Realising the power and importance of information technology, the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir has notified IT, and IT Enabled Services (ITES) Policy. The policy is set to help achieve the investment target of Rs 500 crore per year for the next five years.
Approved by the Administrative Council on March 3, 2020, the ITES faced an inordinate delay of over five months. A high-powered committee will now be formed under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary. Detailed implementation guidelines will be laid down. The policy will create and upgrade IT infrastructure to meet existing and future demands of the UT in e-governance and increase digital literacy among the youth and enhance employability by strengthening IT curriculum and infrastructure of educational institutions in J&K.
Bipul Pathak, Principal Secretary to the Government, Information Technology Department, said the policy would help the government to develop a modern and vibrant ecosystem to support electronic governance initiatives of the GoI and attract investment and talent to such industries in J&K. “The policy will guide the government in using IT as an engine for rapid inclusive and sustainable growth in the economy of J&K with the active participation of private initiative and entities.
The Union Territories of J&K will also use IT to promote tourism in the Valley and unleash it as an incubation engine. It will also encourage entrepreneurship, increase foreign exchange earnings and increase IT’s contribution to J&K’s GDP. The policy will be used to make at least one female in every household e-literate to bridge the digital divide and increase the quality and competitiveness of small and medium IT enterprises and promote them to international standards. Moreover, the government has said that efforts will be made to attract investment in IT services like network security data management, resiliency and business continuity services, business process management, software product design for industry, disruptive technologies like internet of things, artificial intelligence and robotic process automation among others.
The small and medium industries will also be encouraged to take up value-added services, and industry promotion cell will be set up to provide the necessary information to prospective investors.
