Establishment of J&K Industrial Development Corporation
Amendment carried out in law by MHA yet to yield results
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Mar 12: The much-hyped decision about the merger of State Industrial Development Corporation (SIDCO) and Small Scale Industrial Development Corporation (SICOP) and establishment of Jammu and Kashmir Industrial Development Corporation (JKIDC) has remained unimplemented as a panel of bureaucrats has failed to suggest the roadmap during the past six months.
Official sources told EXCELSIOR that the State Industrial Development Corporation (SIDCO) and Small Scale Industrial Development Corporation (SICOP) are simply Government companies with no Legislative backing and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in the month of October 2020 carried out amendment in the Jammu and Kashmir Development Act, 1970 to pave the way for establishment of one single entity—Jammu and Kashmir Industrial Development Corporation.
In the month of September last year the Administrative Council gave nod to the establishment of J&K Industrial Development Corporation along with merging SIDCO and SICOP in it and accordingly vide Government Order No.877-JK(GAD) of 2021 dated September 8, 2021 sanction was accorded to constitution of a committee for proposing roadmap for establishment of Jammu and Kashmir Industrial Development Corporation (JKIDC) as per provisions of amended J&K Development Act.
The committee headed by Additional Chief Secretary Finance Department and comprising of Principal Secretary to the Government, Housing and Urban Development Department, Principal Secretary to the Government, Industries and Commerce Department and Secretary, Department of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs was directed to come up with roadmap as expeditiously as possible.
However, despite the lapse of six months the roadmap has not been prepared as a result of which neither the Jammu and Kashmir Industrial Development Corporation could be formally established nor the amendment carried out by the Ministry of Home Affairs yielded any result, sources informed.
“Initially, two meetings of the committee were convened by the Industries and Commerce Department but the third meeting which was scheduled to be held in the recent past had to be deferred on the direction of the Additional Chief Secretary Finance Department”, they said while expressing inability to specify the time-frame for the completion of task by the panel of bureaucrats.
“For merging SIDCO and SICOP in JKIDC, the committee is required to propose comprehensive plan for rehabilitation of staff of the Corporations to be closed/merged to ensure that the employees may not suffer”, sources said.
As per the amended J&K Development Act, the J&K Industrial Development Corporation will assist in the rapid and orderly establishment and organization of industries in industrial areas and industrial estates in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.
“The Corporation will establish and manage industrial estates at place (s) selected by the Government; develop industrial area selected by the Government for the purpose and make them available for undertakings to establish themselves; develop land on its own account for the purpose of facilitating the location of industries and commercial centers thereon; undertake schemes for providing industrial units and commercial establishments with such structures and facilities as may be necessary for their orderly establishment, growth and development “, sources said.
The Corporation will promote, organize, sponsor or undertake schemes or works, either jointly with other corporate bodies or institutions, or with Government or local authorities, or on an agency basis. “The Corporation will have powers to provide or cause to be provided amenities and common facilities in industrial estates, commercial centers and industrial areas and construct and maintain or cause to be maintained works, buildings, amenities and common facilities thereof”, sources said.
It is pertinent to mention here that the Corporation will consist of 12 Directors—five official Directors nominated by the Jammu and Kashmir Government, of whom one shall be the Financial Adviser to the Corporation; one Director nominated by the Jammu and Kashmir State Power Development Department; one Director nominated by the Jammu and Kashmir Public Health Engineering Department; four Directors nominated by the Jammu and Kashmir Government, from amongst persons appearing to it either to be qualified by reason of experience of, and capability in, industry or trade or finance or to be suitable to represent the interest of persons engaged or employed therein and the Managing Director of the Corporation, ex-officio, who will also be the Secretary of the Corporation.
The Government will appoint one of the Directors of the Corporation to be Chairman of the Corporation and may appoint one of the other Directors as Vice-Chairman.
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