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| Industrial sector needs utmost attention | | For creating job avenues | | R.B. Suri | 6/13/2019 11:50:59 PM |
| There is no doubt at all that the state of Jammu and Kashmir is industrially backward in the country which needs the utmost attention of the State and the Central Governments at the earliest possible. The youth of the state both skilled and unskilled are capable enough to contribute on this score but the fact is that both the State and the Central Governments seems to be non serious in this regard resulting which they are being forced to adopt the gun culture in the state. It is better that without any further loss of time, the State and the Central Governments should change their mindset in providing the youth with the job avenues as soon as possible so that the vitiated atmosphere in the state can be minimized to the large extent possible. As regards Kashmir valley, there is a wide scope of the industrial development which needs to be explored. There exists a wide scope in the valley for establishing of the no. of Industrial units under the Information Technology, Food Products Processing, Walnuts Exports and towards Tourism Sector towards which the state should give the top attention immediately.
Simultaneously the State Government should start a crash employment programme in adjusting the unemployed youth of the state both skilled and unskilled in the State Government in a time bound manner as also in the big Corporate suitably. Whereas in Jammu, there is large set up of the Industries in operation at the moment but due to the negative approach of the State Government, the big Industrialists, SSIc and the small entrepreneurs are facing the suffocation at the hands of the government machinery resulting which their units are at the verge of closures. Time and again, the Industrialists individually and through their Associations delegations are meeting the officers of the State Government in connection with the solutions of their problems and the grievances, they only get the assurances resulting which their problems are becoming grave due to which they are feeling helpless and passing their days in suffocation. The situation demands that the State Government should devise a sharp and workable mechanism to clinch their burning issues in a time bound manner without fail. Pertinent to mention that prior to 1975, a very few Industrial units were working in the Jammu and Kashmir Divisions of J&K state. It was due to the hectic efforts of Shere-e-Kashmir Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah after becoming the Chief Minister pursuance to signing of Indira - Sheikh Accord in 1975, a new era of Industrial development started in J&K then. Since Sheikh was a far sighted political personality, he made the thrust on the Industrial sector so as to provide the employment avenues to the skilled and un skilled youth of the state. He paid personally had the visits to New Delhi, Mumbai,Calcutta Tamil Nadu and other big cities of the country without caring for his health and old age to convince and invite the big Corporate to start their Industrial ventures in the state of Jammu and Kashmir as he was interested in the overall industrial development of the state to the large extent. Due to his serious efforts following big corporate established their ventures in the state :-
Berger Paints, Uflex, Fena Detergents, Satyam Cements, Jackson DG Sets, Nicer Paper Mills, Bharat Boxes, .Cadila Pharma, Sun Pharma, Jhelum Steel Industry , Sudhir DG SETs Industry, Hindustan Lever, Bhillwara Textiles, Singer Swing Machines, HMT, . Khybre Group Industries, Trombo Industries, ITI etc. etc. Hindustan Lever, Bhillwara Textiles, Singer Swing Machines and several others left the state after closing there ventures here causing a great loss to the state. Mufti Mohammed too like Sheikh Sahib concentrated on this aspect and without caring for his health met the big Corporate personally at their headquarters at New Delhi, Tamil Nadu and Mumbai etc. He could not be able to contribute towards this sector as he died on January 7, 2015. Earlier J&K INDUSTRIAL POLICY expired on 31-03-2015. New and current Industrial Policy in the state of Jammu & Kashmir was announced during the last Governor's Rule which ended as on 4th April 2016. With the coming of BJP- PDP combine headed by Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti this new Industrial Policy came under large scale criticism from the pro separatists political parties of the state as it is pro outsiders entrepreneurs and big Corporate. Not only this, CCIs of both the regions of the state have also reacted against it strongly as it does not come up to their expectations. Under the previous Industrial Policy, big chunk of land bank of the state stands already given to the entrepreneurs and the big outside Corporate groups for doing their industrial activities in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. A sizeable amount which runs into thousand crores is lying in rent arrears as recoverable from them since long for which no serious efforts were initiated over the years by the State Government as the officers at the helm of affairs over the years have developed their personal good relations with the Managements of these Industrial groups and entrepreneurs lobby. Thousands of Acres of land have been allotted to the entrepreneurs and big Corporate at the very meager rate i.e. throw away prices just @ Rs. 1.50 lac per Kanal of land to establish their business venture. With the passage of time after opening their ventures, some of them have already closed down their ventures and left the state thereby earning a lot from realizing their huge assets. Within a period of 10 -17 years, they became multi millioner's at the cost of the state exchequer that too with the connivance of the state officials at the helm of affairs. Various clauses incorporated in their land Allotment Agreements / Deeds on this score were always side lined by them resulting which the state had to suffer a lot due to their will full negligence. Seeing the weakness of the state and its governing machinery, the entrepreneurs and the big Corporate enjoyed a lot and they are not interested to repay the same which are lying as arrears against them. There are also penalty provisions for the same. Rent arrears are increasing day by day and being accumulating to the large extent. Various entrepreneurs and big Corporate come in the state with the light mind and they go out of the state closing their Industrial ventures on their own and leave the state after having availed the various financial incentives and other facilities announced by the State and the Central Governments. There is no proper check from the state on this score. This practice is going on since long and in the new Industrial Policy of the state, no proper thought was given on this important aspect . Allotment of land bank to the entrepreneurs and the big Corporate from the outside is immaterial which needs no further discussion as the same the intent of the State Government is in the larger interests of the state and its people. Total Industrialization of the state is the Panacea for all the diseases. More and more Industry in the state means that more and more openings for the unemployed youth of the state both skilled and unskilled. Establishing of more and more Industries in the state by large groups will certainly lead to the economic prosperity of the state. The Industrialists of the state as also their trade bodies which include the Chambers of Industries of both the regions of the divisions of Kashmir and Jammu had opposed it very strongly. They alleged that their suggestions out rightly have been ignored and demanded for its modifications. Industrial Policy of the state which is inflicted with many ills is required to be re-casted after taking the Corporate sector of the state and CCIs of Kashmir and Jammu regions into confidence. Major thrust should be on total Industrialization od the state of Jammu and Kashmir as also to provide the employment avenues to the skilled and unskilled unemployed youth of the state. Giving Jobs to the un- employed youth of J&K or in the alternative, announcing of the unemployment allowance on monthly basis was the major planks of the Coalition Governments headed by Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti in the state. I am sorry to write that the Coalition Governments in the past had played with the lives of unemployed youth in J&K. They did nothing practically for the benefits of the unemployed youth ( Both skilled and unskilled). The duo have dodged the unemployed youth on one pretext or the other hand in fact, they went on exploiting them with the false promises. Pertinent to mention here that the unemployed educated youth of the state skilled and unskilled ranging from 70000 to 80000 registered with the Employment Exchanges in the state are passing their miserable days. Actually those were the youth who worked day and night to strengthen the parliamentary democracy in the state but their exploitation added fuel to the fire. This is why, they are feeling furious against the earlier Coalition Governments. During the last Assembly elections in 2014, they were given the various promises which include the providing of jobs to them or in the alternative granting of unemployment allowance to them. This is the high time to consider the grant of unemployment allowance to them in order to contain the Kashmir unrest once for all. A dire need is felt to accommodate them suitably so that their energies are used for the welfare of the state thereby giving the signal to the others who have gone under the evil designs of the various militant outfits in the valley. By doing this act, the Political Rulers would win the sympathies of unemployed youth in the state. Since the unemployed educated youth of the state skilled and unskilled are penny less and get themselves misled by the unwanted people in the society and too feel burden upon their parents. This is a major issue as such special attention should be paid on priority to this problem otherwise there would be a total chaos in the state in the days to come. It may acquire the volcanic stage from where there would not be any chance for return. A stitch in time saves nine. The issue involved should not be taken casually as all other things pertaining to the overall development of the state are immaterial. But I am of the view that major reason of the militancy in Kashmir is the un-employment of educated youth both skilled and unskilled as the successive governments in the past failed miserably to solve the problem of un-employment in the state as also a very little attention was paid towards the Total Industrialzation of the state. If this un-employment factor is plugged fully in absorbing the educated un-employed educated youth in the Government / Corporate, the militancy can be totally eliminated from the valley resulting which massive development of the state would be possible. The spreading of the militancy in the state which had been erupted since 1989was due to the wrong nd faulty policies of the State and the Central Governments . therefore in order to save the situation to go bad further there is a dire need of announcing the crash employment programme in a time bound manner for the unemployed youth of the state or in the alternative announcing of the "Unemployment Allowance" in their favour immediately. This can easily done by the Governor's administration by diverting the funds from the development sector for meeting the cost of the "Unemployment Allowance Package" to the unemployed youth of the stateas under:-
Post graduates and above:- Rs 7000 per month
Graduates:- Rs 5000 per month
Undergraduates:- Rs 4000 per month
To meet with the captioned requirement only Rs. 576 crores are required to be diverted which is a meager amount in a financial budget of the which goes beyond Rs. 95000 crores. Therefore, it is in the interest of everybody in the state and feeling the necessity of the solution to the problem of un-employment, the government should adopt the measures as suggested in the preceding lines which will go a long way for the total welfare of the state. Solution to the un-employment problem is a solution to the problem of militancy in the valley as well and the State Government should take the cognizance of the same seriously. Thousands of crores of rupees are being spent on development which are meaningless unless the ills of the militancy is eliminated from the soil of J&K. If there will be calm and peace all round in the state, then only development means everything for the overall betterment of the general masses of the state otherwise meaningless for all practical purposes. Let's hope for the best from all those who are at the helm of affairs in this sensitive state. To avoid educated un-employed youth unrest, this step of announcing the un-employment allowance is must which will go a long way in the overall development in the state. |
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