Handicraft sector left to starve, appeal Manoj Sinha to intervene
By: Tariq Shah VOV
Srinagar
Boulevard business association which largely comprises shopkeepers dealing with handicraft, along with other handicraft associations of Kashmir have said that they are being left out from all the financial packages announced by the government, and have claimed that they are at the verge of starvation along with their families.
Most of these business outlets dealing with handicrafts are reeling under debt and financial burden of financial institutions including banks.
“We have huge debts from banks, financial institutions and private parties. These lockdowns have brought us to the verge of starvation. No one is bothered about us. Perhaps government is waiting that some of our members should commit suicide before they intervene” said Iqbal Amin Malla, General Secretary Boulevard business association.
He said that there are hundreds of small-time handicraft shopkeepers who now have no means to survive with their families. All handicrafts related business organizations of Kashmir have recently appealed LG Manoj Sinha to take a decision on merit and not the decisions being taken by the bureaucrats who are recommending financial package to one sector and ignoring the other.
These associations have appealed to the government of Jammu and Kashmir to make a comprehensive financial package for the handicraft sector especially for the shopkeepers as they remained closed for more than a year in the past two years.
Earlier also they suffered because of the curfew imposed by the central government for months after the abrogation of article 370.
