 Early Times Report
JAMMU, Oct 9: Chief Minister Omar Abdullah today called upon industry leaders to explore Jammu and Kashmir as an emerging destination for Global Capability Centres (GCCs), emphasising that the government is committed to creating a competitive, business-friendly ecosystem that attracts investment, fosters innovation and generates meaningful employment.
“We have to make Jammu and Kashmir a place that is competitive, a place that is attractive to do business, a place where you can make money, and a place where we can compete with the Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities around the country,” the Chief Minister said while addressing the inaugural session of the J&K GCC Summit 2026 at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Jammu. He addressed the gathering virtually from New Delhi.
The two-day summit, themed ‘Unlocking J&K’s GCC Potential for Building Growth Ecosystem and Catalysing Investment’, brings together representatives of government, industry and academia to explore opportunities for developing Jammu and Kashmir’s presence in India’s expanding GCC ecosystem.
Highlighting the evolution of GCCs in India, the Chief Minister said that what began as call centres and business process outsourcing operations had evolved into centres of innovation, talent, capability and enterprise.
“The story of GCCs in India is a story of evolution, as is the story of Jammu and Kashmir,” he said, and added that the transformation of GCCs demonstrated how capabilities and value addition could create new economic opportunities.
Drawing a parallel with Jammu and Kashmir’s own journey over the past three to three-and-a-half decades, Omar Abdullah said the fact that the region was now being discussed as a potential destination for GCC investments reflected a significant change in the opportunities being explored.
Acknowledging that Jammu and Kashmir continued to face a perception challenge arising from its past, he said the government was working to address it through investments across industry, manufacturing, agriculture, tourism and other emerging sectors, including GCCs.
The Chief Minister said Jammu and Kashmir need not replicate the growth trajectories of established GCC hubs such as Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Chennai, but could learn from their experiences and position itself to compete with Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities.
“Coming late to the party is disappointing, but it is not always disadvantageous. We can learn from the experiences of others. We don’t have to reinvent the wheel. We just have to use it better,” CM Omar observed.
He pointed out that the rising cost of doing business in larger cities had created opportunities for emerging destinations. Jammu and Kashmir, he said, could explore this space by building on its inherent advantages and offering an attractive environment for businesses to establish and expand their operations.
Underscoring the importance of educational institutions in developing a skilled workforce, the Chief Minister highlighted the presence of a strong network of higher education institutions in Jammu and Kashmir, including IIM Jammu, IIT Jammu, Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University, the University of Jammu, the University of Kashmir and the Islamic University of Science and Technology.
These institutions, he continued, were producing talented and well-educated young people who were often compelled to seek employment opportunities outside the region, including in the GCC sector, because of limited opportunities at home.
He said the establishment of GCCs in Jammu and Kashmir could help retain local talent, create quality employment and connect the region’s educated youth with emerging opportunities in the technology-driven economy.
The Chief Minister said the success of the summit should not be measured by an immediate target of establishing a large number of GCCs, but by the creation of a foundation for sustainable growth.
“We’d be quite happy to have one, first GCC. One will lead to five. Five will lead to ten. And the story will grow from there,” he said, stressing that the government wanted investors to choose Jammu and Kashmir on the strength of its business potential rather than out of sympathy for its past challenges.
Emphasising that commercial viability would remain central to attracting and retaining investment, Omar Abdullah said businesses would continue to operate in a destination only as long as it made economic sense for them.
The Chief Minister highlighted the government’s efforts to improve the business environment, including the passage of comprehensive Ease of Doing Business legislation during the recent session of the Legislative Assembly, which received the assent of the Lieutenant Governor and has become law.
He said the legislation was intended to make doing business in Jammu and Kashmir easier, adding that its implementation on the ground would be critical. The government, he said, would learn from experience and undertake further improvements wherever required.
Describing the summit as an opportunity for the government to learn from industry leaders and established GCC ecosystems, he said the deliberations would help identify the measures needed to make Jammu and Kashmir a more attractive destination for investors.
He said the government was keen to build sustained engagement with NASSCOM and other industry stakeholders, and invited companies to explore the region’s potential.
Pointing to Jammu and Kashmir’s climatic conditions and connectivity by road, rail and air, Omar Abdullah said the region had inherent advantages that could be developed into a compelling proposition for businesses considering new locations.
“I am just going to assure all of you that whatever we can do in the government to make your journey easier, to ensure that you’re able to establish here easily and also profitably, please rest assured that at the highest levels in the government, we are committed to making your journey easy,” he said.
Expressing hope that the summit would mark the beginning of a long-term association between Jammu and Kashmir and the GCC industry, he said emerging technologies could open up opportunities for new destinations, including the Union Territory.
The Chief Minister thanked the participating industry leaders and delegates for their engagement and appreciated IIM Jammu for organising the summit. He expressed hope that the two days of deliberations would translate into tangible outcomes and meaningful investment opportunities on the ground.
The inaugural session was attended by Atal Dulloo, Chief Secretary; Ram Niwas Sharma, Commissioner Secretary, Higher Education Department; Kumar Rajeev Ranjan, Secretary, Department of Labour and Employment; Rajesh Nambiar, President, NASSCOM; Rajendra Singh Pawar, Chairman, NIIT; and Prof. B.S. Sahay, Director, IIM Jammu, among other representatives from government, industry and academia.
With participation from approximately 45 organisations, over 55 industry leaders and more than 300 delegates, the J&K GCC Summit 2026 seeks to strengthen engagement between policymakers, industry and academia and identify pathways for translating Jammu and Kashmir’s potential into investment, innovation, employment and sustainable economic growth. |
