Govt to use time to build Ind Estates, initiate reforms
Roadmap to boost products of artisans from far-off areas
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Apr 28: Coronavirus has taken its toll on private investment in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir as first-ever Global Investors Summit scheduled for May 25-26 in twin rotational capital cities of Jammu and Srinagar has been put off indefinitely but the Government has directed the authorities to initiate the exercise of business related reforms, Industrial Estates, identification of land and other such steps required for the investment before holding the summit after improvement in the situation.
A decision to put off the Summit for which the UT Government including Lieutenant Governor Girish Chandra Murmu and top bureaucrats had held various roadshows in different cities of the country and signed proposals for investment running into thousands of crores has been taken by the Government in view of Coronavirus situation as it wouldn’t be possible to hold such a large gathering by the end of this month.
Moreover, official sources told the Excelsior, the business leaders who were in constant touch with the J&K Government despite breakout of Coronavirus pandemic have sought time on the ground that it will take at least five to six months for the Industry to revive itself after resumption of economic activities which have been hit hard due to the pandemic.
“It will not be possible to hold the Global Investors Summit in the month of May. It has been put off till Coronavirus situation improves and things return to normal. However, we will be utilizing this time period to initiate the business related reforms, build Industrial Estates, identify more land across the Union Territory including the capital cities as well as other districts,” Commissioner/Secretary Industries and Commerce MK Dwivedi told the Excelsior.
He said the call on further timing for holding the Global Investors Summit will be taken only after situation returns to normal and industrial activity is resumed across the country. However, he added, the investors haven’t lost their interest in J&K as they continued to call them to express their keenness to invest in J&K but only wants industry to recover from the shocks of Coronavirus.
Reliable sources, however, said it could take quite some time for the industry as well as Jammu and Kashmir Government to hold the Global Investors Summit going by the pace with which the cases were increasing especially in major investor-friendly States like Maharashtra, Gujarat and Karnataka where the investors had shown keen interest to invest in the Union Territory.
“Preference of the industry now is the revival after Government allows resumption of activities to them. Further investment will be their next option which can take quite some time. In such a scenario, the Government is anticipating that it won’t be possible to hold the Global Investors Summit before year-end or may be the Summit can be pushed even to next year,” sources said.
It may be mentioned here that the Jammu and Kashmir after being converted into a Union Territory and abrogation of special Constitutional provisions on August 5 last year had decided to hold first-ever Global Investors Summit on May 25 and 26 in Jammu and Srinagar respectively in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, several other Union Ministers and top industrialists were expected to participate. Jammu and Kashmir had even received good overseas response to the summit.
Meanwhile, sources said, with the commissioning of six Regional Offices of merged Handicraft and Handloom Departments, the artisans will get major boost in hitherto virtually unexplored areas like, Basohli, Kishtwar, Rajouri, Baramulla, Kupwara etc as each Regional Office is being given specific target of selecting five major products of their areas for boost.
Basohli paintings and pashmina, Rajouri wood used for making combs and similar such products in other districts of Jammu and Kashmir which didn’t find much markets earlier across the country or even globally or all set to get focus as the Regional Offices have been tasked to facilitate such products.
A detailed roadmap for the purpose is being finalized by the Industries and Commerce Department and will be out soon, sources said, adding formally the activities to popularize art of far off areas will be resumed after situation arising out of Coronavirus settles down.
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