The Deputy Chief Minister, Surinder Choudhary, informed the Legislative Assembly today that approximately 5000 kanal of land has been earmarked for the development of industrial estates in various districts of Kashmir. Additionally, a proposal for 9661 kanal of land has been submitted to the Revenue Department in Jammu.
While responding to a question raised by Rajiv Jasrotia, the Deputy Chief Minister detailed that a total of 14956.15 kanal of land has been set aside for industrial estate development across different districts of Jammu. Over the past two years, 5532.19 kanal of land has already been transferred in Kashmir.
Choudhary highlighted that the Jammu and Kashmir Industrial Policy 2021-30 focuses on key sectors including Manufacturing, IT and ITeS, Agriculture and Food Processing, Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals, Infrastructure and Real Estate, Skill Development, Tourism and Hospitality, Film Tourism, Horticulture, Renewable Energy, and Handloom and Handicrafts.
The policy also includes a range of incentives, such as up to 100% subsidies, turnover incentives, and an entrepreneurship fund. To further ease business operations, reforms are being implemented in sectors such as labour, property registration, single-window clearance, and environmental compliance. These efforts aim to enhance Jammu and Kashmir’s investment ecosystem.
Additionally, Choudhary emphasized the government’s efforts to attract foreign investment and boost industrial development, mentioning initiatives like the New Central Sector Scheme 2021, J&K Industrial Policy 2021-30, and the J&K Start-Up Policy 2024-27.
A special focus on women entrepreneurs is also being integrated into the land allotment process. A designated industrial estate for women is being developed on 329 kanal of land in Udhampur under the Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP). Any business with at least 51% women ownership will be eligible for land allotment in this estate.
Furthermore, various development projects have received short-term permits for key national infrastructure works, and mining leases for essential construction materials have been granted, ensuring the smooth execution of major projects across the region.
Mubarakh Gul and Saifuddin Bhat raised additional queries during the session.
