Jammu/Srinagar, June 8 (IANS) J&K government on Monday held a UT level workshop on Industrial corridors, ‘Plug & Play infrastructure’. The Department of Industries & Commerce, Government of Jammu & Kashmir on Monday organised a UT level Internal Consultative workshop at the Convention Centre, Jammu, on the theme “Industrial Corridors & Plug-and-Play Infrastructure: State Readiness for Global Manufacturing.”

The workshop was held as part of a structured consultation process initiated by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Government of India, in preparation for the National Departmental Summit proposed to be held in July 2026.

The exercise forms part of a wider Centre-State consultative framework emerging from the 5th National Conference of Chief Secretaries. The initiative aims to enhance India’s manufacturing competitiveness through coordinated efforts in industrial infrastructure development, logistics integration, investment facilitation, industrial corridors, plug-and-play ecosystems, skill development and policy reforms required for integration with global manufacturing value chains.

The workshop commenced with a welcome address by Dr. Arun Kumar Manhas, Director, Industries & Commerce, Jammu. Commissioner Secretary, Industries & Commerce, Vikramjit Singh, gave the inaugural address wherein he emphasized the need for leveraging evolving geopolitical scenario in India’s favour.

He highlighted the importance of the consultative process, describing it as a valuable opportunity for Jammu and Kashmir to present its industrial strengths, identify the infrastructure gaps and articulate region-specific challenges before the national policy-making framework.

He observed that the Union Territory possesses significant untapped potential for manufacturing-led growth and must effectively leverage such platforms to seek targeted investments and policy support.

The workshop featured two thematic sessions facilitated by Invest India Team, followed by an extensive open-house discussion and concluding observations by the Director, Industries & Commerce. Discussions were guided by the four key pillars identified by DPIIT: Land & Industrial Infrastructure Assets, Connectivity & Gateway Infrastructure, Skills & Innovation Ecosystem and Policy, Institutions & Regulations.

The open-house session enabled all stakeholders to share practical insights, highlight sector-specific challenges and suggest measures for improving the ease and competitiveness of industrial development in Jammu and Kashmir.

The interaction ensured that perspectives from different regions and sectors were comprehensively reflected in the consultation process. The workshop is a part of ongoing efforts by the government to assess the preparedness of States and Union Territories for integration into global manufacturing value chains, in line with the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.

Under this nationwide consultative exercise, Jammu and Kashmir has been actively engaging the stakeholders through a series of consultations. The insights and recommendations emerging from these discussions will be consolidated and submitted to DPIIT, ensuring that the Union Territory’s industrial priorities, infrastructure needs and growth aspirations are effectively reflected in the policy deliberations at the forthcoming National Summit.

The event witnessed participation from the districts, representative of Administrative Secretaries of different Departments besides Chairman Assocham J&K Council Manik Batra,, Member, National Executive, Laghu Udyog Bharti Parveen Pargal, President Small and Tiny Industry Harvinder Singh, President CIC-J&K Rakesh Sharma, Co-Chairperson FICCI Rakesh Bhat, Prominent Industrialists and senior officers from Industries and Commerce Department also attended the workshop.

–IANS

sq/pgh