Srinagar, April 26: The Federation of Chambers of Industries Kashmir (FCIK) has expressed its dismay over the exclusion of stakeholders from re-constituted Boards of Directors of Jammu and Kashmir Small Scale Industries Development Corporation (SICOP) and J&K State Industrial Development Corporation Ltd. (SIDCO).
The Boards of the two industrial related corporations were re-constituted on Tuesday under Government order No 109-(JK)IND of 2023 with 10 members each all of whom were drawn from government officials with no representatives from industrial stakeholders as it used to be a norm before 2019, FCIK said in a statement to Ziraat Times.
The FCIK claimed that the apex organisation was on the board of all industrial related corporations and committees from their very inception which had yielded positive results in the working of these corporations towards development of industrial sector. While being part of these boards, FCIK would critically and objectively analyze the proposed schemes and programmes of these corporations to incorporate necessary amendments in order to make these industry-friendly, the statement added.
FCIK has observed that most of the decisions taken in the boards without any outside stakeholders have worked in growing stress and debacle of the existing industry. “One of the decisions taken was about collection of part premium with every change in the constitution of an industrial unit which only was aimed at filling the coffers of corporations ignoring the fact that these corporations were incepted basically for the growth and promotion of industry”, the statement added.
FCIK has urged the government for effective engagement which would help translate stakeholder needs into industrialization goals and would create the basis of strategy development of industry under the ambitious Central Sector Scheme of 2021. The stakeholder’s engagement will indeed help in building involvement and confidence to have collaborative partnerships for pooling knowledge, experience and expertise to co-create solutions for a common vision and future ambition, stated FCIK adding that this envisaged for allowing impartiality and objectivity to work while reaching a consensus.
FCIK hoped that the government taking cognizance of the industry concerns would issue orders for reconstitution of all industrial related boards and committees with inclusion of members from genuine stakeholders. “The government needs to take cue from the central government departments which work on the feedback and physical involvement of stakeholders”, asked FCIK adding that the National Board for MSMEs had only 18 official members out of 47 members on the board, the rest being from industrial associations.
