Nothing to beat unrest blues, rues Kashmir Inc

The Budget 2017-18 announced by Finance Minister Haseeb Drabu today failed to impress Valley-based businessmen and tourism stakeholders.
Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) president Mushtaq Ahmad Wani said there was nothing much for the handicrafts, tourism and horticulture sector.
“There is nothing for Kashmir economy’s main sectors like handicrafts, tourism and horticulture. For long, we have been demanding that the tourism sector should get industry sector benefits. However, our demand has not been incorporated in the budget,” said Wani, who is also a hotelier.
He said the tourism sector and business activities at large were hit hard during the unrest last year and there should have been extra sops for the development of Kashmir’s economy.
He said they had also demanded infusion of funds into Government Arts Emporium to give a boost to artisans to showcase their works in a better way. “Overall, there is not much for the Valley,” he added.
Kashmir Economic Alliance, an amalgam of traders’ bodies, chairman Mohammad Yaseen Khan said it was a ‘political budget’ and there were no major incentives for the development of Valley’s economy.
“There is nothing major for the business community of Kashmir that has been facing problems for the past three years, especially after the September 2014 floods. It is a political budget. Most of our demands have not been incorporated in the Budget…it has failed to impress,” he said.
Referring to the last year’s unrest when business activities were hit hard, Khan said they were expecting major tax concessions for the business community. “We get affected the most…we were expecting announcement of interest waiver for the uprising period (of last year)…there is not much for the unemployed youth either,” he added.

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