Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir administration is working to boost business investment and enhance income of the local population by simplifying rules and procedures, and digitising records, senior officials said.
The Union Territory, since the abrogation of Article 370 from the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir in 2019, has received investment proposals from various business houses to the tune of about Rs 56,000 crore while sanctions have been granted to proposals worth Rs 38,000 crore, they said.
The work is already on for projects worth about Rs 12,000 crore, a top official of the administration said.
He said Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has directed officials and authorities to ensure that all activities that are linked to the people are made “vibrant and viable”.
The government is translating land records into as many as 22 Indian languages so that investors can readily use them and even locals can peruse them, a senior revenue department official said.
For this purpose, software developed by C-DAC is being used, he added.
Officials said the Union Territory (UT), over the last three years, has attracted investments mainly in the manufacturing and food processing sectors, and some projects in automobile and allied sectors are being discussed at present.
“The aim is to boost the overall economy of the state. At the same time, we are working on the tourism sector and development sector in a major way so that the income of locals can be boosted. The government has recently relaxed and streamlined guidelines related to opening of home stays in the Kashmir Valley, including in remote areas,” a senior officer said.
People having four or less rooms with basic living amenities for tourists can obtain the licence by applying on the tourism department portal, he said. We are holding hospitality-related training for the hosts, the officer said.
Some new locations for adventure sports are being developed and the infrastructure present at Gulmarg and other locations is being improved, the officer said.
“The aim of all these initiatives is to ensure that the local youth does not drift towards terrorism and at the same time, Kashmiris get the benefits of what they deserve. Defining Kashmir only through the security scenario should end,” another officer said.
