring the legislation before Parliament for debate and passage instead of pursuing it through individual states.

“These things are not done through states. If you have the courage, bring the law in Parliament. Debate it in Parliament. See if it gets passed in Parliament or not,” he said.

His remarks on the UCC represent the position of the J&K Government and should not be read as a judicial or constitutional determination on the applicability of any future central legislation.

Abdullah was also asked about the reported deportation and action against Rohingyas in Jammu and Kashmir.

He said he was concerned about what he described as the sudden action against Rohingyas, while acknowledging that the J&K Government does not control the agencies carrying out the deportation process.

“We did not have any problem with them staying here. But it is also true that they cannot stay here legally,” Abdullah said, distinguishing between people who entered India from Bangladesh without permission and Rohingyas who had fled Myanmar.

He said the Centre was taking the current action with the assistance of the police and that the police were not under the control of his government in this matter.

Abdullah also remained non-committal when asked whether he was satisfied with his government’s performance as it approached two years in office.

“Let it be two years. After that, we will tell you what we did and what we did not do,” he said.

The remarks came amid heightened political activity over electoral-roll revisions, the functioning of the Election Commission and the Centre’s action concerning foreign nationals in Jammu and Kashmir.

SRINAGAR — Authorities in Jammu and Kashmir have deported around 150 Bangladeshi nationals after discrepancies in their Aadhaar details prompted verification of their nationality, officials said on Monday.

The individuals, who were working as labourers in Kashmir, were flown out in a special Indian Air Force aircraft to Bagdogra in West Bengal, where they were handed over to the Border Security Force (BSF) for onward repatriation to Bangladesh, officials said.

According to an official, the workers were asked to produce their Aadhaar cards during a registration exercise. Discrepancies in the information provided by some of them led authorities to conduct further verification.

Their details were subsequently shared with authorities in Bangladesh, which confirmed their nationality, following which action was initiated under the provisions of the Foreigners Act, the official said.

After being handed over to the BSF at Bagdogra, the deportees are to be escorted to the India-Bangladesh international border for repatriation, according to the officials.

The action comes amid an intensified exercise by the J&K administration to identify and remove foreign nationals it considers to be residing in the Union Territory without valid documentation.

The latest action also follows the field visit of a Centre-appointed High-Level Committee on Demographic Changes to Jammu and the Jammu region from August 10 to 12.

During its visit, the committee inspected the Rohingya settlement at Karyani Talab in Narwal and visited the Jagti Migrant Township, where it interacted with displaced Kashmiri Pandits.

The panel also met J&K Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, DGP Nalin Prabhat and representatives of social and political groups to gather views on demographic changes and immigration-related issues, according to the supplied material.

The committee is headed by retired Supreme Court judge Justice Prakash Prabhakar Naolekar and was constituted by the Ministry of Home Affairs following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement of a high-powered demography mission.

Government data presented during the committee’s visit put the number of identified Bangladeshi nationals in Jammu and Kashmir at 504, including 46 in the Jammu region and 458 in Kashmir. The figures were reported in August.

The administration has also initiated action concerning properties where undocumented families are alleged to have been residing and issued notices to some private landowners, officials said.

Another batch of around 150 Bangladeshi nationals is expected to be deported on October 7, according to officials.

The latest action forms part of the administration’s wider exercise to verify the nationality and documentation status of foreign nationals residing in Jammu and Kashmir.

SRINAGAR — The Jammu and Kashmir administration has cleared 53 additional industrial units under the New Central Sector Scheme (NCSS), with the projects expected to attract around ₹1,626 crore in investment and generate nearly 2,902 employment opportunities across the Union Territory.

Of the newly approved units, 35 will be established in the Jammu division and 18 in the Kashmir division, according to official sources.

With the latest approvals, the total number of industrial units registered under the NCSS in Jammu and Kashmir has risen to 971 from 918 earlier.

The 918 units approved previously are expected to bring an investment of around ₹12,668 crore, including approximately ₹9,220 crore in plant and machinery, and are projected to generate nearly 48,995 employment opportunities.

The latest batch of 53 units is expected to add around ₹1,294 crore in plant and machinery investment, with the overall proposed investment associated with these projects estimated at ₹1,626 crore.

Officials said several major national-level business groups are among the newly approved units.

More units may get approval

The latest approvals follow a decision by the Central Government’s Apex Committee to utilise savings available under the ₹28,400-crore Industrial Development Scheme for Jammu and Kashmir.

The Apex Committee had permitted the use of approximately ₹5,630.74 crore in savings under the scheme for registering additional industrial units beyond the 918 already approved.

Officials said the exact incentives applicable to the newly cleared 53 units were still being calculated.

Once the incentive liability is finalised, the administration will be able to determine the amount of funding that remains available and how many more units awaiting approval can be accommodated under the scheme.

Savings from investment and GST changes

The administration had informed the Apex Committee that substantial savings had emerged from the difference between investments projected in Detailed Project Reports and actual investments made by industrial units in plant and machinery.

An estimated ₹4,551.01 crore was available from this difference, while another ₹1,079.74 crore was available from the overall approved allocation, taking the estimated available amount to around ₹5,630.75 crore.

Around ₹3,500 crore of the expected savings reportedly arose following changes in GST rates.

The Apex Committee has also permitted fungibility and reappropriation of funds among different incentive components, including Capital Investment Incentive, Capital Interest Subvention, GST-linked Incentive and Working Capital Interest Subvention, based on actual and projected requirements.

The adjustments, however, are to be made without increasing or altering the overall approved allocation under the scheme.

J&K seeks larger incentive allocation

The New Central Sector Scheme was launched on April 1, 2021, with a total outlay of ₹28,400 crore and is scheduled to continue until 2037.

In view of the response from investors and the number of applications received for industrial registration, the Jammu and Kashmir administration has sought an increase in the incentive allocation to ₹75,000 crore.

The proposed enhancement is aimed at accommodating additional industrial projects and supporting further investment and employment generation in the Union Territory.

Industrial units registered under the scheme will remain eligible for incentives until 2037, with projects expected to come up across different parts of Jammu and Kashmir.

The Industrial Development Scheme was introduced with the broader objective of promoting industrial growth in Jammu and Kashmir, attracting private investment and generating employment.

The original policy had envisaged the creation of around three lakh jobs, while the administration has subsequently projected higher employment generation in view of the response from investors. (KNC)