Srinagar, Aug 4: An editorial titled “Self-Inflicted Industrial Isolation” was published in Daily Excelsior on 29 July 2026. The article appears to have been published without seeking inputs, comments, or factual clarifications from the Government.

The Government of Jammu & Kashmir remains committed to leveraging appropriate Government of India initiatives to promote industrial growth, attract investments and create employment opportunities in the Union Territory. The Modified Special Incentive Package Scheme (M-SIPS), introduced in 2012 and revised in 2015, remained open for applications up to 31 December 2018, while the Electronics Manufacturing Clusters (EMC) Scheme, launched in 2012 and restructured as EMC 2.0 in 2020, remained open for applications up to 31 March 2024.
These schemes were operational during a period when Jammu & Kashmir faced significant challenges relating to industrial infrastructure, connectivity, logistics, market access, and investor confidence. Given these constraints and the absence of mature electronics manufacturing ecosystem, attracting investments of the scale envisaged under these schemes was not feasible. Further, while the EMC Scheme provided financial assistance of up to ₹50 crore (₹75 crore under EMC 2.0), the development of a viable electronics manufacturing cluster required minimum 800 kanals (100 acres) of land. Given the limited availability of large industrial land parcels in Jammu & Kashmir and the substantial infrastructure investments required, the assistance available under the scheme was relatively insufficient to offset the overall project cost.
In the case of the M-SIPS Scheme, the financial assistance was aimed at promoting electronics manufacturing by providing capital incentives directly to eligible manufacturing units. Given the constraints and the absence of a mature electronics manufacturing ecosystem, no unit from J&K applied under the scheme.
The industrial landscape of Jammu & Kashmir has undergone a significant transformation in recent years. This progress is reflected in the grounding of investments worth ₹5,824.42 crore during FY 2025-26, the highest ever recorded in a single financial year and 13 timeshigher than the pre-policy period. Since FY 2020-21, Jammu & Kashmir has realized investments amounting to ₹16,302 crore, demonstrating sustained industrial momentum. Jammu& Kashmir was recognized as a ‘Top Achiever’ and secured the 5th rank among all States and UTs in the Business Reforms Action Plan (BRAP) 2024, reflecting significant improvements in the ease of doing business ecosystem.
The Government will continue to proactively pursue opportunities that contribute to employment generation and economic development of the Union Territory.