ibn sultan
Srinagar, February 9:The Jammu and Kashmir Budget 2025–26 stands exposed as a document of misplaced priorities, weak intent, and alarming indifference toward the real issues confronting the people. At a time when the region faces unprecedented unemployment, rising inflation, and deepening financial stress, the government has presented a budget that neither inspires confidence nor offers real solutions. Instead of being a roadmap for recovery, growth, and social stability, it reflects a casual approach and a worrying disconnect from ground realities.
One of the most disturbing aspects of this budget is its complete neglect of adhoc employees, daily wagers, and casual labourers. For years, thousands of these workers have kept government departments functional, often working under harsh conditions with meagre wages, without job security, social protection, or dignity. They had hoped that this budget would finally address their long-pending demand for regularisation, fair wages, and humane working conditions. However, the government’s silence on this critical issue is not merely disappointing, it is deeply unjust. Ignoring the plight of these families, who struggle every day for survival, reflects an insensitive and indifferent administration that has chosen to turn its back on the most vulnerable sections of society.
Equally concerning is the absence of any serious roadmap for fiscal management and financial discipline. Public debt continues to rise, resources are under strain, and economic vulnerability is increasing, yet the government has failed to propose credible measures for expenditure rationalisation, revenue generation, or structural financial reform. A responsible government prepares for the future; an indifferent one avoids difficult decisions. This budget clearly belongs to the latter category. Without sound fiscal planning, the economic foundation of Jammu and Kashmir will remain fragile and uncertain.
The budget also fails miserably in addressing the crushing burden of inflation. Prices of essential commodities continue to rise, placing enormous pressure on common households. Families are struggling to afford basic necessities, yet the government has offered no meaningful relief, no subsidy framework, and no price-control strategy. This silence reflects how detached the ruling establishment has become from the everyday hardships of ordinary citizens.
Perhaps the biggest betrayal in this budget is the continued neglect of unemployed youth. Jammu and Kashmir faces one of the highest unemployment rates in the country.
Thousands of educated young men and women are waiting for recruitment, for opportunities, for a dignified future. Instead of presenting a comprehensive employment roadmap, industrial expansion strategy, or investment-driven job framework, the government has relied on vague announcements and hollow assurances. A budget without jobs is a budget without hope, and a society that fails its youth risks losing its future.
Equally disappointing is the cursory and superficial treatment given to vital sectors that directly determine the quality of life of the people. The education sector, which shapes the future of our youth, continues to suffer from infrastructural gaps, shortage of teaching staff, outdated learning systems, and lack of long-term vision. No serious reform plan has been proposed to improve learning outcomes, modernise institutions, strengthen higher education, or bridge the widening gap between education and employability.
Neglecting education today means weakening society tomorrow.
The health sector, already burdened with inadequate infrastructure, staff shortages, and unequal healthcare access between rural and urban regions, has also not received the urgent attention it deserves. Hospitals continue to struggle, primary health centres remain under-equipped, and patients are forced to bear rising healthcare costs. A society cannot progress when its healthcare system remains fragile and neglected.
Public Health Engineering, a lifeline for thousands of households dependent on safe drinking water, has received only routine mention without any concrete strategy to address water scarcity, ageing infrastructure, supply gaps, and climate-related challenges. These are not secondary concerns; they are fundamental to human survival and dignity. Treating such sectors casually reflects a troubling lack of seriousness in governance.
Environmental degradation, one of the gravest threats facing Jammu and Kashmir has been completely ignored in this budget. Shrinking water bodies, deforestation, pollution, loss of biodiversity, and unplanned urban expansion are steadily disturbing the fragile ecological balance of the region. Yet, there is no environmental protection roadmap, no climate resilience framework, and no sustainable development vision. Ignoring environmental realities today means inviting irreversible damage tomorrow.
These cumulative failures point toward a deeper and more worrying concern the fiscal health of the Union Territory appears to be drifting towards uncertainty. Rising liabilities, weak fiscal planning, and absence of structural reforms indicate that the economic foundation is becoming increasingly fragile. A government that fails to secure fiscal stability ultimately fails its people.
What makes matters worse is the casual and indifferent attitude of the ruling party leadership, visible both inside and outside the Assembly. Governance demands seriousness, accountability, and commitment. Unfortunately, what people are witnessing is complacency, lack of urgency, and a growing disconnect from public expectations. When indifference enters governance, trust begins to erode.
It was particularly shocking when the Chief Minister himself admitted on the floor of the House that “it was my mistake to give the manifesto.” This statement is deeply troubling because the promises made in the election manifesto now lie shelved, with no seriousness shown towards implementation. A manifesto is not a symbolic document; it is a solemn covenant with the people. To dismiss it casually is to undermine democratic trust and public faith. When a government treats its own promises as mistakes, it reflects not honesty but failure, failure to govern, failure to deliver, and failure to uphold responsibility.
The Budget 2025–26, therefore, stands not as a document of progress but as a record of missed opportunities, weak governance, and broken promises. It offers no relief to workers, no security to employees, no hope to youth, no protection from inflation, and no assurance of fiscal stability. It speaks the language of numbers but ignores the voice of the people.
Jammu and Kashmir deserves better a government that listens to its workers, empowers its youth, strengthens education and healthcare, protects the environment, manages finances responsibly, and honours its commitments. The people do not demand miracles, but they do expect sincerity, seriousness, and accountability. Until those values return to governance, such budgets will continue to disappoint, and public trust will continue to weaken.
The writer is a teacher turned politician with postgraduate Degree in Economics. Can be reached out at mrafiqr65@gmail.com
