It left 500,000 people in the region unemployed—from hundreds of thousands of local textile workers to people like Ali Mehdi, a financial services consultant based in Srinagar whose real name is being withheld at his request.
Lack of internet meant he was unable to carry out his daily work, which led to a lot of economic anxiety. “We have families to feed . . . we have concern of our kids who have to study and do online classes,” he says. Medhi says shutdowns like the one he experienced—which the Kashmir Chambers of Commerce and Industry says cost telecom companies about $480,000-$600,000 per day—also undercut the Digital India message, disincentivizing investment in areas that might be targeted for service shutdowns. “People will think 10 times before venturing into this kind of a place where things are uncertain,” he says.
Via Fast Company