Srinagar, Oct 21: The Federation of Chambers of Industries Kashmir (FCIK) has urged the Jammu and Kashmir Government to amend a circular restricting government printing assignments to government presses, saying the arrangement has left private printing establishments struggling with idle machinery, mounting financial pressures and the threat of job losses.
In a formal communication to Commissioner/Secretary, ARI and Trainings Department, FCIK Advisory Committee Head Shahid Kamili has sought immediate amendment of Circular No. ARI-Adm/39/2026-01, dated April 24, 2026. The circular directs government departments, public sector undertakings, autonomous bodies and other institutions to route printing assignments exclusively through government presses in Jammu and Srinagar, permitting private participation only in exceptional circumstances and subject to a No Objection Certificate (NOC).
FCIK has endorsed representations submitted by Mukhmoor Gowhar, President of the Kashmir Printers’ Association (KPA), Srinagar, and Pankaj Sethi, President of the J&K Offset Printers’ Association, Jammu. The associations have highlighted the adverse impact of the circular on established printing enterprises that have invested heavily in machinery, infrastructure and skilled manpower, often through institutional borrowings.
The Federation has questioned the rationale behind restricting private participation when government presses themselves have acknowledged difficulties in handling the accumulated workload.
In a communication dated September 29, 2026, the Director, Government Press, J&K, informed the ARI and Trainings Department that a substantial volume of non-confidential printing and binding work had accumulated due to inadequate manpower. The Director sought permission to outsource such assignments to registered private printers through competitive bidding on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM).
The communication also indicated that outsourcing could help clear the backlog while enabling revenue realisation 15 per cent above the prescribed target.
FCIK said the request exposed the contradiction in the existing arrangement, under which private printing units were being denied access to government assignments even as government presses sought their services to clear pending work.
The Federation also referred to an October 7 communication from the General Manager, Government Press, Srinagar, assuring a balanced proposal, and an October 12 communication from the Directorate of Industries and Commerce, Kashmir, supporting a review of the existing procurement arrangement to facilitate private participation through competitive tendering, empanelment and equitable work allocation.
Shahid Kamili said strengthening government presses should not come at the cost of established private industries, arguing that both sectors could function in a complementary manner. While confidential and security-sensitive assignments could remain with government presses wherever necessary, routine printing work should be opened to eligible private establishments through transparent and competitive procurement.
FCIK has called for amendment of the circular, adoption of competitive procurement through GeM and other prescribed mechanisms, transparent empanelment of local printing units, equitable allocation of work and immediate consideration of the outsourcing proposal submitted by the Director, Government Press.
The Federation has also endorsed the KPA’s demand for proper verification of existing and functional certificates to ensure that the benefits intended for genuine printing manufacturers do not go to non-operational establishments, intermediaries or trading concerns. It has, however, stressed that verification should not create unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles for genuine businesses.
“The government cannot encourage entrepreneurs to invest in machinery, create employment and avail bank finance on the one hand, while denying them access to established markets on the other,” Kamili said.
He said the restrictive arrangement was inconsistent with the spirit of the government’s ongoing Ease of Doing Business reforms and its efforts to revive industry and generate employment.
“When government presses have accumulated work and private presses have idle capacity, allowing both to work together is not merely an industrial demand but a matter of economic prudence and public interest,” he added.
FCIK has urged the government to act on the recommendations already made by its departments and establish a fair, transparent and competitive procurement framework without further delay. It cautioned that prolonged exclusion from government printing assignments could push otherwise viable private establishments into severe financial distress.
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