Srinagar: Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha Wednesday said that women-led enterprises would shape the future of J&K.
An official spokesman in a statement issued here said that chairing a high-level meeting with senior officials to review the status of industrial investment and to discuss strategies on boosting investments in a fast-track mode, the LG said, “We must ensure increasing presence of women in the economy and designate more exclusive industrial estates for women entrepreneurs like the one established in Udhampur to facilitate women-run businesses and startups.”
During the meeting, he was briefed on investment in different sectors, status of land allotment, new industrial estates, recent steps taken by the department to fast-track grounding investment, policy initiatives, promoting start-ups among youth, especially technology based and scalable startups and achievements in exports of major products like carpets, papier-mâché, shawls, and chain stitch.
Sinha directed for proactive steps to increase private industrial estates equipped with necessary infrastructure.
He said that 2023 would be the year of agro-industrial revolution powered by Holistic Agriculture Development Plan (HADP) and increased production in agriculture and allied sectors that would offer vast opportunities to agro-industries.
The LG directed the officials that the potential of new cold storage and cold chains should be tapped to ensure rapid economic growth flows to rural areas of J&K.
To scale up further infrastructure, he directed the officials to push for greater private investment in inland ports, container depots, and food processing units.
Sinha also issued directions to develop a mechanism for regular meetings with representatives of old industrial estates to resolve their issues.
Highlighting that GI Tagging had offered enormous potential to transform handicraft sector and to boost export, he said authenticity of products like Pashmina should be ensured for export.
The LG directed the concerned officials to accelerate the development of basic amenities like connectivity, power, and water facilities in the new industrial estates.
He called for replicating the best models of industrial estates developed in other parts of the country.
Chief Secretary, Arun Kumar Mehta; Financial Commissioner Revenue, Shaleen Kabra; Principal Secretary, Forest Department, Dheeraj Gupta; Principal Secretary, Finance Department, Santosh Dattatreya Vaidya; Principal Secretary, Power Development Department, H Rajesh Prasad; Principal Secretary to LG, Mandeep Kumar Bhandari; and Commissioner Secretary, Industries and Commerce Department, Vikramjit Singh also attended the meeting.
