Jammu

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday said the Union Territory is looking forward to a substantial industrial incentives package in the forthcoming Union Budget, stressing that job creation cannot rely solely on government employment.

Speaking to reporters after inaugurating the Startup Mela at the Jammu and Kashmir Entrepreneurship Development Institute (JKEDI) in Samba district, Abdullah said sustained industrial growth is essential to tackle unemployment in the region.

“Our expectation from the Union Budget is a strong industrial package. Jammu and Kashmir has not received a central incentives package for industry since 1990,” he said, adding that the UT government is working closely with the Centre to ensure meaningful support for industrial development.

The event saw the distribution of seed funding to startups, release of capital grants to incubation centres and recognition of winners of an innovation challenge.

Abdullah said promoting entrepreneurship has become both a necessity and a responsibility for the government, noting that public-sector jobs alone cannot absorb the growing workforce.

“Unlike some other states, I cannot simply ask our people to move outside Jammu and Kashmir in search of jobs,” he said, referring to recent incidents involving the harassment of Kashmiri shawl sellers in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

“These incidents have made it clear that people are increasingly looking for opportunities within the region rather than outside,” the chief minister said, expressing concern over the trend.

On the issue of non-performing industrial units, Abdullah said the government would extend all possible assistance to enterprises capable of restarting operations.

“If revival is feasible, we will help them restart. If not, we will support them in setting up alternative businesses. However, if neither option is viable, the land allotted to them will be reclaimed and reassigned so that industrial activity is not stalled,” he said.

Emphasising the importance of a supportive startup ecosystem, the chief minister said entrepreneurial failure should be viewed as a learning experience rather than a setback, citing global business leaders who have turned failures into success.

He also noted that entrepreneurship is no longer confined to manufacturing, pointing to service- and technology-driven companies as examples of innovative business models.

“Identifying startups and providing risk capital cannot be the government’s responsibility alone. Institutions like JKEDI and educational centres must be strengthened to shoulder this role,” Abdullah said, adding that seed capital allocations for such institutions should be enhanced to help them function effectively.

The chief minister said efforts are underway to ensure that the single-window clearance mechanism becomes fully operational within the next two to three years, reducing bureaucratic delays and saving time for entrepreneurs.

Responding to a query on demands for a Supreme Court-monitored probe into the recent plane crash in Maharashtra that claimed the life of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, Abdullah said Sharad Pawar had already described the incident as an accident.

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“We should not politicise such tragedies. I don’t think there is anything more to add,” he said.