Govt working to facilitate industry, says Mehbooba

Tribune News Service

Jammu, February 14

Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti today said her government is working to facilitate the industry and trading community as Jammu & Kashmir is first on many counts in incentivising business and industry.

Chairing the 7th Industrial Advisory Committee meeting here today, Mehbooba said her government had introduced many reforms to encourage and instill confidence in the industry. She said Jammu & Kashmir was the first state to roll out incentives under the goods and services tax and major reforms in labour laws.

Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh, Minister for Industries & Commerce Chander Parkash Ganga, Minister for Finance Haseeb Drabu and Minister of State for Industries & Commerce Asiea Naqash were present in the meeting.

Mehbooba directed constitution of a committee, headed by the Chief Secretary, to follow up all cases in which rent was due from the police and other security agencies to industrial units. The Chief Ministerasked the committee to conclude the process at the earliest.

The Chief Minister was briefed about many steps being taken by the government to help business activity in the state.

The meeting was informed that the process of providing round-the-clock power supply to industrial estates was on with laying of infrastructure, cables and transformers. Also, many items had been removed from the negative list of import on the suggestions of the trade representatives.

During the meeting, many representatives thanked the government for rolling out many incentive schemes for business and industrial sector and taking steps for encouraging business activities in the state.

On the occasion, the Chief Minister unveiled the latest issue of “Sanat-o-Hirfat,” a coffee-table book of the Industries Department detailing the facilities, incentives and opportunities in the field.

CM stresses preservation of tribal culture 

• Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday stressed preserving the tribal culture of the state
• Chairing a review meeting of the Tribal Affairs Department, she said the state had been a repository of diverse cultures and its protection should be a priority. She also directed more allocations for tribal development under the special sub plan for meeting the educational, health and other developmental requirements of the tribal communities
• The CM directed that no harassment be made to any member of tribal communities by any government authority till a formal Tribal Policy was unveiled. She said even in extreme cases of ascertaining their places of habitations, the Department of Tribal Affairs be taken into confidence beforehand