For decades, the people of Jammu have remained the silent contributors to Jammu and Kashmir’s economy-paying their taxes on time, settling electricity bills, and adhering to civic responsibilities far more diligently than the other region(s). Yet, instead of being rewarded for their law-abiding nature, they seem to be paying the price for it. The discrimination against Jammu in allocation of resources, infrastructure, and institutional development continues unabated, raising a painful question: is this the reward for being responsible citizens?
The irony is that while Jammu forms the fiscal backbone of the Union Territory, it receives crumbs in return. The figures speak for themselves. During 2024-25, Jammu district alone contributed Rs 4,367 crore in GST, making it the single largest contributor to J&K’s Goods and Services Tax revenue; Srinagar, the second highest, contributed only Rs 1,497 crore, while Kathua, another Jammu region district, stood third with Rs 303 crore. When it comes to excise revenue, the disparity becomes even starker-Jammu contributed Rs 2,259 crore, compared to just Rs 226 crore from Kashmir.
Yet, when one compares the development indices, healthcare infrastructure, and institutional investments, Jammu appears to be lagging far behind. This contradiction defies both logic and justice. The regions generating the bulk of revenue are left grappling with inadequate hospitals, crumbling civic amenities, poor power supply, and congested infrastructure. It is as if economic contribution is inversely proportional to developmental attention.
Adding insult to injury, Jammu produces over 70 per cent of J&K’s total electricity, courtesy its rivers and hydropower potential. However, this power flows northward-literally and metaphorically. Jammu residents frequently face erratic power cuts, even as the energy they generate lights up homes and industries in other parts of the Union Territory. The injustice is glaring: those who produce power are denied its consistent supply.
This paradox isn’t confined to electricity. It extends to healthcare, education, tourism infrastructure, and administrative focus. Major medical and engineering institutions, universities, and development projects continue to cluster in the Valley. Yesterday itself, a private member’s bill for establishing a National Law University at Srinagar was adopted in the Legislative Assembly. Why not a similar facility for Jammu?
Jammu people still remember how their demands for equitable distribution of premier institutions-be it AIIMS-level healthcare, higher education hubs like Central or Cluster varsities, or industrial clusters-were often deferred, diluted, or dismissed.
This is ironic. Last year’s elections Jammu region gave 29 Assembly seats to the BJP, the highest ever, a figure celebrated as a sign of unprecedented solidarity to a party that has been ruling the Centre for 11 years now as also indirectly running the affairs of Jammu and Kashmir as well. But has it translated into empowerment? Unfortunately no! Despite a numerical gain, Jammu’s political leadership has failed to channel this representation into tangible relief for its people. The rhetoric of “justice to Jammu” has remained just that-rhetoric.
Discrimination has almost become fait-accompli for the Jammu. While the people continue to pay their dues with integrity, their leadership seems content with symbolic victories. There is no sustained political pressure, no coordinated effort to demand proportionate allocation of funds or projects. The absence of assertive representation has allowed political imbalance to persist, leaving Jammu’s citizens feeling abandoned and unheard.
The time has come to ask the uncomfortable question-how long shall Jammu suffer this step-motherly treatment? If fiscal contribution and civic discipline are not grounds for justice, what else is?
A comparative glance at district development paints a disturbing picture. Srinagar, despite contributing less than half of Jammu’s GST share, continues to enjoy superior infrastructure-better urban amenities, modernized hospitals, improved connectivity, and heavy inflow of central and state projects. Even smaller districts in the Valley are being prioritized in new industrial and tourism policies, whereas districts like Jammu, Samba and Kathua, the industrial engines of J&K, are struggling for basic civic upgrades and reliable power.
The resentment is no longer about mere regional rivalry; it is about structural inequity. When a region that generates the lion’s share of revenue, power, and excise is deprived of proportionate benefits, it amounts to economic injustice. Jammu’s taxpayers rightfully expect transparency and fairness in the distribution of resources.
Jammu’s demand is not for charity, but for equitable returns on its contribution. The political dispensation in the Union Territory must institute a transparent, formula-based mechanism for resource allocation, linking development expenditure to actual revenue generation and population needs. Moreover, political representatives from the region must rise, assert and collectively demand justice for Jammu, as silence anymore now would be complicity.
Jammu has done its duty as a responsible partner in the Union Territory’s progress. It has maintained peace, respected institutions, and contributed immensely to the exchequer. What it seeks in return is not privilege, but parity-a fair share of the infrastructure, institutions, and attention it rightfully deserves.
The message from the ground is clear: Jammu’s patience is not weakness. It is strength in restraint. But strength too has a limit. It is time for those in power, both administrative and political, to ensure that this region no longer feels punished for being law-abiding, forward looking, patriotic and productive.