India's Zero Tolerance on J-K Terrorism: Jail or 'Jahannum', Says Rai

Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai declared in the Rajya Sabha that terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir will either be imprisoned or sent to hell. He emphasised the Modi government's zero tolerance for terrorism while responding to Congress MP Pramod Tiwari's question. Recent terrorist activities, he assured, will soon cease.

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Rai highlighted that 28 terrorists have been eliminated in recent days in Jammu and Kashmir, though some security personnel have also lost their lives. He stated that since the abrogation of Article 370 in 2019, around 900 terrorists have been killed by security forces. "Modi government has zero tolerance for terrorism. We will end terrorism. They terrorists will be either in jail or jahannum... I want to assure the House," Rai said.

Reduction in Terror Incidents

Between 2004 and 2014, during the UPA's rule, there were 7,217 terrorist incidents in Jammu and Kashmir. This number dropped to 2,259 from 2014 when the BJP came to power until July 21 this year, according to Rai. He urged the opposition not to politicise these unfortunate events.

The minister also mentioned that from 2004 to 2014, 2,829 citizens and security personnel lost their lives due to terrorism. Since 2014, this number has decreased by 67 per cent. Additionally, there has been a 69 per cent reduction in terror incidents. Rai asserted that people in Jammu and Kashmir now live in a peaceful environment with full security guarantees.

Tourism Sector Growth

In a written reply to a starred question, Rai noted significant growth in Jammu and Kashmir's tourism sector post-abrogation of Article 370. Tourist visits increased from 34,70,834 in 2020 to over 1.13 crore in 2021, nearly 1.89 crore in 2022, and over 2.11 crore last year. By June this year, more than 1.08 crore tourists had visited J&K.

The Government of Jammu and Kashmir reported several measures leading to this improvement. These include notifying the Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Policy 2020 and granting industry status to tourism under the Jammu and Kashmir Industrial Policy-2021. The UT has also introduced Homestay guidelines to accommodate more tourists and benefit locals economically.

The contribution of tourism to the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) increased from 7.84 per cent in FY 2019-20 to 8.47 per cent in FY 2022-23. The tourism sector recorded an annual average growth rate of 15.13 per cent over the last three years.

In August 2019, Jammu and Kashmir was bifurcated into two union territories: Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. This administrative change aimed at better governance and development in the region.

Rai assured that terrorist designs would not succeed under the current administration's stringent measures against terrorism.