Others can now buy non-agricultural land in Jammu and Kashmir

Tags: State News

• The Centre and J&K government held the first ever 'Real Estate Summit 2021' in Jammu on 27th December 2021, to encourage people from across India to invest in real estate and property in Jammu and Kashmir.
• Under the newly introduced Jammu and Kashmir Development Act, the term ‘being permanent resident of the State’ as a criterion has been ‘omitted’, paving the way for investors outside Jammu and Kashmir to invest in the Union Territory.
• As a result, any citizen of India can buy non-­agriculture land in Jammu and Kashmir.
• The summit was organised by the Union ministry for housing and urban affairs in collaboration with the J&K government.
• During the summit, 39 memorandum of understandings (MOUs) were signed, half of them on construction of residential homes.
• The summit witnessed the signing of 20 MOUs for development of housing projects, seven others for commercial, four for hospitality, three for infra-tech, three for film and entertainment and two for finance related projects.

Article 35A of the Indian Constitution only permanent residents of Jammu and Kashmir had the right to buy land in the State.

On 31 October 2019, Government of India withdrew the special status of Jammu and Kashmir by abrogating article 370 and 35A  and made it a Union Territory.  Ladakh was separated from it and made a separate Union Territory.