Asserting that unemployment cannot be addressed through government jobs alone, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday said Jammu and Kashmir is expecting a substantial industrial package in the Union Budget to boost industrial growth in the Union Territory.“Our expectation from the Union Budget is that we receive a good industrial package. Jammu and Kashmir has not received any central package providing incentives for industry since 1990.
“We are working closely with the Centre to ensure that J&K receives a substantial and effective industrial incentives package for the development of the industrial sector,” Abdullah told reporters after inaugurating the Startup Mela at J&K Entrepreneurship Development Institute (JKEDI) in Samba district.
The programme included the disbursement of seed funds to startups, release of capital grants to incubators and felicitation of winners of the idea challenge.
“It is both our compulsion and responsibility (to create a startup ecosystem), because, as I said, unemployment cannot be solved through government jobs alone. Unlike some other states, I cannot simply tell our people to leave Jammu and Kashmir for jobs elsewhere,” he said, referring to the recent incident of harassment of Kashmiri shawl sellers in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
“The incidents in Himachal and Uttarakhand have shown that our people are now looking more inward rather than going outside,” Abdullah said, expressing concern over the trend.
Asked about government efforts to revive sick industrial units, the chief minister said his government will do whatever is necessary to help such units which are in a position to restart.
“If they are not in a position to restart, we will help them set up a new business, and in case they are not in such a position, we will take back the land provided to them so that it can be allotted to someone else, so that the industry is set up.”
Further talking about entrepreneurship, he stressed that failure should be seen as a learning opportunity, citing entrepreneurs like Elon Musk, who view setbacks as “successful failures.”
The CM said entrepreneurship is not limited to manufacturing, as service and tech innovations, such as Zomato, Blinkit, and Uber, demonstrate the potential of creative business models.
“The role of identifying startups and providing fearless funding cannot entirely be done by the government. We need to empower our educational institutions and JKEDI so that they can effectively support entrepreneurship. For example, the seed capital provision of EDI should be expanded so it can function effectively. EDI was established precisely to foster an entrepreneurship culture,” he said.
The CM also said the government is working to bring significant improvements over the next 2-3 years, adding that efforts to ensure the single-window clearance system functions are already underway. This would reduce red tape and save entrepreneurs’ valuable time, Abdullah added.
When asked about the demand for a Supreme Court-monitored probe into the death of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in a plane crash on Wednesday, Abdullah said the late NCP leader’s uncle, Sharad Pawar, had made it clear that it was an accident and “we should not play politics over it. I don’t think I need to say anything now.”