Jammu and Kashmir’s technology centre to support MSMEs

Jammu and Kashmir’s industries and commerce minister Chander Parkash Ganga on Wednesday said that massive upgradation of industrial infrastructure has been taken up in the state to promote industrial growth with technology centre being set up at Samba to extend technological and design support to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs).
“To promote local arts and crafts, handicraft units registered with handicraft department shall now be considered at par with the industrial units for the purpose of availing incentives under the existing industrial policy of the state.
“Under the programme, extensive infrastructure upgradation has been taken up after decades in various industrial estates across the state at a cost of Rs 138 crore,” the minister said while winding up the discussion in the state assembly in Jammu on demand for grants of the industries and commerce and allied departments.
The House passed the grants amounting to over Rs 563.55 crore for the industries and commerce department.
Ganga said that the department is also in the process of setting up rural industrial estates across the state for which Rs 10 crore have been earmarked in the budget.
He said that 13,661 kanals (683.05 hectares) of land at various places in the state is under different stages of transfer or acquisition to serve as land bank for industrial growth.
To promote women entrepreneurship, he said that separate entrepreneurship hubs for women are being established in the twin capital cities of Srinagar and Jammu.
The minister said that the scheme for setting up start-up hub, incubators and scheme for assistance to start-ups in Jammu and Kashmir has been approved by the government aiming at encouraging entrepreneurship and promoting innovation among talented youth.
“Under the scheme, Rs 50 lakh assistance is available to incubators for capital expenditure against investment. The innovator shall be provided Rs 10,000 per month for one year as assistance allowance,” he said.
He said that a technology centre is being set up at Samba at a cost of Rs 100 crore to extend technological and design support to MSMEs besides providing industrial know-how and skill development of the youth for better employment avenues in the industries sector.
He said that to promote ease of doing business, the government has successfully implemented around 270 business reforms out of 372 point Business Reform Action Plan-2017 (BRAP) issued by the department of industrial policy and promotion, union ministry of commerce and industries.
The minister said that various closed and sick units of Jammu Kashmir Industries Ltd are being revived.
He said that silk filature and silk factory are being established in Bari Brahmana, Jammu with a cost of about Rs 23.50 crore to utilise large cocoon production in Jammu region which otherwise is sold to entrepreneurs from outside the state.
He said that proposals worth Rs 48.05 crore of Pashmina Promotion Programme under Prime Minister’s Development Programme have been submitted to Central Wool Development Board for sanction and release of funds.
The project, he said, envisages holistic development of the pashmina craft with specific interventions at all the stages of pre-production, production and post-production.
He said that the urban haat, Jammu is being upgraded with the financial assistance of Rs 26 lakh from development commissioner (Handicrafts).
“The ban on funding of J&K Handicraft (S&E) Corporation for foreign exhibitions has been lifted by the centre after strenuous efforts.
“After many years, the J&K Handicrafts (S&E) Corporation shall be participating in Handicraft Exhibition at Birmingham early next month,” he said adding the target is to increase the exports of handicrafts and handloom products from the current level by Rs 1,000 crore annually besides serving the prime objective of minimising the exploitation of the multiple steps of middleman ship.
He said that the handicraft exports from Kashmir have gone up to Rs 1,151.12 crore in financial year 2016-17, which is 8.6 per cent hike as compared to the previous year.