Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 22: Federation of Industries, Jammu (FoIJ) has expressed strong discontent over the Government’s decision to release only a meagre 10% of turnover incentive claims filed by industrial units in Jammu province for the financial year 2022-23.
In a meeting chaired by FoIJ Chairman Lalit Mahajan, and attended by co-chairmen Virendra Jain, Jatinder Aul, S C Dutta, Ajit Bawa, secretary general Sanjay Langar, convener Viraaj Malhotra and other office bearers, the members termed the move as a betrayal of the industrial sector, which provides direct and indirect employment to lakhs of people in J&K.
The federation highlighted that against total claims worth Rs 207 crore for 2021-22, the Industries Department released only 15% of the payment in 2024. Despite pending dues from the previous financial year, the Government has now sanctioned only 10% of the claims for 2022-23, further exacerbating the financial distress of industrial units.
The FoIJ criticized the dilution of the turnover incentive scheme, which initially promised 3% and 2% incentives to make local industries competitive. The federation emphasized that the released funds fall far short of expectations, leaving businesses struggling for survival.
Adding to the grievances, the FoIJ pointed out that treasury offices are allegedly refusing to process the payments sent by the Industries Department without citing any reasons. The federation has urged the Lt Governor, Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister, and Principal Secretary (Finance) Santosh P Vaidya to personally intervene and instruct treasury officers to release the pending incentives.
The FoIJ demanded immediate disbursement of the full pending claims for 2021-22 and 2022-23 in one go, stressing that the Government must honor its commitments to support industrial sustainability in J&K.
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