CII food processing panel holds meet, discusses regulatory reforms

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, July 7: Focusing on regulatory reforms, ease of doing business and compliance issues affecting the food processing sector, the first meeting of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) J&K Food Processing Panel was held here today.

Addressing the meeting as the chief guest, Manoj Prabhakar, Joint Controller, Legal Metrology Department, J&K, highlighted several reforms introduced under the Jammu & Kashmir Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2026.

He said the department has adopted a compliance-based approach, under which minor and procedural violations will no longer be treated as criminal offences.

Prabhakar said the new framework encourages businesses to rectify inadvertent violations through guidance and corrective measures instead of prosecution in cases involving first-time, non-serious lapses.

He also highlighted the introduction of automatic licence renewal, aimed at reducing procedural delays and ensuring uninterrupted business operations.

During the interactive session, representatives from the food processing industry raised concerns related to packaging regulations, testing infrastructure, compliance requirements and operational challenges faced by processing units.

The Joint Controller assured the participants that the department would continue engaging with industry stakeholders to address their concerns and improve service delivery.

Earlier, Gagan Jain, Convener of the CII J&K Food Processing Panel, welcomed the chief guest and highlighted key issues concerning packaging regulations, including declarations on packaged commodities and the use of voluntary filling machines in the packaged drinking water industry.

He stressed the need for greater clarity and simplified compliance procedures to support the sector’s growth.

Vice Chairman, CII J&K, Siddhant Chowdhary, thanked the chief guest for sharing insights into the evolving regulatory framework and appreciated the Legal Metrology Department’s initiatives to simplify compliance, promote ease of doing business and foster a trust-based regulatory environment for industries across Jammu and Kashmir.