Pulwama – ‘Pencil District of India’ Now Struggles to Survive its Pencil Making Units

Southern District of Kashmir, Pulwama has been given the name ‘Pencil district’ by the administration of Jammu and Kashmir. The reason being that 70% of the Pencil material that is being consumed throughout India is supplied from this district only. But the recent lockdowns and abrogation of Article 370 have rendered the owners of these pencil manufacturing units to look for other options as their business units are shut. At one of the manufacturing units situated in IGC Lassipora around 150 labourers were working apart from the managerial staff but everyone has been forced to sit at home owing to Lockdown and abrogation of Article 370.