With the unlock beginning at a very reduced level, the focus has to be on revival of social service sectors worst hit by the two successive covid lockdowns one this year and another on last year in Jammu & Kashmir like many other parts of the country. Since the farmers and traders have been hit hard by the covid lockdown for the second consecutive year, the growing demands for some incentives to agriculture, horticulture and small scale industries deserve an immediate attention of the government. Though incentives announced for releasing mounting pressure on the key sectors of the economy has been the priority of the government in view of growing economic stress on trading and business communities but the extension of such incentives to neglected sectors of the economy is equally important. While there is no alternative to a greater focus on agriculture and medium and small industries (MSME), the protection to neglected social service sectors also deserves a similar attention. Though interest subvention scheme was a major relief measure for the medium and small scale industries amid an unprecedented lockdown last year but this year people of medium and small scale Industries are yet to hear about any such concession that would help them withstand the mounting economic pressures triggered by this year’s lockdown after last year’s strickest lockdown. While the fact remains that no business community in any part of the world can withstand the stress of two consecutive lockdowns in two years, the immediate focus of rehabilitation plans has to be on protection of neglected social service sectors in Jammu & Kashmir. Since both the government and private healthcare care centres are carrying out their routine activities even during the covid lockdown periods as the situation demands so, there is no need to cover them under any scheme of economic rehabilitation that may be announced for the social service sectors hit by the covid lockdowns this year and the last year.
Since it is for the planners to draw plans for the protection of social service sector worst hit by two successive covid lockdowns one this year and another one last year, better to leave it to their wisdom to identify the social sectors worst hit by the pandemic and draw appropriate plans for their rehabilitation.
Like the private healthcare institutions the private educational institutions having reduced the salaries of the teachers to conduct online classes from Mid April this year also don’t deserve any incentives under government’s any rehabilitation policy for the social service sectors keeping in view the fact that they are charging tuition fee from the students as usual. However the passenger transport operators and tourism & travel operators worst hit by the two successive lockdowns one this year and the other last year not only deserve incentives under a fresh interest subvention scheme but also a general amnesty for the incentives given to them under interest subvention scheme along with medium and small scale industries during covid lockdown last year. Since it is for the planners to draw plans for the protection of social service sector worst hit by two successive covid lockdowns one this year and another one last year, better to leave it to their wisdom to identify the social sectors worst hit by the pandemic and draw appropriate plans for their rehabilitation.
