MUSHTAQ BALA
When Omar Abdullah took charge as Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir on October 16, 2024, expectations were unusually high. After a gap of several years, an elected government had returned to the Union Territory, bringing with it the promise of representative governance alongside a long list of developmental, economic and political challenges.
Nearly two years later, it is time to look beyond political rhetoric and examine what the government has actually pursued.
The record so far presents a mixed but substantial picture. Power, education, healthcare, employment, women’s welfare, agriculture, roads, transport and sports have all received attention. At the same time, several of the government’s most ambitious commitments remain works in progress, while some of its major political objectives lie beyond the government’s present constitutional powers.
The distinction is important. A policy announcement is not necessarily an achievement; a budgetary allocation is not expenditure; and a target cannot be treated as a completed project.
Power: The Promise of 24×7 Electricity
Power continues to be one of Jammu and Kashmir’s most pressing public concerns.
The government has set an ambitious target of providing 24×7 electricity by 2027–28 and has pushed ahead with major hydropower projects, including Pakal Dul, Kiru, Ratle and Kwar. Peak power availability has increased to around 3,362 MW, while the 2026–27 budget has provided substantial capital expenditure for the sector.
Technology and AI-based systems are also being considered to improve power management and reduce transmission and distribution losses.
But for consumers, the ultimate test is not the size of the generation capacity or the value of the investment. It is whether electricity remains available when people need it—particularly during winter.
Education: Investment in the Next Generation
Education is among the areas where the government has attempted to combine infrastructure with affordability.
Pre-primary education has been introduced in thousands of government schools, kindergartens established, and hundreds of schools identified for development as Exemplar Schools. Thousands of smart classrooms and expanded ICT facilities are also part of the programme.
Vocational education is receiving greater attention, while fee waivers for students belonging to AAY families seek to reduce the financial burden on poorer households.
These are welcome interventions. But the larger question is whether improved infrastructure will be accompanied by better learning outcomes.
Smart classrooms can modernise education, but technology cannot replace good teachers, effective supervision and a culture of critical thinking.
Employment: The Biggest Test
For Jammu and Kashmir’s young population, employment remains perhaps the government’s most important challenge.
Mission YUVA represents an ambitious attempt to move beyond conventional government employment by promoting entrepreneurship and private-sector opportunities. Its five-year objective is to create around 1.37 lakh enterprises and 4.25 lakh employment opportunities. (PRS Legislative Research)
The idea is significant because Jammu and Kashmir cannot solve its employment problem through government recruitment alone.
But this is also where the government will face perhaps its toughest test. Entrepreneurship numbers must translate into viable businesses, and employment figures must reflect sustainable jobs rather than short-term placements.
Recent Assembly figures showing a decline in posts advertised by the major recruitment agencies also underline the sensitivity of the employment question. (The Indian Express)
The government therefore needs to ensure that Mission YUVA and other employment initiatives complement—not substitute—the transparent filling of sanctioned government vacancies.
Healthcare: From Infrastructure to Access
Healthcare infrastructure has continued to expand, with hospital upgrades, improved diagnostic facilities, additional medical seats and greater emphasis on digital healthcare.
The expansion of telemedicine is particularly important for remote and difficult-to-reach areas.
Yet healthcare cannot be measured merely by buildings, machines or sanctioned posts. The real test is whether a patient in a remote district can obtain timely consultation, diagnosis and treatment without travelling to Srinagar or Jammu.
That should remain a central focus of the government’s next phase.
Women and Girls: Welfare With Wider Social Impact
Some of the government’s welfare measures have directly targeted women and girls.
Marriage assistance for girls belonging to AAY families has been increased from ₹50,000 to ₹75,000. Free travel for women on government-owned public transport, including JKRTC buses and Smart City e-buses, was introduced from April 2025. (PRS Legislative Research)
Such measures have an importance beyond immediate financial relief. Affordable mobility can improve women’s access to education, employment, healthcare and public spaces.
The challenge now is to ensure that these benefits remain financially sustainable and reach the intended beneficiaries without unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles.
Relief for Poorer Families
The government’s welfare agenda has also focused on AAY households.
The 2026–27 budget provides for full fee waivers for eligible AAY students in government schools and degree colleges and six free LPG cylinders annually for AAY families. (PRS Legislative Research)
Additional ration support and proposed assistance for orphan children are further elements of the social-security approach.
In a region where many families continue to face economic uncertainty, targeted welfare has an important role—but it must go hand in hand with policies that create incomes rather than permanent dependence.
Agriculture: Protecting the Rural Economy
Agriculture and horticulture remain central to the rural economy.
The expansion of weather-based crop insurance to crops such as apple, saffron, mango and litchi, with a proposed insurance coverage of around ₹6,595 crore, is an important step towards reducing farmers’ vulnerability to extreme weather and crop losses. (PRS Legislative Research)
Solar irrigation pumps, crop diversification and modern agricultural practices are also part of the government’s approach.
But farmers need more than schemes. They need reliable markets, storage, transport, insurance settlement and remunerative prices.
Roads and Connectivity
Rural roads remain fundamental to Jammu and Kashmir’s development.
Additional PMGSY projects worth thousands of crores have been approved, while macadamisation and black-topping targets have been expanded.
For a remote village, a motorable road can be as transformative as any major urban infrastructure project. It determines access to schools, hospitals, markets and employment.
The focus should therefore remain on quality, timely completion and maintenance—not merely the number of kilometres sanctioned.
Public Transport: A New Direction for JKRTC
Free travel for women and plans to introduce electric buses represent an attempt to modernise public transport.
The proposed expansion of the JKRTC fleet could improve connectivity while reducing dependence on ageing vehicles.
But JKRTC’s revival requires more than new buses. It requires professional management, financial discipline, route rationalisation, maintenance and reliable service.
The Railway Revolution—A Milestone, Not a Political Possession
The completion of the USBRL railway project is unquestionably one of the biggest connectivity milestones in Jammu and Kashmir’s recent history.
The Chenab Rail Bridge, Anji Bridge and the Srinagar–Katra Vande Bharat service have opened a new chapter in Kashmir’s connectivity.
But historical accuracy matters.
The railway project was initiated and executed over several governments and several decades. It was not a project started by the Omar Abdullah government. Its completion and inauguration happened during the present government’s tenure.
The current administration can rightly be associated with the historic completion phase, but the entire achievement cannot be politically attributed to one government.
That distinction should be respected in any objective assessment.
Statehood: A Demand That Has Now Been Reaffirmed by the Assembly
Restoration of full statehood remains one of the government’s principal political commitments.
In September 2026, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah moved a resolution in the Legislative Assembly seeking the immediate restoration of full statehood, and the House subsequently passed it. (The Indian Express)
The resolution is politically significant.
But statehood has not yet been restored. It remains a demand before the Union Government.
This distinction between political action and constitutional outcome is essential.
Article 370 and the Larger Political Question
The restoration of Jammu and Kashmir’s previous special constitutional position remains a political demand of the National Conference-led government.
Article 370 and Article 35A, however, have not been restored.
The government therefore continues to operate within the constitutional framework created after August 2019, even while seeking changes in the political and constitutional status of Jammu and Kashmir.
Daily Wagers and Reservation
The question of thousands of casual, seasonal and other temporary workers also remains unresolved.
A committee constituted in March 2025 has been tasked with examining regularisation and recommending a comprehensive way forward.
Similarly, reservation-related issues continue to generate debate and require careful balancing of competing social and constitutional considerations.
These are difficult issues, but their resolution will be an important measure of the government’s ability to address long-standing grievances.
Beyond Announcements
The Omar Abdullah government’s tenure so far cannot be reduced either to a list of achievements or a catalogue of failures.
There have been genuine initiatives, significant budgetary commitments and projects that have moved forward. There are also promises that remain to be fulfilled and challenges that have proved more difficult than anticipated.
The government deserves credit where implementation is visible. It must also be held accountable where targets remain unmet.
That is the essence of democratic governance.
The next phase should be about delivery rather than announcements.
Jammu and Kashmir needs reliable power, quality education, accessible healthcare, sustainable employment, stronger agriculture, better roads, efficient public transport and institutions that respond quickly to citizens.
It also needs political clarity on statehood and a constructive engagement on the region’s unresolved constitutional and political questions.
Ultimately, the success of any government cannot be measured only through the number of schemes announced, crores allocated or projects inaugurated.
It will be measured in the everyday experience of the people.
Does a young person find a meaningful livelihood? Does a farmer receive fair compensation after a crop loss? Does a student receive quality education? Can a patient access treatment close to home? Does a woman travel safely and affordably? Does a village have an all-weather road? And does an ordinary citizen feel that government is accessible and accountable?
These are the questions by which the Omar Abdullah government will eventually be judged.
For now, the record is best described as a government with a broad developmental agenda, several visible initiatives and a considerable unfinished task ahead.
The next two years will determine whether today’s promises become tomorrow’s measurable achievements.
Mushtaq Bala is Editor-in-Chief of Kashmir Pen, an award-winning filmmaker, cultural commentator, and advocate for peace through narrative media.
