There is no doubt about tourism booming in Kashmir these days. Needless to say that the Government did everything to facilitate that, aiming to ensure that people associated with tourism get to see some light. The light did illuminate the surroundings, and with that, a new lease of life was instilled in the sector which remained quite dormant in the last several years. But tourism is not the end and beginning of everything, because there are several other sectors, such as industries, that need to be explored for the better days ahead. Despite a significant resurgence, the tourism industry is ultimately a seasonal one, so relying only on it would be quite unwise.
A lot has also been said concerning the setting up of the industries in J&K and particularly in Kashmir, but has there been any development so far in that direction? What needs to be asked here is: What has been the plan of the Government to usher in a new era of development, of which setting up industries was the priority; and, how many objectives laid down to kick-start a transformation in J&K have been achieved so far? While there are no answers to these questions as of now, those who have been given the responsibility of putting J&K on the path of development, progress and youth empowerment, need to sit back and think about the achievements, if any, and more importantly, the way forward—which is the need of the hour.
Here, we thrust more on industries and there is a reason for that, which is, that industries have never thrived in Kashmir—even though in Jammu, there is a substantial presence —and there is every chance that the sector would get favouring circumstances, not only for intrinsic growth of the sector but at the same time, the creation of much-needed employment avenues for the skilled and qualified workforce in Kashmir. Because, they haven’t really had the opportunities to showcase what they can do and if they are doing it, then, that’s just for peanuts. The Government must move ahead and set up the industrial sector effectively because it has got the potential to bridge the gap, make the much-needed difference on the ground—and more importantly fight the demon of unemployment.
