Arteev Sharma
Jammu: Jammu and Kashmir has suffered a substantial financial toll in its fight against terrorism, with the Union government spending over Rs 18,000 crore on security-related measures in the Union Territory (UT) over the past 35 years. The annual Security Related Expenditure (SRE) in the Union Territory has now exceeded Rs 1,300 crore.
The security measures, while costly, have yielded significant results, with the number of terrorist-initiated incidents (TII) declining sharply over the past five years. Further, the casualties among security personnel have also witnessed a steep decline since 2019, indicating a considerable improvement in the overall security scenario.
The MHA report for the year 2023-24 has revealed that the SRE allocated to Jammu and Kashmir has surged, crossing Rs 1,300 crore annually.
“The total amount reimbursed from 1989 until March 31, 2023, to the UT of Jammu and Kashmir under Security Related Expenditure (SRE) Police was Rs 11,740.37 crore, and under SRE (Relief and Rehabilitation) was Rs 6,478.58 crore,” the report stated.
For the financial year 2023-24, the Union government reimbursed Rs 710 crore to Jammu and Kashmir under SRE (Police) and Rs 608.79 crore under SRE (Relief and Rehabilitation). Additionally, Rs 29 crore was released under the Security Related Expenditure (Security Environment) Scheme during the same period.
“The total number of security personnel killed in terror-related incidents from 2018 to March 2024 was 338. However, the number of casualties to security personnel has dropped significantly, from 91 in 2018 to just 30 in 2023. Similarly, the terrorist-related incidents fell from 228 in 2018 to 46 in 2023, totaling 809 incidents over the six-year period,” it said.
During the same period, as many as 676 counter-terrorism operations or encounters were launched, resulting in the elimination of 1,076 terrorists. Besides, a total of 225 civilians lost their lives in terror-related incidents.
The MHA, in the report, claimed that the security situation of J&K has improved significantly. “Organized stone pelting and protests have become things of past. Subsequently, UT of J&K has witnessed overall development in all sectors. Tourism Sector in J&K witnessed unprecedented growth in the year 2022 with more than 1.88 crore tourist visits in the UT. In 2023-24, it was more than 2 crore,” it said, adding “The Amarnath ji Yatra was successfully completed in the year 2023 when 4.45 lakh yatris visited the holy cave which is the highest in last 10 years”.
It further said, “The 3rd Tourism Working Group meeting of G-20 held from May 22 to 24, 2023 at Srinagar. This event has placed J&K on the global stage and served as a significant milestone in the progress and development of the UT”.
