JAMMU: In a decisive move to strengthen the IT landscape of Jammu & Kashmir, the government has initiated a detailed study to explore models for setting up IT/ITES Parks across the Union Territory as envisioned in the J&K IT Policy 2020.

A high level meeting chaired by Secretary, IT Department, Dr Piyush Singla, brought together members of the Study Group comprising senior officials from the IT Department, Jammu & Kashmir e-Governance Agency (JaKeGA), Planning Department, IIT Jammu, IIM Jammu and SeMT to chart out the roadmap for developing state-of-the-art IT/ITES Parks in J&K.

Dr. Singla underscored the importance of adopting best practices from leading IT Parks in India to ensure the success and sustainability of similar initiatives in J&K. He highlighted that these efforts are aligned with the UT's IT Policy 2020, which envisions IT Parks in Jammu and Srinagar to spur innovation, generate employment and attract investments.

The meeting featured a presentation by Chief Innovation Officer, IIT Jammu, MT Arvind, showcasing preliminary findings on prominent IT and research parks across India. These included Electronics City (Karnataka), HITEC City (Telangana), T-Hub Hyderabad, Technopark Trivandrum (Kerala) and IIT Madras Research Park. The presentation detailed key aspects such as investment models, governance frameworks, operational best practices and policy support mechanisms.

Discussions also focused on distinguishing between research parks, incubation centers and full-scale IT Parks, with an emphasis on fostering innovation, integrating emerging technologies and creating an enabling ecosystem for startups and Global Capability Centres (GCCs).

Chief Executive Officer, JaKeGA, Mahima Madaan, referenced the IT Infrastructure Development Private Limited, established in 2019, as a potential vehicle for anchoring such initiatives.

Meanwhile, Director Planning briefed about the Center for Innovation, Transformation, and Governance (C-TAG) set up in partnership with IIM Jammu to drive policy innovation.

Dr. Guneet Soodan, Director, University of Jammu and OSD to the Vice Chairman of J&K Higher Education Council, stressed the need for a collaborative ecosystem with strong government-industry-academia partnerships to attract major players and ensure availability of skilled manpower.

As a key outcome, the Study Group resolved to conduct field visits to successful IT Park models such as T-Hub and Cyberabad in Hyderabad and IIT Madras Research Park in Chennai. These visits aim to provide first-hand insights into operational dynamics, governance mechanisms and innovation ecosystems.

Dr. Piyush Singla stated that "This initiative reflects our commitment to transform Jammu & Kashmir into a digital and innovation-driven economy. By learning from India's most successful IT ecosystems, we will develop a sustainable, future-ready framework for IT/ITES Parks in the UT, he added. He said that these parks will not only catalyze job creation and investments but also position J&K as a key player in India's digital growth story.