Jammu/Srinagar, June 8: The Department of Industries and Commerce, Government of Jammu and Kashmir, on Monday organised a UT-level internal consultative workshop at the Convention Centre, Jammu, on the theme “Industrial Corridors & Plug-and-Play Infrastructure: State Readiness for Global Manufacturing.”
The workshop was held as part of a structured consultation process initiated by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India, in preparation for the National Departmental Summit proposed to be held in July 2026.
The exercise forms part of a broader Centre-State consultative framework emerging from the Fifth National Conference of Chief Secretaries. The initiative aims to enhance India’s manufacturing competitiveness through coordinated efforts in industrial infrastructure development, logistics integration, investment facilitation, industrial corridors, plug-and-play ecosystems, skill development and policy reforms necessary for integration with global manufacturing value chains.
The workshop commenced with a welcome address by Director, Industries and Commerce, Jammu, Dr. Arun Kumar Manhas.
Commissioner Secretary, Industries and Commerce, Vikramjit Singh, delivered the inaugural address and emphasized the need to leverage the evolving geopolitical landscape in India’s favour. He described the consultation process as a valuable opportunity for Jammu and Kashmir to showcase its industrial strengths, identify infrastructure gaps and articulate region-specific challenges within the national policymaking framework.
He observed that the Union Territory possesses significant untapped potential for manufacturing-led growth and should effectively utilise such platforms to attract targeted investments and seek policy support.
The workshop featured two thematic sessions facilitated by the Invest India team, followed by an extensive open-house discussion and concluding remarks by the Director, Industries and Commerce. Deliberations were guided by four key pillars identified by DPIIT: Land and Industrial Infrastructure Assets, Connectivity and Gateway Infrastructure, Skills and Innovation Ecosystem, and Policy, Institutions and Regulations.
The open-house session provided stakeholders an opportunity to share practical insights, highlight sector-specific challenges and suggest measures to improve the ease and competitiveness of industrial development in Jammu and Kashmir. The interaction ensured that perspectives from different regions and sectors were comprehensively reflected in the consultation process.
The workshop forms part of the government’s ongoing efforts to assess the preparedness of States and Union Territories for integration into global manufacturing value chains, in line with the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.
Under this nationwide consultative exercise, Jammu and Kashmir has been actively engaging stakeholders through a series of consultations. The insights and recommendations emerging from these discussions will be consolidated and submitted to DPIIT, ensuring that the Union Territory’s industrial priorities, infrastructure requirements and growth aspirations are effectively reflected in policy deliberations at the forthcoming National Summit.
The event witnessed participation from district administrations, representatives of various administrative departments, industry bodies and business leaders. Among those present were Chairman, ASSOCHAM J&K Council, Manik Batra; Member, National Executive, Laghu Udyog Bharti, Parveen Pargal; President, Small and Tiny Industry Association, Harvinder Singh; President, CIC-J&K, Rakesh Sharma; Co-Chairperson, FICCI J&K, Rakesh Bhat; prominent industrialists; and senior officers of the Industries and Commerce Department.
