Development scenario and intraregional disparity in Jammu and Kashmir

Jammu and Kashmir, known for its strategic international location and significance, consists of three natural regions – Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh, each having its own distinctive identity and economy. Yet they together constitute the state of Jammu and Kashmir uniquely different from other states of Indian Union. It has its own constitution intended to constitute the three different sets of people into one integral whole, where each segment of society shares a common composite cultural identity, an identity of tolerance and mutual appreciation. However, from political economy perspective the three regions records differential patterns of growth, leading to variegated sets of demand for development. Perception of disparity and development much more politically motivated, than actually rooted in the economics of development.