The statement given by the Defence Minister Rajnath Singh that the role of the private sector is becoming increasingly prominent in almost every area of the Indian economy, and it is steering the nation's economic progress should be looked at very seriously in context with the present landscape and aspirations of people of J&K.
Anyone having the basic knowledge of the region must be knowing that J&K sans private sector bounties conventionally but what is more agonizing that today also when the region is witnessing Assembly polls after a long gap of ten years, no significant assurance has been given by any of the political entity whether in power or out of power about fortifying the private sector in the UT.
There is no doubt in the fact that the assertion made by the Defence Minister that private sector is the main stakeholder in boosting the economy under present circumstances but what the political parties have for the people of J&K is different sets of freebies with plus and minus of short term bounties including free ration, laptops, money, etc but on the issue of bringing big private players to the region, all parties are on same page with no offer or even a future plan.
The situation of industry and private sector in J&K could be well gauged by the fact that school textbooks of concerned subjects have topics justifying that due to difficult terrains, absence of raw material and good transport facilities, the region lags in this sector leading to lesser job opportunities and development deficit.
But today the scenario is different with the road network getting a boost, trains reaching most of the places and above all peace prevailing in every nook and corner therefore it is intriguing that no substantial step has been taken to address this vital issue. Of course, for heavy industry lack of transport facilities could act as bottlenecks but isn't it unfair that helmsmen have not taken interest in setting up software industry, big call centres, etc which only require communication channels and office accommodations but can prove game changers as far as job creation is concerned.
As the semiconductor industry is all set to thrive in India with PM Narendra Modi taking personal interest and exploring its possibilities during his recent visit to Singapore, the political parties in J&K should have explored the possibility of setting up fabrication units in J&K. This sub sector in the private sector doesn't require transportation of heavy things and could be flourished in any compound or office complex. The prospects for this segment of the private sector industry are really promising as the jobs offered are highly paid and can change the course of the region and its people.
