Govt begins consultations to revise industrial Policy, boost Ease of Doing Business in J&K

The Committee on Ease of Doing Business and revision of the Industrial Policy for Jammu and Kashmir on Monday held its first stakeholder consultation meeting at Udyog Bhawan, marking the start of efforts to reshape the region’s industrial landscape.

The meeting was chaired by Additional Chief Secretary, Finance, Shailendra Kumar, and brought together representatives and office bearers of various industrial and trade associations from the Jammu division.

The meeting follows a series of 25 reports by Greater Kashmir under the title “Ease of Doing Business”, which highlighted regulatory hurdles, compliance burdens, and systemic challenges confronting stakeholders across the Union Territory.

Among those present were Committee members Vikramjit Singh, Commissioner Secretary, Industries and Commerce Department, and Amitava Chatterjee, Managing Director and CEO of Jammu and Kashmir Bank.

This was the committee’s first round of stakeholder consultations aimed at revising the Industrial Policy and improving the Ease of Doing Business in the Union Territory. Officials said the next meeting will be held in Kashmir.

During the deliberations, industry representatives provided detailed feedback on a wide range of issues, including the need for regulatory simplification, reduction in compliance burden, improved access to finance, infrastructure upgrades, and mechanisms to attract fresh investment while supporting existing industrial units.

Stakeholders also proposed specific amendments for inclusion in the new Industrial Policy framework.

The Committee emphasised the importance of continuous engagement with stakeholders in shaping policy and assured that all constructive suggestions would be carefully examined. It noted that the forthcoming Industrial Policy would focus on creating a competitive, transparent, and investor-friendly ecosystem in Jammu and Kashmir.

The meeting was also attended by Director, Industries and Commerce, Jammu, Dr Arun Manhas; Chairman, Federation of Industries Jammu, Virender Jai; President, Chamber of Commerce and Industry Jammu, Arun Gupta; National Chairman, D2C Industry Association, M A Alim; Vice President, CII, Sidhant Choudhary; Chairman ICC, Rahul Sahai; President, ASSOCHAM, Manik Batra; Chairman, FICCI, Rakesh Bhat; President, BBIA, Lalit Mahajan; President, PHDCCI, Rakesh Wazir; Chairman, FICCI FLO, Varsha Bansal, besides senior officers from the Directorate of Industries and Commerce.