Background
Young girls, teens have become the new face of protests in Kashmir, adding a new dimension to the violence and brutal retaliation government forces. The students were protesting against the assault of students of Government Degree College Pulwama by security forces and manhandling of students during Valley-wide protests. Student protests have become a new challenge for the administration in Kashmir where the law and order situation has gone downhill after the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani last summer.
Women Force against protest
- To counter women stone throwers, the Centre plans to raise an all women India Reserve Battalion (IRB) in Jammu and Kashmir.
- The Centre has also given directions to the State government to not use Special Police Officers at the houses of politicians and other government officials and to use them in active policing instead.
- The decisions were taken at a meeting to review various developmental and infrastructure projects in the State.
- The cost of raising each battalion is around ₹61 crore, and 75% of the expenditure will be borne by the Centre.
- IRB personnel are normally deployed in their respective States but they can be sent elsewhere if required.
Developmental package
- ₹80,000 crore development package announced by Prime Minister in 2015, around ₹19,500 crore has already been released for various projects.
- The package has been sanctioned for 63 projects concerning 15 central ministries.
- Centre also asked the J&K government to build as many football fields and sports facilities as possible in rural Kashmir to engage the youth.
- IRBs are being raised to provide jobs to the local youths with 60% of the vacancies to be filled with candidates from the border districts.
Source : The Hindu
GS III : Security challenges and their management in border areas; linkages of organized crime with terrorism