New Delhi : President J&K BJP and Rajya Sabha MP Sat Sharma on Monday forcefully raised two major public-interest issues concerning the people of Jammu & Kashmir during the proceedings of the Rajya Sabha, highlighting the urgent need for housing security for the urban poor and relief from genuine Income Tax hardships.
Sat Sharma strongly advocated for the urban homeless and economically disadvantaged populations in Jammu & Kashmir, highlighting the urgent need for safe and permanent housing solutions. He raised concerns in the House regarding the insufficient number of operational shelter homes, with only two currently available to address the needs of the homeless population in the Union Territory. Sharma called on the Union Government to significantly increase the number of shelters and enhance housing infrastructure for vulnerable groups. He presented official data indicating that 19,375 houses have been constructed in Jammu & Kashmir over the past three years, but emphasized the necessity of accelerating construction efforts to provide timely relief to poor, homeless, and landless families. Sharma requested detailed information on housing schemes from the concerned Union Minister and urged for expedited implementation to ensure that no deserving family is left without adequate shelter. In addition to housing issues, Sharma addressed challenges related to recent amendments in the Income-tax Act, specifically the Finance (No. 2) Act, 2024, which imposes a six-year limit for filing TDS correction statements starting April 1, 2025. He pointed out that this amendment creates significant difficulties for taxpayers, particularly for financial years prior to 2018–19, as the correction window for these years will close after March 31, 2025. This restriction prevents the rectification of genuine errors, leading to complications such as non-credit of TDS, inflated tax demands, delayed refunds, and potential legal disputes. Sharma urged the Union Government to consider implementing a one-time relief measure or a special condonation window, along with issuing guidelines under Section 119 of the Income-tax Act to alleviate genuine hardships faced by taxpayers.
