Rakesh Magotra, Dr Jayaramulu Kolleboyina
In our earlier article (The Secret Ingredient Retaining Talent for a Resilient & Prosperous JK-https://www.dailyexcelsior.com/ the-secret -ingredient-retaining-talent-for-a-resilient-prosperous-jk/) we had argued that the real challenge before Jammu & Kashmir is not the generation of talent, but its retention. Every year, the state’s universities, engineering colleges and medical institutions send thousands of bright young men and women into the national workforce, but very few of them remain within the region. The result has been a paradox: a state rich in talent but poor in opportunity.
To address this paradox, the region must not only build the ecosystem for retaining its talent but also create pathways for transformative growth. The proposed Innovation and Future Technology-enabled Services (FTeS) Park at IIT Jammu being conceptualized points precisely in that direction. It is not just about providing jobs. It is about laying the foundation for an economic model where research, technology and entrepreneurship converge to fuel long-term prosperity.
The idea is straightforward yet ambitious. Just as Bengaluru or Hyderabad became magnets for IT talent in their time, Jammu could emerge as a technology hub if it builds the right infrastructure and institutional linkages. Unlike the traditional industrial parks that focus primarily on manufacturing, this vision is centered on knowledge, innovation and digital services. In an economy increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence, deep tech and digital platforms, such a model is not aspirational-it is necessary.
The rationale is strong. While several industries have taken root in J&K in recent years, the IT sector-the single largest engine of job creation in states like Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana and Tamil Nadu-has not yet made meaningful inroads here. This absence creates both a challenge and an opportunity. The challenge lies in building the right pipeline of technology skills. The opportunity lies in the growing presence of institutions like IIT Jammu, which have already begun creating the intellectual backbone for such an ecosystem through incubators, innovation labs and early-stage startup funding.
If the Innovation &FTeS Park materializes with the proposed scale, its impact could be transformative. A target of 10,000 jobs in three years, expanding to 50,000 in five years, would alter the employment landscape of the region. These are not low-productivity jobs; they are high-value positions in software development, product design, artificial intelligence and digital infrastructure-roles that can rival those offered in metropolitan centers. More importantly, they anchor young professionals to their home state, giving them not just employment but dignity and opportunity at par with global standards.
The multiplier effect on the regional economy would also be significant. Technology parks have historically created ecosystems of service providers, ancillary firms and housing and retail growth around them. The demand for ancillary services-from transport to hospitality-creates indirect jobs that can often exceed the direct employment generated. In an area like J&K, which faces persistent youth unemployment, such ripple effects cannot be overstated.
However, ambition alone does not suffice. Execution will be key. Globally, many technology parks have failed when they became mere real estate projects without innovation at their core. The proposed governance structure-a Section 8 not-for-profit company anchored by IIT Jammu with active involvement of industry and government-is a thoughtful safeguard. It ensures that the Park is not just about land and buildings but about sustained collaboration between academia, government and business.
From a policy perspective, this initiative also dovetails neatly with both national and state priorities. For the Government of India, it fits the twin narratives of Make in India and Viksit Bharat, enabling the state to contribute meaningfully to India’s global technology aspirations. For J&K, it directly addresses the structural problem of talent flight and the resultant brain drain.
National integration also carries an added dimension in the post-Article 370 era. With the constitutional reorganization of Jammu & Kashmir, the region is no longer viewed through the narrow lens of isolation. Instead, it is being positioned as an integral part of India’s economic growth story. At IIT Jammu, where more than 99 percent of students hail from outside the Union Territory, the creation of high-value opportunities within J&K could be a game changer. If these young engineers and entrepreneurs-many of them from top metros-find compelling professional avenues in here J&K will not just retain its own talent but attract talent from across India. In a very real sense, economic integration will deepen social integration, turning the region into a shared space of aspiration rather than division.
Of course, questions remain. The proposal estimates an investment of around ?200 crore, with an equal split between IIT Jammu and the J&K government. For a state managing multiple developmental priorities, the financial commitment will require careful deliberation. But here, one must weigh not just the cost but the opportunity cost. The absence of such an initiative condemns J&K to remain a supplier of talent to other states, perpetuating the cycle of migration and underdevelopment.
Moreover, timing is critical. India’s digital economy is projected to reach $1 trillion by 2030, with most of the growth concentrated in just a few hubs. Unless regions like Jammu seize this moment, they risk being left behind in the very sector that is defining the jobs of the future.
The larger message is clear: retaining talent requires more than slogans or subsidies. It requires a structural shift in how opportunity is created and distributed. A technology park collocated with a premier institute like IIT Jammu represents such a shift-it builds a bridge between the aspirations of local youth and the demands of a global economy.
The world has seen this playbook before. When Bengaluru started its focus on software companies, in the 1990s, it did not just create jobs-it created an identity for the city in global technology supply chains. When Hyderabad invested in attracting IT majors, it reversed decades of outward migration. There is no reason why Jammu, with its rich intellectual heritage and strategic location, cannot script a similar story for India’s North.
The earlier article highlighted the secret ingredient of retaining talent. This one argues that retention must be coupled with transformation. A region that merely holds on to its youth is still vulnerable; a region that empowers its youth to lead in technology and innovation is truly resilient. Jammu & Kashmir has the chance, perhaps for the first time in decades, to move from being a passive participant in India’s economic story to being an active architect of its own.The cost of inaction would not just be financial-it would be generational.
(Rakesh Magotra is a General Manager in JK Bank and Dr Jayaramulu Kolleboyina is an Associate Professor & Dean International Affairs in IIT Jammu.)
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