On March 15 last, the State Government issued its new industrial policy that has to remain in force for next ten years. It stipulated the key provisions of the vision document broadly aiming at providing wherewithal for promotion of industrialization of the State. Seven months have gone by and the Industries and Commerce Department has not so far focused on various aspects of the policy. The reason for dilly-dallying policy of the Government is not understandable. New industrial policy was approved by the State Administrative Council headed by Governor N.N. Vohra who was running the administration at that time.
Just to mention the inability of the Government to implement key provisions we may cite one example. With a view to ensure faster development of new industrial estates and more efficient management of the existing estates, all the existing industrial estates with the District Industries Centres (DICs), which function under the administrative control of respective Directorates of Industries, had to be transferred to Jammu and Kashmir Small Scale Industries Development Corporation Limited (SICOP) and Jammu and Kashmir State Industrial Development Corporation (SIDCO). This transfer has not taken place till date. The two Corporations cannot do anything about it unless transfer order is issued by the Government. Delaying the process is detrimental to the very spirit of the industrialization policy of the Government in which the main objective is providing employment avenues to the youth of the State. Another important provision of the new industrial policy is of creating land bank of 20,000 kanals of land over a period of five years. For this purpose the District Development Commissioners were directed to identify the land and submit the proposals to the Government. Only six DCs have submitted the report so far. This important provision also remains unfulfilled. In view of these examples, it is important that the Department of Industries streamlines the implementation of new industrial policy in letter and in spirit if it is meant to bring relief to the youth of the State in helping them find employment and livelihood.
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