Home Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday told the Lok Sabha that the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2023 and the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023 were meant to give rights and respect to migrants in the Union Territory, displaced due to different wars in Jammu and Kashmir.

He was replying to a debate on the two Bills which were later passed by the House.

He said a total of 46,631 families and 1.57 lakh people were displaced in the three wars in Kashmir since 1947.

In the first war, 31,779 families came from Pak-occupied Kashmir to Jammu and Kashmir; of them 26,319 families settled in Jammu and Kashmir and 5,407 families settled all over India.

In the two subsequent wars in 1965 and 1971, another 10,000 families were displaced. These people enjoyed no rights, nor could they have any representation.

Replying to members’ queries how the abrogation of Article 370 had helped Kashmir situation, the Home Minister said the Narendra Modi government had worked out 63 schemes worth Rs 80,000 crore for Jammu and Kashmir, and of them schemes worth Rs 58,477 crore were for Kashmir and Rs 45,800 crore was spent already.

Huge money has been invested in hydro power. Power lines have been laid, irrigation works completed while rural roads expanded. GI tag has been given to local agricultural produce. All over the country, Rs 5 lakh medical expenditure is available in the country for the poor but in Kashmir this expenditure is allowed to every person. In 2022-23 there were two crore tourists.

Concern was expressed about terrorism, he said. Mr Shah said he believed terrorism was due to the feeling of separatism which was rooted in Article 370. There has been 70 per cent reduction in incidents of terrorism during the Modi government after the abrogation of the Article.

During 1994-2004, there were 40,164 incidents of terrorism; during 2004-2014 there were 7217, while under the Modi administration during 2014-2023, there have been just 2000 incidents, and 65 per cent these were related to police action. Deaths of civilians reduced by 72 per cent, and of security personnel by 59 per cent, he said.

There have been zero incidents of stone pelting in 2023 and no organised strike. There were no civilian deaths or injuries due to stone pelting. How can anybody still ask what change has taken place in Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370, he said. There were only 48 incidents of infiltration and just two ceasefire violations. Terrorists were forced to return to Pakistan.

There has been a monthly security review by the Home Ministry and he also went to the Valley every three months for his review. There is a Zero terror plan in action for three years also, the Home Minister said.

“Modiji is coming back in power in 2024 and the objective of zero terror will be achieved by 2026. We are finishing the terror eco-system. Parties are asking why cases are being filed. We are taking action because money is financed from Pakistan,” he said.

After 30 years, first cinema theatre revived in 2021, he said. Loan proposals have come for 100 movie theatres. A Multiplex has started in Srinagar. Film shooting has re-started in Kashmir. Mr Shah said 45,000 people died Kashmir and he believed they died due to Article 370.

At one time one had to take risk to fly the Indian flag, now it flies all over the Union Territory. The GSDP has doubled. The degree colleges are 147 now. Seven more Medical colleges have opened and Kashmir is the only place to get two AIIMS, he said.

There was a walk-out by the Congress Party when the Home Minister referred to decisions taken by then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru which had led to considerable loss of Indian land.

Giving the contexts, he said when the army was winning, ceasefire was announced as Punjab area came close, and the Pak-occupied Kashmir was born, otherwise it would have been part of India.

The second context was taking the Kashmir issue to the UN. Nehru admitted in a letter to Sheikh Abdullah that the UN decision was taken in a hurry. This was a big mistake as the country lost so much land, Mr Shah said. The Congress staged a walk-out at this stage.