Jammu Kashmir Targets 1,000 High-Skilled IT Jobs as 516 New 4G Sites Go Live | Kashmir Life

SRINAGAR: In a significant push towards digital expansion, the Jammu and Kashmir Government on Saturday informed the Assembly that 516 new 4G mobile sites have been made operational across the Union Territory, even as plans for IT Parks expected to generate over 1,000 high-skilled jobs by 2030 are underway.

The disclosures were made as part of the Demand for Grants for the Information Technology Department, outlining a comprehensive roadmap to position JK as an emerging IT and digital services hub.

The Government said it has notified the Jammu & Kashmir IT/ITeS Policy-2020 and the Jammu & Kashmir Communication and Connectivity Infrastructure Policy (JKCCIP) to promote IT investments, strengthen telecom infrastructure, and create employment opportunities for local youth.

Under the IT/ITeS Policy-2020, feasibility and preparatory work has begun for establishing IT Parks in both Jammu and Kashmir divisions. The Government, in partnership with premier higher education institutions including Indian Institute of Technology Jammu, University of Jammu and University of Kashmir, is working on proposals to set up the parks. These are projected to create more than 1,000 direct high-skilled jobs and incubate over 50 technology startups by 2030.

The IT Policy provides a package of fiscal and non-fiscal incentives, including capital investment support, rental reimbursement, internet bandwidth reimbursement, stamp duty exemption or refund, SGST reimbursement, and employment-linked incentives for local hiring. A Single Window System for time-bound clearances has also been operationalised to improve ease of doing business.

On the connectivity front, the Government said JKCCIP is under active implementation, with coordinated expansion of mobile towers, optical fibre networks, and broadband infrastructure across urban and rural areas. Administrative mechanisms for Right-of-Way (RoW) permissions have been streamlined to ensure time-bound approvals.

Under the 4G saturation project being implemented through Digital Bharat Nidhi schemes of the Department of Telecommunications, 100 per cent mobile connectivity is being targeted across the Union Territory. So far, 516 4G sites have been made operational, and work on all allotted sites is scheduled for completion by March 2026.

Similarly, under the amended BharatNet project, optical fibre connectivity is being extended to all 4,291 Gram Panchayats. Work has been taken up in 40 blocks and 597 Gram Panchayats, with a three-year timeline starting June 2025 and completion targeted in 2028. The initiative aims to bridge the rural-urban digital divide and support online governance, digital education, telemedicine, and financial inclusion.

At the district level, all headquarters have been equipped with strengthened IT infrastructure, including reliable connectivity, hardware, video conferencing facilities, and secure access to government platforms through JaKeGA, NIC and BharatNet. Efforts are underway to extend similar infrastructure to sub-divisional and block-level offices.

The Government also highlighted structured initiatives for startup promotion, including incubation centres and innovation hubs in collaboration with leading institutions. Capacity-building programmes in emerging technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Cyber Security, Data Analytics and Cloud Computing are being undertaken in alignment with national missions.

Under the “Back to Village via Digital Means” initiative, 44 Digital Village Centres have been established across 20 districts. Each centre is equipped with video conferencing facilities, LED display units, desktop systems and solar UPS backup to facilitate digital service delivery. The project is currently in its operation and maintenance phase.

The Assembly was further informed that six major IT projects have been executed over the last five years, including establishment of a Centre of Excellence/IT Cell (Rs 1,150 lakh), third-party audit of IT projects (Rs 572 lakh), and rollout support for e-Office and capacity-building programmes.

The Department stated that no project has been sub-contracted and that all implementations were carried out through GeM portal or e-tendering in compliance with General Financial Rules, 2017.

Providing a comparative assessment, the Government said the in-house development model adopted by JaKeGA has resulted in substantial cost efficiency compared to outsourcing to third-party companies, citing savings on overheads, profit margins, and recurring contractual liabilities, while ensuring greater data security and institutional capacity building.

The Government maintained that the combined policy and infrastructure push is progressing in a phased manner and is aimed at sustainable employment generation, digital inclusion and balanced regional development across Jammu and Kashmir.