Economic slowdown in Jammu & Kashmir had though started many years before the arrival of covid-19 pandemic two years ago as we had not good tourist seasons for several years during the reign of popular governments in erstwhile Jammu & Kashmir state. Though economic scenario worsened after two back to back covid lockdowns in last two years but the revival of tourist activities this year due to reducing intensity of pandemic spread has brought respite to tourism sector in Jammu & Kashmir particularly Kashmir valley. However the intensity of the revival of tourism sector is not too big to reduce the losses suffered by local tour and travel operators during last more than five years. Good beginning is half done and same holds good for the revival of the tourism sector which is the backbone of Kashmir economy. Interestingly the horticulture sector the second biggest source of income and employment after tourism for the people of Kashmir too suffered heavy losses during last five years mostly due to untimely snowing and rains either at the start or in the middle of horticulture seasons. So in the recent years stress on the two key sectors of economy –tourism and horticulture has been on the rise and the reducing intensity of the covid-19 pandemic has now generated hopes of slow down in the stress on both the tourism and horticulture sectors in Jammu & Kashmir. Since the slowdown in the tourist and horticulture activities has also increased, the intensity of joblessness during last five years of economic distress and more so in last two years of covid-19 pandemic has been on the rise. So under these prevailing circumstances even naives won’t expect full scale recovery of the losses suffered by tourism and horticulture sectors in short time.
While infrastructural facilities have to be upgraded at the key tourist destinations for the purposes of expanding the entire tourism sector across Kashmir, the efforts to minimise the use of labour with the use of new technology for reducing the costs of investment could bring respite to the people connected with the horticulture sector. The focus of all economic initiatives has to be on reducing the investments by greater use of technology and this is more relevant to the revival of key economic sectors of Jammu & Kashmir than main key economic sectors of other states and union territories of the country.
The extras stress that mounted due to covid pandemic on the key sectors of economy in Jammu & Kashmir like tourism and horticulture has though started releasing but it would take not less than two years for the full scale revival of both the key sectors of economy. The current economic scenario in Jammu & Kashmir demand a strategy for reviving the key economic sectors particularly tourism and horticulture. While infrastructural facilities have to be upgraded at the key tourist destinations for the purposes of expanding the entire tourism sector across Kashmir, the efforts to minimise the use of labour with the use of new technology for reducing the costs of investment could bring respite to the people connected with the horticulture sector. The focus of all economic initiatives has to be on reducing the investments by greater use of technology and this is more relevant to the revival of key economic sectors of Jammu & Kashmir than main key economic sectors of other states and union territories of the country.
