Jammu, Mar 16: A total of 6816.25 kanal of land has been allotted to 213 non-locals across Jammu and Kashmir since 2016, under J&K Industrial Policy 2016-26 and the new J&K Industrial Land Allotment Policy 2021-30.
Of this, 6408.25 kanal land has been allotted to 205 non-locals in the Jammu region while 408 kanal of land has been allotted to eight non-local beneficiaries in the Kashmir division.
Besides, J&K has received 8532 applications through its single window portal, proposing Rs 169282.22 crore in investments with the potential to create 6,06,203 jobs, requiring allotment of 80,668.91 kanal land, up to March 10, 2025.
As per the official statistics, under the new J&K Industrial Land Allotment Policy 2021-30 (amended version), a total of 6505.25 kanal land has been allotted to 179 non-locals across J&K.
Of this, 6097.25 kanal land has been allotted in Jammu division among 171 non-local beneficiaries by SIDCO Jammu (5415.25 kanal land to 150 persons) and SICOP Jammu (782 kanal land to 21 beneficiaries).
Similarly, 408 kanal land was allotted to eight non-locals in Kashmir division by SIDCO Kashmir (364 kanal to 21 beneficiaries) and SICOP Kashmir (44 kanal to 2 non-locals).
Under the J&K Industrial Policy 2016-26, SIDCO Jammu allotted 301 kanal land to 30 non-local beneficiaries and SICOP Jammu allotted 10 kanal land to four non-local beneficiaries.
Investors hailed from Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh.
The government has maintained that the land is allotted for industrial purposes, however, a due procedure for allotment (as per policy) has been followed during allotments.
With regard to applications received through the single window portal, 2209 applications, proposing Rs 118918.47 crore investment over 46352.86 kanal land with a potential of creating 2,66,729 jobs, have been received in the Jammu division.
In the Kashmir division, 6323 applications with a proposed investment of 50,363.75 crore over 34316.05 kanal land with a potential of creating 3,39,474 jobs, have been received.
Notably, Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Kumar Choudhary, while replying to the debate on demands for grants for the Industries and Commerce department in the Legislative Assembly on March 15, mentioned 14 policies and schemes that provide financial support, tax benefits and land for industries.
“A major initiative, the New Central Sector Scheme (NCSS) 2021, was launched with Rs 28,400 crore to help industries set up and grow. This scheme offers investment incentives, tax relief and interest support. The response has been positive – 971 industrial units have been approved, bringing in Rs 10,471 crore of investment and creating 51,897 jobs,” he said.
To provide more space for industries, Choudhary said that the government was building 46 new industrial estates in addition to the 64 existing ones.
“These estates will be ready from March 2025 onwards and will bring more businesses and jobs to J&K. The land for 15,994 additional industrial plots has also been identified for future development,” he said.
Referring to investment in industries, the Deputy Chief Minister said that in 2023-24, investments worth Rs 3389 crore were made creating 1,46,317 jobs, which was a 57 percent increase from the previous year.
According to him, in 2024-25, 381 new units started production, adding Rs 3887 crore of investment and 10,715 more jobs.
It was informed that over the past five years, 2031 industrial units have started operations, bringing in Rs 10,516 crore and employing 65,982 people.
