Srinagar, April 24 -- ByMuhammad Sahir Raza

Kerala reached a landmark moment last November when the state government declared the eradication of extreme poverty through multidimensional poverty indicators.

Months later, the 2026-27 Budget announced free undergraduate education in government institutions.

Those community-welfare decisions described a century-long political project that treated education, healthcare and public participation as the foundation of economic progress.

Jammu and Kashmir needs to read that story closely.

Public debate in Kashmir often circles around highways, tourism numbers and investment summits. Those issues matter, though durable prosperity begins elsewhere.

Kerala understood this early. Schools, hospita...