Mission Yowa, envisioned as a catalyst for Jammu and Kashmir’s economic revival, seeks to empower youth through entrepreneurship and industrial growth. Its goal to foster skill development and create opportunities is commendable, but the initiative is being strangled by the sluggish execution of the Jammu and Kashmir Industrial Land Allotment Policy 2021-30. Aspiring entrepreneurs, brimming with ambition, are trapped in a bureaucratic quagmire, their dreams deferred by systemic inefficiencies.
As of March 2025, the J&K government has received over 8,500 applications for industrial land, promising investments of ₹1.69 lakh crore and over six lakh jobs. Yet, only 1,964 applicants—213 non-locals and 1,751 locals—have been allotted 11,546.25 kanals of land. Many who submitted detailed project reports last year remain in limbo, their patience eroded by opaque processes and endless delays. The government’s boast of a “transparent and streamlined” system feels like a cruel jest when applicants face unclear timelines and unresponsive authorities.
The Industrial Land Allotment Policy, meant to create a robust land bank and attract investment, is crippled by its own complexity. Despite a high-level committee overseeing allocations, the pace of approvals is glacial, raising serious doubts about administrative will and capacity. The zoning framework and appraisal mechanisms, though well-designed on paper, are suffocating under red tape, eroding investor trust and stalling J&K’s economic momentum. Amendments introduced in August 2024 to improve transparency have proven to be mere window-dressing, with no tangible progress to show.
Mission Yowa’s transformative potential is at risk of being reduced to hollow rhetoric. The government must act decisively—streamlining the allotment process, enforcing strict deadlines, and improving communication with applicants. Without urgent reforms, the administration risks alienating the very youth and investors it seeks to empower, squandering J&K’s chance to emerge as an industrial powerhouse. Mission Yowa deserves better than to be lost in red tape; it demands action, accountability, and results.
