Jammu, April 23 : Chief Minister Omar Abdullah Tuesday reiterated the demand for setting up a rail coach factory in Jammu and Kashmir for economic development of the region and fighting unemployment in the state.

Addressing a meeting of the industrial advisory committee here, Abdullah said: "The setting up of a coach factory will be one of the steps to overcome the economic stress and address unemployment problem caused due to militancy during a long span of over 20 years."

The chief minister said that "such an initiative by the central government is significantly needed to expand economic activities, give fillip to industrialisation and create substantial jobs for the youths".

But there was no mention of obliging Abdullah on this account in the union rail budget of 2013.

In November 2012 also, the chief minister, while demanding the same, had said: "The waging of militancy was against entire nation and Jammu and Kashmir was a theatre for enemies to operationalise their designs."

Due to years of militancy, Jammu and Kashmir had "undergone tremendous downward dip in the economy... thousands of youths were rendered jobless and trade and industries received series jolt", he said.

In order to help the state overcome industrial backwardness and economic shortcomings, he said the central government should set up a rail coach factory in the state as it was done for Punjab for the same reason.(IANS)