With unprecedented drop in covid cases and fatalities in Jammu & Kashmir like many states and Union Territories of the country, the focus would most probably now shift to reduce the contractions in the local economies witnessed in three consecutive years of pandemic as the victims of joblessness would most likely find themselves in a struggling phase in coming few months . The economy of the people in semi urban and rural areas has been shattered so much by the pandemic that the spending capacity of the middle classes in villages and smaller towns has reduced to ration and some basic amenities of life. So amid unprecedented contractions in the economy of the people in villages and smaller towns the only way to reduce the joblessness and increase the income of youth lies in increasing the frequency of local business operations across Jammu & Kashmir and more so in villages and smaller towns. Knowing that intensifying the activities in agriculture, horticulture and tourism sectors is the only way to increase the local business operations in Jammu & Kashmir particularly Kashmir Valley the government has already started working on intensifying the activities in agriculture, horticulture and tourism sectors in Jammu & Kashmir. Though it is also an irrefutable fact that rise in frequency of civil constructions could also reduce the joblessness in Jammu & Kashmir like many states and union territories of the country but frequency of civil constructions can rise only after rise in the frequency of local business operations in both Kashmir valley and Jammu division.
Though economists and planners in Jammu & Kashmir like their contemporaries in the central and state governments disagree with the general public perception that local business operations have drastically reduced during last three years of pandemic but irrefutable fact is that the people in thousands have lost their jobs in private business operations and consequently their income has also come down to a new low in last three years of pandemic. Unless and untill local business operations are not further activated, the people in Jammu & Kashmir working in private sectors are unlikely to recover from severe economic shocks of last three years of pandemic.
Interestingly thousands of people have lost their livelihoods and incomes in Jammu & Kashmir like their contemporaries of many states and union territories of the country. The increasing inequality in incomes among the people middle classes indicate that the purchasing capacity of the poorest of the poor has come down to a new low in both Kashmir valley and as well as Jammu . Since the outbreak of the covid-19 pandemic the unemployment is rising due to huge fall of the labour force participation in civil construction works in Jammu & Kashmir like many states and union territories of the country. Though economists and planners in Jammu & Kashmir like their contemporaries in the central and state governments disagree with the general public perception that local business operations have drastically reduced during last three years of pandemic but irrefutable fact is that the people in thousands have lost their jobs in private business operations and consequently their income has also come down to a new low in last three years of pandemic. Unless and untill local business operations are not further activated, the people in Jammu & Kashmir working in private sectors are unlikely to recover from severe economic shocks of last three years of pandemic.
