Onlykashmir.in News Desk
The Jammu and Kashmir Cabinet on Wednesday approved the construction of two PM Ekta (Unity) Malls, one each in Jammu and Srinagar, with a combined investment of Rs 255 crore, marking one of the more substantial infrastructure commitments the Union Territory’s administration has made toward trade promotion and cultural showcasing in recent years.
The decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah. The two projects are part of the Government of India’s nationwide PM Ekta Mall initiative, designed to provide dedicated marketing platforms for regional products, handicrafts, handloom items and tourism-related offerings under the One District One Product (ODOP) programme, which seeks to spotlight and commercialise the distinctive produce of each district.
As per details released following the meeting, the Jammu mall will come up at Rail Head Complex, Trikuta Nagar, a strategically high-footfall zone near the Jammu Railway Station. The facility will be developed on nearly three acres of land transferred by the Jammu Development Authority to the Industries and Commerce Department for this purpose, at an estimated cost of Rs 125 crore. The Srinagar counterpart will be established at Kashmir Haat, a venue long associated with the promotion of local crafts and cultural products, at a projected cost of Rs 130 crore.
Both projects have already secured in-principle approval from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), clearing the institutional path for their execution. The Union Ministry of Finance has further sanctioned Rs 200 crore to Jammu and Kashmir under the Scheme for Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI) for the development of the Unity Malls, with an initial installment of Rs 50 crore already released for each site. Construction will be handled by the Public Works (R&B) Department.
Upon completion, the malls are expected to function as dedicated retail and exhibition hubs for artisans, craftsmen, self-help groups, entrepreneurs and local producers, giving them access to a wider domestic and international buyer base. The facilities will be managed through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model while the government retains ownership of the assets, an arrangement increasingly common in J&K’s infrastructure rollout aimed at ensuring operational efficiency without ceding public control.
In a separate decision at the same Cabinet meeting, the government approved rehabilitation and resettlement measures for shopkeepers and kiosk owners displaced by the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway expansion project in Jammu. The Cabinet sanctioned the transfer of three kanal of State land at Gole Gujral to the Jammu Municipal Corporation for development of a municipal market, which will serve as a rehabilitation facility for 33 shopkeepers displaced from Nai Basti and Satwari Chowk due to road widening works.
Together, the two decisions signal a cabinet session focused squarely on economic infrastructure: one looking outward at trade and tourism through high-visibility retail spaces, and another addressing the immediate livelihood needs of small traders caught in the path of national highway development. For J&K’s artisan and handicraft sector, which has long struggled with marketing reach and consistent retail infrastructure, the PM Ekta Malls represent a potentially significant institutional platform, provided execution stays on schedule and the PPP operations draw competent private partners.
