Governance in Jammu and Kashmir today stands at a crossroads — caught between grand inaugurations and ground-level indifference. While leaders boast of development, the everyday reality for the average citizen tells a different story. Education and healthcare, two of the most vital sectors defining human dignity and progress, have become symbols of inequality, privilege, and neglect.
The cost of education has reached alarming levels. Even schools offering modest infrastructure and limited facilities are charging annual fees above Rs 5,000, excluding tuition and transport expenses. For a daily wager or a small vendor, such fees mean impossible choices — between feeding the family or sending a child to school. Despite repeated appeals, no effective regulation has been introduced to monitor fee structures, and government officials seem unwilling to challenge the powerful private school lobbies.
The situation in the healthcare sector mirrors this pattern. Public hospitals remain understaffed, under-equipped, and overcrowded, forcing patients to turn to private facilities that charge amounts far beyond the reach of the poor. Health, once considered a public responsibility, has been transformed into a market commodity.
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What deepens the public’s disillusionment is the apparent absence of political will. Ministers and bureaucrats are frequently seen attending ceremonial events, inaugurations, and photo-ops, but rarely engaging in measures that would actually ease the suffering of ordinary citizens. The government appears more invested in optics than in outcomes.
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It is ironic that even in the 21st century, political discourse in Jammu and Kashmir remains anchored to promises of power supply, water, and roads — basic amenities that should already be guaranteed — while education and healthcare continue to be sidelined. These sectors are not luxuries; they are fundamental rights that shape the strength of any society.
There is an urgent need for laws that ensure affordability, transparency, and accountability. Private institutions in both education and health sectors must be brought under strict regulatory oversight to prevent exploitation. Simultaneously, public institutions require serious investment, not token announcements.
Governance cannot thrive on slogans alone. It must rest on empathy, responsibility, and fairness. The time has come for the administration to move beyond ceremonial politics and address the genuine concerns of the people — to govern not just in name, but in spirit. [KNT]
