185 outsiders bought land in Jammu and Kashmir in last 3 years: Govt

New Delhi: As many as 185 people from outside Jammu and Kashmir have bought land in the Union Territory in the last three years, Rajya Sabha was informed on Wednesday.

Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai, however, said as per the information provided by Ladakh, no land has been bought by outsiders in the UT.

"As per the information provided by the government of Jammu and Kashmir, a total of 185 people from outside the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir have bought land in the UT during 2020, 2021 and 2022," he said replying to a written question.

While, one person bought land in 2020, 57 bought in 2021 and 127 in 2022, he said.

Article 370, which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir, was abrogated on August 5, 2019, and the erstwhile state was bifurcated into two UTs -- Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

Following the Constitutional change in October 2020, the Union Home Ministry issued a notification stating that any Indian citizen can buy land, except agricultural, in municipal areas of Jammu and Kashmir without being a domicile.

The minister said as per the information provided by the government of Jammu and Kashmir, a total of 1,559 Indian companies, including multinational companies, have made investments in the UT.

However, no Indian companies, including multinational companies, have invested in UT of Ladakh during the last three years.