Will take people into confidence before approving railway line: DM Shopian

Locals express concern over impact on livelihoods, land ownership

Shopian, Mar 13 (KNO): District Magistrate of Shopian, Faz Lul Haseeb on Wednesday assured that the people’s voices will be heard and considered before any final decision is made regarding the proposed railway line in the district.

Speaking with the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), the DM, who is also the Deputy Commissioner Shopian, said railway authorities had taken the marking process of the railway line in the Zainapora area of the district where some locals have objected to it. He said people have various apprehensions and misconceptions in this regard which are being looked into.

“Before granting approval for the railway line, the administration will engage with local residents to ensure their concerns are taken into account,” Haseeb said, adding that the revenue authorities have been instructed to prepare a detailed report in this regard.

The government’s recent green signal for the final survey of five rail lines in Kashmir, including the Awantipora-Shopian route via Kulgam, has sparked protests among residents of Reshipora and Pahnoo areas in south Kashmir’s Shopian district. The locals fear that the construction of the railway line will lead to the displacement of hundreds of families, depriving them of their land and livelihoods.

The residents said many families rely on their orchards for livelihood, and the proposed railway project threatens their way of life. They urged authorities to either relocate the railway line or reconsider its construction, fearing the project will leave hundreds of families landless.

The locals appealed to higher authorities to address their grievances and ensure a fair resolution to the ongoing dispute over the proposed railway line—(KNO)

JK Govt Identifies 10 Focus Sectors in New Start-Up Policy

Srinagar, Mar 13 (KNO): Jammu and Kashmir administration has identified 10 different sectors, which will be given special attention under the new start-up policy.

As per the Start-up Policy 2024-27, a copy of which lies with news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), start-ups coming up in different sectors will get assistance and funding from the government to thrive.

The policy document reveals that these 10 sectors include food processing and allied activities, agriculture and allied sectors including horticulture and floriculture, handicrafts and handloom, education, healthcare and pharmaceuticals, textile, apparel and fashion technology, renewable energy, electronics system design and manufacturing, information technology enabled services, tourism and adventure sports and environment protection and green technology.

As per the policy, the government will create a Technical Support Unit to orchestrate networking activities between various start-up ecosystem players.

“The Government of Jammu and Kashmir shall establish a Technical Support Unit in JKEDI to orchestrate networking activities between various start-up ecosystem players such as start-ups, accelerators, incubators, angel investors, corporates, venture capitalists and other necessary stakeholders. The TSU shall provide necessary support and assistance in appraising incentive cases, collaboration with VCF’s and successful implementation of this policy,” it said.

Under the policy, the government has also decided to create a feedback mechanism to get insights into challenges being faced by the start-ups.

“The Government of Jammu and Kashmir will create quarterly feedback mechanisms from start-ups, mentors, incubators and other related stakeholders on its portal. These surveys, focus groups or public consultations will gather input from start-ups and other stakeholders on the implementation of the start-up policy. The feedback will help provide valuable insights into challenged being faced by the start-ups and the support they intend to receive,” it said.

Pertinently, the union territory administration has targeted to establish Jammu and Kashmir as one of the leading start-up ecosystems in India by 2027.

Under the policy, the administration has targeted to set up at least 2000 new start-ups in Jammu and Kashmir in next five years.

Jammu and Kashmir under the policy has constituted a High-Level Empowered Committee (HLEC) to monitor the performance of Jammu and Kashmir start-up eco-system.

With Chief Secretary as the chairman of the 12-membered HLEC, the committee as per the document shall take necessary decisions for encouragement of innovations in Jammu and Kashmir and modify start-up policy, guidelines from time -to-time

The government has also constituted a start-up task force to monitor the implementation of policy and decisions of HLEC on a regular basis.

The 10-membered task force will be headed by administrative secretary Industries and Commerce department—(KNO)