Srinagar: Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo on Friday chaired a high-level stakeholder consultation to devise a comprehensive strategy for accelerating economic growth in Jammu and Kashmir by strengthening key sectors including tourism, agriculture, handicrafts and industry.
The meeting was attended by senior officials, including the Additional Chief Secretaries of Finance and Public Works, Regional Head of RBI Jammu, Managing Director of Jammu and Kashmir Bank, Director of Indian Institute of Management Jammu, besides representatives from BISAG-N, RXIL and other stakeholders.
During the deliberations, the Chief Secretary stressed the need for creating a unified institutional mechanism to bring all stakeholders on a common platform for coordinated economic growth.
He highlighted several ongoing government initiatives, including the Holistic Agriculture Development Programme (HADP), MSME Health Clinic, Raising and Accelerating MSME Performance (RAMP), Mission YUVA and the Homestay initiative for tourism.
Dulloo said the focus should now shift towards developing an integrated ecosystem that supports tourism, agriculture, industry and handicrafts through convergence of schemes and institutional coordination.
He proposed leveraging the Mission YUVA framework and Small Business Development Units (SBDUs), along with MSME Health Clinics, to provide easier access to credit, expert advisory services, skill development and long-term support to entrepreneurs and enterprises.
The Chief Secretary also emphasized optimum utilization of Government of India schemes and frameworks, including the New Credit Linked Guarantee Scheme, Agriculture Infrastructure Fund, Unified Lending Interface (ULI) and Trade Receivables Discounting System (TReDS), to strengthen support for farmers, artisans, traders, industrial units, hoteliers and self-help groups across Jammu and Kashmir.
To take the initiative forward, Dulloo directed constitution of a core team headed by the Additional Chief Secretary, Public Works Department, with representation from the Employment Department, RBI, J&K Bank, IIM Jammu and BISAG-N.
He said the integrated framework would complement efforts underway for formulation of a new industrial policy for Jammu and Kashmir and help create a more sustainable and growth-oriented economic ecosystem for local entrepreneurs and businesses.
