Srinagar, Aug 4: The Jammu & Kashmir Government on Tuesday said it remains committed to promoting industrial growth, attracting investments and creating employment opportunities in the Union Territory, while responding to an editorial published in Daily Excelsior that questioned the region’s industrial policy.
In an official statement, the government said the editorial, titled “Self-Inflicted Industrial Isolation” and published on July 29, was carried without seeking factual inputs or clarifications from the administration.
The government said flagship Government of India initiatives such as the Modified Special Incentive Package Scheme (M-SIPS) and the Electronics Manufacturing Clusters (EMC) Scheme were operational during a period when Jammu & Kashmir faced major challenges, including inadequate industrial infrastructure, connectivity issues, logistical constraints, limited market access and weak investor confidence.
According to the statement, these conditions made it difficult to attract large-scale investments in electronics manufacturing, despite the availability of central incentives.
It noted that the EMC Scheme, launched in 2012 and later restructured as EMC 2.0, provided financial assistance of up to ₹50 crore, later enhanced to ₹75 crore. However, the scheme required at least 800 kanals (100 acres) of land for developing an electronics manufacturing cluster, a requirement that was difficult to meet in J&K due to limited availability of large industrial land parcels and the high cost of infrastructure development.
Similarly, the government said the M-SIPS scheme, which offered capital incentives to electronics manufacturing units, did not receive any applications from Jammu & Kashmir because of the absence of a mature electronics manufacturing ecosystem.
Highlighting recent progress, the government said Jammu & Kashmir recorded investments worth ₹5,824.42 crore during the 2025-26 financial year, describing it as the highest-ever investment grounded in a single year and nearly 13 times higher than the pre-policy period.
It added that cumulative investments of ₹16,302 crore have been realised in the Union Territory since 2020-21, reflecting sustained industrial growth.
The government also pointed to Jammu & Kashmir’s recognition as a “Top Achiever” in the Business Reforms Action Plan (BRAP) 2024, where it secured the fifth rank among all States and Union Territories for improvements in the ease of doing business.
Reiterating its commitment, the government said it would continue to pursue initiatives aimed at attracting investments, generating employment and strengthening the Union Territory’s economic development.
