Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Sept 10: The Kashmir Chambers of Commerce and Industries (KCCI) today assured artisans that the business forum would take up their issues with the state authorities.
The artisans today held a meet here in Khanyar in which the vice-president of KCCI Mushtaq Ahmad Wani along with former residents and executive committee members was invited to hear and assess the problems faced by the artisan community in their day to day working .
A large gathering of artisans which included young and old men and women attended the meeting . A KCCI spokesman said that the artisans narrated the tale of woes they are facing in getting their issues with regard to bank credit/loan facilities, repayment of loans and insurance of their Accounts etc. dealt with by the bank.
“The artisans said that they should be allowed all the benefits including debt relied etcetera on the Artisans Credit Card in the same manner as is allowed on Kissan Credit Card. They said that six branches of the J&K Bank have not insured their accounts as a result of which they have had to suffer losses for no fault of theirs which in fact should be borne by the Bank,” he said.
He said that KCCI vice president after hearing about the hardships faced by the artisans addressed the gathering and informed them that forum president has already taken up all the related issues with J&K Bank and in fact the issue related to the insurance of C/C accounts is under active consideration of the Bank authorities .
“The vice-president informed the artisans that in its recent meeting with the Chief Minister, the KCCI pleaded with stress the need for extending prioritized adequate monetary and morality support to the artisans to help them remain committed to the growth and preservation of our heritage crafts and that the Chief Minister has assured that every effort needed for preservation and growth of our handicraft will be made on priority by the state government,” the spokesman said.
He further said that the Wani assured the artisans that the KCCI shall always be making its efforts to ensure that benefits be made available to the artisans under the Artisans Credit Card Scheme in the same manner as they are allowed on Kissan Credit Card .
“The president KCCI is also pursuing with the Government for establishment of a separate Ministry for Handicraft in the State so that the Handicraft Sector of the State gets exclusive attention for its survival and growth in future. The senior artisans and organizers of the Artisans Rehabilitation Forum hailed the efforts put in by the President Sheikh Ashiq for having the issues faced by the artisans addressed by the government with seriousness priority,” the spokesman added.
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