Excelsior Correspondent
MUMBAI, Nov 5: Anil Ambani-led ADAG has agreed to set up a 1,000-seat call centre in Jammu and Kashmir that will provide jobs to nearly 3,000 youth, as Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed wooed industrialists here today to garner investments in his State.
Sayeed on a two-day visit to the country’s financial capital met business tycoons and discussed prospects to give impetus to investment in industry, telecommunications, power and tourism sectors in J&K.
After his arrival here yesterday, the Chief Minister held a series of meetings with Anil Ambani of ADAG, Subash Chandra of Zee Media, Arun Nanda of Mahindra Group and Nikhil Meswani, Executive Director of Reliance Industries Limited to discuss measures taken by his Government to create positive atmosphere for private sector investment in the State.
At his meeting with Anil Ambani, Sayeed sought cooperation for investment in IT sector to create employment opportunities for youth in the State. He laid emphasis on establishing call centres and a Dhirubhai Ambani Management Institute, which will enhance the employability of skilled human resource.
Ambani assured Sayeed of setting up a 1,000-seater call centre in two phases which will provide job opportunities to nearly 3,000 youth, an official release issued by the J&K Government said.
“A team will visit J&K after Diwali to work out modalities to set up the Call Centre,” the release quoted Ambani as having said at the meeting while assuring the Chief Minister of his keen interest in preparing a blueprint of cooperation between his company and the State Government.
At his meeting with Subash Chandra, the Chief Minister discussed the possibility of setting up two amusement parks in proximity of Ranjit Sagar Dam in Kathua and Wullar Lake in Bandipora district to boost the State’s tourism sector.
Chandra informed the Chief Minister that a team will travel to J&K in the next couple of months to assess possibilities of setting up of Essel World-type amusement parks at the identified locations, the release said.
During his meeting with Arun Nanda, Sayeed discussed the possibility of developing ‘Tourism & Handicraft Villages’, similar to Interlaken in Switzerland. In addition, he also discussed the issue of setting up of two IT Parks in J&K, on pattern of Chennai, in Tamil Nadu.
The possibility of restoration of tourist assets in partnership with the State Government was also discussed during the meeting.
Asking top names of the corporate sector to enter into strategic partnership with the State Government, Sayeed said J&K has the potential to become an ideal destination for investment and the Government was promoting ‘Ease of Business Policy’ to create a positive climate for wooing investors to the State.
The required approvals will be made to the investors through a hassle-free ‘single window’ mechanism without them having to follow up with different departments, he said.
Minister for Finance, Labour and Employment Dr Haseeb A Drabu and Political Advisor to the Chief Minister Prof Amitabh Mattoo were also present.
Further pitching Jammu and Kashmir as investment destination, Sayeed said he was determined to improve connectivity within and outside the state.
Stating that the Centre has assured completion of the four-lane Jammu-Srinagar National Highway by 2017, the Chief Minister said, “This will eliminate distances and enable us to complete journey between the two capital cities in four hours only.”
Anil Ambani during his discussion with Sayeed also described “quality reliable power” as a major industry promoter and asked him to consider framing of a state solar policy, as solar power was getting cheaper in comparison to hydel and thermal power.
“It (solar energy) is clean green power and the kind of potential J&K has in this sector, it will auger well for the State,” Ambani said.
The ADAG chairman also said he would love to visit J&K soon, along with his mother, on invitation of the Chief Minister.
Sayeed also met Anshuman Ruia of the Aegis Group, one of India’s leading BPO company and part of Essar Group. The group promoter has promised to double the capacity of the existing centre at Rangreth in Srinagar by March 2016, the release said.
Ruia also apprised the Chief Minister of his desire to foray into distribution of financial services in the State. The Chief Minister stated he was determined to improve connectivity within and outside the State and specially thanked the Central Government for assuring completion of the four-lanning of Jammu-Srinagar National Highway by 2017. “This will annihilate distances and enable us to complete journey between the two capital cities in four hours only,” he added.
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