SRINAGAR :Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Wednesday called for greater focus on technology, green growth, formalisation and export competitiveness to strengthen the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) sector in Jammu and Kashmir.
Addressing the second edition of the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) MSME Conclave 2026 in Jammu, Sinha said MSMEs were central to India’s economic resilience, employment generation, exports and entrepreneurship.
“MSMEs are contributing 31.3 per cent to GDP and nearly half of India’s exports,” he said, adding that the sector was also the second-largest provider of employment after agriculture.
Sinha said the emergence of Nano Global Capability Centres (GCCs), backed by artificial intelligence, automation and digital infrastructure, was opening new opportunities for smaller enterprises and businesses in tier-II cities.
He said the model could enable enterprises in cities such as Jammu and Srinagar to develop and scale world-class technological capabilities, while reducing barriers that had traditionally favoured large corporations.
The Lieutenant Governor outlined four key priorities for MSMEs—affordable credit, technology upgradation, supply-chain integration and reducing administrative hurdles.
He also called for a forward-looking approach to sustainable trade, urging MSMEs to adopt green technologies and renewable energy and formalise micro industries to improve their access to institutional credit.
Sinha stressed the need to strengthen education-industry partnerships and establish incubation centres and design studios within industrial clusters to promote innovation and entrepreneurship.
On exports, he said Jammu and Kashmir had significant potential due to its climate and distinctive cultural and traditional production chains. He called for large-scale promotion of initiatives such as “One District, One Export Hub”.
Highlighting the growth of the MSME ecosystem in Jammu and Kashmir, Sinha said investments in 2025-26 stood at Rs 5,824 crore, while the number of start-ups had increased from 69 in 2020 to 1,305 in 2025-26. Udyam registrations, he said, had also risen from around 24,000 in 2021 to 6.16 lakh this year.
He called upon industry leaders and other stakeholders to contribute towards building a terror-free, corruption-free and merit-based society.
Sinha also referred to steps taken to automate the counting of offerings at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine, saying two Cash Recycler Machines had already been installed and the remaining machines would be installed within 15 days.
The conclave was attended by senior government officials, industry leaders, investors and representatives of various trade and business organisations.
