J&K startups hope for internet friendly environment post elections

While a Supreme Court ruling in January 2020 curtailed the length of shutdowns, the fallout continues to reverberate through the entrepreneurial landscape

With the first round of Assembly elections in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir just concluded, the air in Srinagar’s Lal Chowk is buzzing with political discussions. While most chatter revolves around the second phase of elections on September 25 and the candidates, for a smaller group of shopkeepers, a more pressing matter is the impact of frequent internet shutdowns on the region’s small businesses and startups.

“After GST and demonetisation, internet shutdown has been the third hammer blow to small businesses,” one shopkeeper remarks. “In this digital age, we’ve lost countless customers due to connectivity