Video By: Sajad Shah | Text By: Sajad Rasool
With 70% of J&K’s population depending on agriculture for their livelihoods, there has been a rapid increase in constructions over agricultural land. The lack of proper irrigation to the land is one of the reasons. The receding of glaciers and shift in climate has limited the amount of water available for irrigation purposes. With farmers switching to horticulture or constructions. As agriculture falters within the state, and J&K becomes more and more dependent on importing grains, other divides are surfacing. One glimpse of its dangerous fallout was provided by the recent protests over the state government’s move to implement the National Food Security Guarantee Act, whereby every ration card holder will only get five kg of rice per month, against the existing limit of 35 kg per family. People took to streets in Srinagar and across other urban centers. The act was even opposed by the separatist groups who normally don’t respond to day to day governance issues.
In this video it is evident that lack of irrigation and dried canals force farmers to abandon their occupations and switch to business or skill work.
