Jammu & Kashmir is the most privileged state in the country. New Delhi has always been very generous towards, particularly towards Kashmir to keep the Kashmiri leadership in a good humour and on its right side.

The official statistics, which are now in public domain, are both revealing and astonishing. These have also the potential of encouraging other states of the Union to ask the Centre to treat them like it has been treating Jammu & Kashmir since years.

According to these statistics, 10 per cent of Central funds are allocated to Jammu & Kashmir. Jammu & Kashmir houses a paltry 1 per cent of the country’s total population. In contrast, Uttar Pradesh gets only 8.2 per cent of Central funds. This, despite the fact that Uttar Pradesh houses 13 per cent of the country’s total population.

“A Jammu & Kashmir resident (from 2000-2016) was given an average of Rs 91,300 per person, whereas a resident of UP got only Rs 4,300/- per person,” say these statistics.
The statistics also reveal that “while there are also 10 other states in a special category (North Eastern for example), Jammu & Kashmir gets 25 per cent of funds disbursed”.

Just in the Fiscal year 2016, central grants constituted 54 per cent of State revenue and 44 per cent of State expenditure. Jammu & Kashmir simply cannot sustain without the Center’s support.

[Originally published here]