(LiveMint)
In a bid to improve Jammu and Kashmir’s business engagement with the rest of the country, industry lobby Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci) will set up an office in Srinagar. The industry chamber’s move to facilitate its members’ expansion in the state comes at a time the geographically challenged state is making a major push to boost its Rs1.2 trillion economy by reforming labour laws, building industrial infrastructure in rural areas and cutting logistics costs.
“This will help local businesses in networking with businesses outside the state. Their concerns will get a bigger and better platform nationally to get articulated. Otherwise the local businesses are isolated and their problems ignored,” Jammu and Kashmir finance minister Haseeb Drabu said in an interview. Drabu, who last week proposed a uniform employment code in his 2018-19 budget, also announced steps to move the state economy to “a frontier of lower logistics costs.”
