FINANCIAL PACKAGE
Kashmir has been waiting for a comprehensive financial package in the past ten months but the central government is maintaining silence. In a recent press conference, KCCI chief said that they had meetings from Prime Minister to Home Minister to Finance Minister and were expecting a handsome package, but the coronavirus lockdown washed away everything.
Even for the lockdown of coronavirus UT of Jammu and Kashmir has not been able to give any respite to the business community while as in rest of the country, such benefits have travelled to them. In this connection almost all the political parties have demanded a package for Kashmir but the central government has not responded.
Recently Jammu and Kashmir National Conference sought an effective and inclusive fiscal stimulus package for Jammu and Kashmir economy to tackle with the impact of Post August 5 clampdown and COVID-19 induced lockdown saying that there can be no escape from the fact that that local businesses including public transporters are on the brink of collapse.
With the Kashmir economy sliding into an abyss, to assume that the traders, small scale manufacturers, tourism players and transporters will pick up on their own with the opening up of COVID-19 induced lockdown is no less than a wishful thinking, said Party’s Members of Parliament Muhammad Akbar Lone and Hasnain Masoodi while expressing concern over the predicament of wretched condition of all the sectors of Kashmir economy.
