Hope runs high as corporate bosses visit Kashmir

Hope is running high among the business community in Kashmir as captains of India's corporate world assemble in Srinagar on Friday on Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi's initiative to interact with the students of Kashmir University.

During his visit to the university campus last year Rahul had promised students that he would get bosses of India's corporate world to interact with them so that fears about investments in Kashmir are allayed.

The leaders of corporate world who are scheduled to arrive in Srinagar include Ratan Tata, chairman of the Tata group, K M Birla, chairman of Aditya Birla group, Rajiv Bajaj, president of Bajaj Auto, Azim Premji, chief of Wipro group, and Deepak Parekh of HDFC.

Addressing a public meeting at Sonamarg on Thursday, Rahul Gandhi said that he wanted youth of Jammu and Kashmir to get involved in development process adding that he wanted to share the difficulties of people.

"I want to hear you, understand your problems and work for their redressal", he said, adding that he had visited the state last year, came here again this year and would come again and again to meet the people.

He said that there has been significant development in the country in all fields of life. "Every state enjoyed share in the development process", he said adding that, "Jammu and Kashmir also deserves all round development and economic welfare."

Groups of students would interact with these bosses of the corporate world as local business community expresses hope that this time the investment promise would be for real.

"It is a great development provided the bosses of India's corporate world seriously apply themselves to the prospects of investing in Kashmir", said a prominent businessman.