Excelsior Correspondent
SOPORE, Oct 4: Former Minister and senior vice president of People’s Conference Abdul Gani Vakil today appealed Union Home Minister Amit Shah to announce a special economic package for fruit growers.
Addressing party workers meeting at Harwan in Sopore today, Vakil said the fruit growers have suffered a lot during last few years due to covid, weather vagaries, turmoil and the recent blockade on fruit laden trucks on Jammu- Srinagar National Highway and have incurred losses worth crores.
Vakil said fruit growers in Kashmir are facing acute hardships as the UT administration had side-lined their demands and that the fruit industry in Kashmir is on the verge of a collapse. Many promises made to fruit growers by successive Governments to promote said industry but nothing has been done.
“Although after the abrogation of Article 370, the Government of India also made big promises that apple industry in Kashmir will be boosted through special packages but it has remained restricted to statements only,” he added.
This industry is providing livelihood to thousands of the people, if the Government of India fails to address this industry, thousands of people will be deprived of their livelihood and appealed to the HM of India to take special steps in reviving the fruit industry by granting a comprehensive economic package to fruit growers including waiving off KCC loan which is need of hour so that fruit growers can take sigh of relief.
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