#kashmireconomy Archives

J&K Liquor Sales Cross 5.63 Crore Bottles Till January 2026; ₹435 Crore Excise Revenue Earned

February 27, 2026February 27, 2026 Editor

Over 5.63 Crore Liquor Bottles Sold in J&K Till January 2026; Excise Revenue Touches ₹435 Crore By: Javid Amin | 26 February 2026 Official excise data reveals that more than 5.63 crore liquor bottles were sold across Jammu & Kashmir up to January 2026, generating approximately ₹435 crore in excise revenue for the Union Territory. The bulk of sales came from Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) and beer, reaffirming alcohol taxation as one of the most consistent non-GST revenue streams for J&K’s administration. While volumes have shown a marginal dip…

Mehbooba Mufti Demands 50% Import Duty on Apples to Protect J&K Horticulture Sector

February 21, 2026 Editor

“Impose 50% Import Duty on Apples, Save J&K’s Fruit Industry”: Mehbooba Mufti Urges PM Modi By: Javid Amin | 20 February 2026 Apple Trade Row Intensifies: Mehbooba Mufti Seeks 50% Import Duty to Shield Kashmir’s Orchard Economy Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and PDP president Mehbooba Mufti has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging the Centre to impose a 50% import duty on apples to safeguard the Valley’s fragile horticulture sector. Her appeal comes amid concerns over reduced import duties on American apples under the interim Indo-US trade…

Kashmir’s Red Gold vs Climate Chaos: Inside the Saffron Revival Defying Weather Extremes

February 18, 2026 Editor

Kashmir Saffron Revival: How Red Gold Is Beating Climate Change and Boosting Profits By: Javid Amin | 16 February 2026 A Crop That Refused to Disappear For over a decade, Kashmir’s saffron fields stood as a warning symbol of climate vulnerability. Shrinking acreage, erratic snowfall, soil degradation, and urban encroachment had pushed the Valley’s most iconic crop toward decline. Experts predicted a slow death for the centuries-old tradition. Instead, the opposite is unfolding. Against the backdrop of abnormal winters, precipitation deficits, and warming trends across the Himalayas, Kashmir’s saffron industry…

J&K Budget Local Hiring Rule Sparks Industry Backlash: Jobs Push Meets Investment Anxiety

February 16, 2026 Editor

Mandatory Local Hiring in J&K Budget Triggers Industry Pushback By: Javid Amin | 15 February 2026 A key proposal in the Jammu & Kashmir Budget 2026–27 — making local hiring mandatory for industries receiving government concessions — has ignited a sharp debate between policymakers and business leaders, exposing the tension between employment-driven welfare policy and investment-led growth strategy. The government frames the move as a corrective step aimed at ensuring that industrial incentives translate into real opportunities for local youth. Industry groups, however, warn that the mandate risks colliding with…

Jammu & Kashmir Budget 2026–27: ₹1.27 Lakh Crore Blueprint for Growth, Jobs and Stability

February 6, 2026 Editor

Jammu & Kashmir Budget 2026–27 Explained | Omar Abdullah’s ₹1.27 Lakh Crore Growth Plan By: Javid Amin | 06 February 2026 A Budget at the Crossroads of Aspiration and Constraint When Chief Minister Omar Abdullah rose in the Jammu & Kashmir Legislative Assembly to present the Union Territory’s Budget for the financial year 2026–27, he was not merely reading out numbers. He was making a political, economic, and social statement—one that sought to balance ambition with realism, growth with discipline, and hope with hard fiscal constraints. The ₹1.27 lakh crore…

‘We Live Off This Land’: Why Farmers in Shopian and Pulwama Are Resisting a Rail Line Through Kashmir’s Orchard Belt

December 29, 2025 Editor

‘We Live Off This Land’: Shopian, Pulwama Farmers Protest Rail Line Through Kashmir Orchards By: Javid Amin | 28 December 2025 A Slogan Rooted in Survival “We live off this land.” In the apple-rich districts of Shopian and Pulwama, this phrase is not a political slogan or a protest chant borrowed from elsewhere. It is a statement of fact—spoken quietly in orchards, repeated at village meetings, and now raised collectively against a proposed railway line cutting through South Kashmir’s orchard belt. As survey teams and preliminary plans advance, farmers across…

Survival Under Strain: How Kashmir’s Families Navigate Unemployment, Drug Crisis, and Rising Costs in 2025

December 26, 2025 Editor

A comprehensive look at the layered challenges facing Kashmir Valley residents—from record joblessness among educated youth to a massive anti-drug campaign, reservation policy protests, and the daily struggle with inflation and unreliable services By: Javid Amin | 26 December 2025 When Multiple Crises Converge The morning air in Srinagar carries more than the winter chill this December. It carries the weight of uncertainty that has settled over Kashmir Valley like an unwelcome fog. Across districts from Anantnag to Baramulla, families wake each day to navigate an intricate web of challenges…

Autumn Session 2025: Unpacking the Land Grants Rules and the Alleged Regional Bias in Jammu & Kashmir

November 1, 2025 Editor

Jammu & Kashmir autumn session 2025 – Bias in Land Grants Rules 2022 | Detailed Analysis By: Javid Amin | 31 October 2025 The autumn session of the Jammu & Kashmir Legislative Assembly in 2025 witnessed a sharp political flash-point over the implementation of the Jammu & Kashmir Land Grants Rules, 2022. Speaking on the floor of the House and subsequently on social media, NC spokesperson and MLA Tanvir Sadiq raised strong allegations that the Rules were being applied selectively — harshly in Kashmir, leniently in Jammu — thereby undermining…

Javid Tenga Re-elected President as KCC&I Charts Bold Economic Agenda

October 21, 2025October 21, 2025 Editor

Kashmir Chamber Reaffirms Commitment to Trade, Transparency, and Transformation By: Javid Amin | 20 October 2025 KCC&I Elects New Leadership at 91st Annual General Meeting The Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCC&I) convened its adjourned 91st Annual General Meeting (AGM) today at Hotel The Kabo, Srinagar, reaffirming its commitment to the business community of Jammu and Kashmir. The event marked a pivotal moment in the Chamber’s legacy of economic advocacy and institutional leadership. Presided over by Mr. Mushtaq Ahmad Wani, Chairman of the Election Commission for the 2025–27 term,…

No Respite for Passengers as 28 J&K Trains Remain Suspended | Kashmir’s Rail Lifeline in Crisis

October 6, 2025 Editor

28 Kashmir Trains Suspended: How Rail Disruption Is Hurting Passengers, Students & Traders in Jammu and Kashmir By: Javid Amin | 05 October 2025 When the Tracks Go Silent For most regions, a train suspension is a temporary inconvenience.In Jammu & Kashmir, it’s a crisis. Three weeks into the suspension of 28 crucial train services across the Union Territory, the silence along the tracks from Baramulla to Banihal and Jammu to Katra tells a larger story — one of disrupted lives, broken connectivity, and rising public frustration. What was initially…