Srinagar, Oct 6: J&K Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary on Tuesday said the government’s new Industrial Policy is at the final stage and will seek to address the gaps, bottlenecks and alleged instances of “discrimination” and “pick-and-choose” in the implementation of the Rs 28,400-crore New Central Sector Scheme (NCSS).
Choudhary said the concerns raised by industrialists and chambers had been taken into account while framing the new policy, which is being prepared by the Industries Department on the directions of Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
“Whatever discrimination happened, or wherever there was pick-and-choose, our effort now is that those bottlenecks, wherever there are gaps, should be filled and opened up, and people should, in the true sense, get the benefit of the Industrial Policy,” he said.
He said the government was bringing a new policy because stakeholders had expressed concerns over the earlier arrangement. “If people were not happy with the previous policy, we are now bringing a new Industrial Policy, and it is at the final stage,” he said.
“My department has worked very hard. The officers of the Industries Department have worked very hard, and they have also listened to what you people said, what the industries said,” he added. “Keeping that in view, on the directions of the Hon’ble Chief Minister, this new Industrial Policy is being formulated, and it is at the final stage and will come before you.”
Choudhary’s comments came in response to questions on the implementation of the NCSS and concerns being raised by industry bodies about the distribution and utilisation of incentives.
He said that had the scheme been implemented properly, many of the demands now being raised by industries and chambers might not have arisen. “If it had been implemented properly, then perhaps the demands being raised by our industries and our chambers would not have arisen,” he said.
The Deputy Chief Minister said the government would also examine how the scheme was implemented. “Whatever happened in the past will be examined. That is our effort,” he said.
The Deputy Chief Minister also spoke at length on the future of public sector undertakings (PSUs) in J&K, opposing a blanket approach of shutting down loss-making entities.
He said accountability should be fixed for officials and those in leadership under whose tenure PSUs incurred losses. “The officials who put them into losses, their accountability should be fixed,” Choudhary said.
“Tomorrow, if India goes into losses, will you shut down India? Or if Jammu and Kashmir goes into losses, if there is a financial crunch, will you shut down Jammu and Kashmir? Or will you put a lock at Lakhanpur? Will you put a lock at Qazigund?” he asked.
Choudhary said several PSUs were established during the tenure of former Chief Minister Sheikh Abdullah and formed part of J&K’s institutional heritage. “These PSUs were established with great difficulty. They were established during the time of Sher-e-Kashmir Sheikh Abdullah Sahib. They are our heritage. Why should they be shut down? Why should they be closed?” he said.
He said the reasons for the losses had to be established before decisions were taken on individual PSUs. “We will have to find the reasons. How did these PSUs go into losses? Who did it? The people under whose leadership they went into losses, accountability should be fixed against them,” he said.
Choudhary said the government was not in favour of closing PSUs simply because they were facing financial difficulties. “This practice of shutting down PSUs that has developed in Jammu and Kashmir over the last few years should not continue. Rather, we should find some way or mechanism to run these PSUs,” he said.
He, however, said the viability of entities that had become completely non-functional could be considered separately. “Certainly, if an organisation has completely collapsed and is not in a position to function, that can be considered,” he said.
Making the government’s position clear, he said, “There is no policy of the Omar Abdullah government to shut down any PSU.”
He said committees had been constituted to examine some earlier decisions concerning PSUs. “Even regarding some decisions that were taken earlier, I do not want to name them here, we have constituted committees. We are looking at whether they can be run, in what manner, and how it can be done,” he said.
Citing the J&K Emporium, Choudhary said government-owned institutions had products with considerable commercial potential but needed better marketing and exposure. “This is our Emporium. You have seen the showroom, you have seen how good the clothes are. It is only that these things need to be explored and promoted,” he said.
“These are such good products of ours. There are ladies’ suits, men’s pants and coats. People should come here and see them. The big branded products that you buy outside, these are bigger brands than those,” he said.
He said the difference was that private brands had greater access to malls and promotional platforms. “Those brands are sold in big malls, while these are not. There, big events are held, people walk the ramp and showcase the products. But these represent our heritage. These should be bought,” he added.
On the CAG report concerning PSUs, he said the government would examine its findings before taking a decision. “The CAG report has come. We will see what is in it and what is not. There will be consideration, discussion and debate on it, and after that…” he said.
Asked about developments concerning electoral rolls and the proceedings before the Supreme Court, Choudhary said he did not want to comment extensively on a matter that was before the court.
“You yourself saw what happened in the Supreme Court yesterday, the observations that were made, and what you have also published in the newspapers today. It is before you. I think there is no need for me to say anything on that. Whatever it is, it is in the Supreme Court,” he said.
However, he said that if the allegations were found to be true, it would raise serious concerns about democratic institutions. “If there is any truth in what is coming to light, then in my view, the dreams that Baba Sahib Bhimrao Ambedkar and Mahatma Gandhi had for this country have been hurt today,” he said.
“This democracy, the freedom that we achieved, we achieved after great sacrifices. Our young people sacrificed their lives, our elders made their sacrifices, without any distinction of caste, religion, or high and low,” Choudhary said.
“People together freed the country so that we could put forward our views and fight for our rights before governments, and if a government does not listen to us, we could change that government,” he added.
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