SRINAGAR: The J&K administration is gearing up to conduct roadshows in six states of the country starting February 17 to attract investors to set up businesses in the newly carved Union Territory, nodal officer and managing director (MD) of Jammu and Kashmir Trade Promotion Organisation (JKTPO) Ravinder Kumar said on Saturday.

This is the first such initiative after the nullification of Article 370 and bifurcation of the erstwhile state into two UTs of J&K and Ladakh on August 5 last year.

Kumar said roadshows will be conducted in Bengaluru and Kolkata on February 17, Mumbai on February 21, Hyderabad on March 2, Chennai on March 5 and Ahmedabad on March 9. This will certainly allay fears and apprehensions from the minds of big business houses across the country about the situation in the UT of J&K, he added.

“Our focus will be to showcase investment in specific sectors like horticulture and hydro-power generation. Stress will be laid on industries that can get raw material from within J&K,” Kumar said.

JKTPO will also approach film industry bodies to shoot their films here to further showcase J&K in positive manner. This will certainly help in attracting tourists to the UT in the coming season, Kumar said.

Kumar further said the government also proposes to hold two mini-conclaves in Srinagar and Jammu in March with local industrialists and traders to know their point of view in getting more investments into the UT.

The nodal officer said the business community of various states will be informed about the business-friendly policies of the J&K government, the UT’s infrastructure, natural resources, raw material and skilled and unskilled manpower.

JKTPO has engaged CII to help conduct the roadshows.

Initially, J&K government had scheduled these events for October last year but they were later postponed till February.

Kumar also said officials from Jammu and Kashmir Bank would be part of the team of officers to conduct roadshows in the states. “International roadshows are also being planned to attract foreign investment in future,” Kumar disclosed.

He said signing of MoUs with interested investors will form a part of the roadshows and the main summits in Srinagar and Jammu cities in March.

J&K chief secretary BVR Subrahmanyam expressed optimism that the summits will prove to be gala events and will be a determining factor in making J&K an industrial hub.

“The summits will not only help present the business-friendly policies of the government and identify business opportunities in J&K to participating trade and industry organizations, but also harmonize the UT’s intrinsic strength and aspirations for development and employment opportunities,” Subrahmanyam said.

