Prolonged downtime of J&K single window portal frustrates startups, youth & businesses

Demand immediate rectification; suggest manual processing until digital portal is restored.
STC NEWS DESK
SRINAGAR, JULY 28 (STC): The continued non-functioning of the Jammu & Kashmir Single Window Portal has triggered widespread concern and frustration among young entrepreneurs, startups, and the broader business community. With the portal down for several days, many critical processes have come to a grinding halt, leaving budding enterprises in limbo and delaying the establishment of new ventures.
Several young entrepreneurs, including a startup provisionally registered with the Directorate of Industries for setting up a small-scale unit at the Industrial Estate, Khrew, reached out to Kashmir Pen to voice their growing distress. “We’ve completed the initial procedures, but now we’re stuck. The portal simply doesn’t work, and we’re losing the most productive years of our lives waiting for a digital system that’s gone silent,” one of them said.
Startups, already grappling with numerous challenges, say the disruption has left them unable to proceed with licensing, approvals, or documentation—essential steps required for operationalizing their ventures.
The youth-led voices are now being echoed by stakeholders across the business ecosystem, including members of the industrial sector and investors who see the glitch as more than a technical issue—it’s a barrier to employment generation and economic revival in the Union Territory.
They are urging the government to act without delay and fix the digital infrastructure. As an interim measure, they strongly recommend that concerned departments resume manual processing of files and applications until the Single Window Portal is fully restored.
“This digital blackout must not cost our youth their future. If the technology fails, governance must not. Departments must return to manual operations until systems are fixed,” urged a prominent business leader.
The demand is loud and clear: fix the portal or restore manual operations—but don’t let Kashmir’s youth and economy suffer in silence.
(STC)