Jammu: Accusing the Government of acting in favour of vested economic interests, president IkkJutt Jammu Ankur Sharma strongly criticized the “dehumanizing and ruthless policy” of the UT Govt in allowing monopolisation of leftover businesses in Jammu Province.
“IkkJutt Jammu whole heartedly supports the Bandh Call given by Chamber of Commerce and other organisations for 22nd September,” Sharma said.
President Jammu Warehouse Association along with full elected team had called on Ankur Sharma two days ago to discuss the issue of introduction of Monolpolistic 100 Reliance Stores in Jammu and its adverse impact on thousands and thousands of whole salers as well as retailers affecting Lakhs of family members.
Sharma said that instead of striking a Just balance between various market players, the government is radically moving from a Society Centric Approach towards a partisan Market Centric Approach encouraging monopolies and destroying entreneurship of this supposedly Atmanirbhar Bharat. The problem for small players becomes gigantic given the kind of corruption and the fragile legal and regulatory framework JK UT has.
“How could the Government allow take over of markets that too only in Jammu Province without first providing for adequate Safety Nets for the existing players” asked Ankur Sharma. The Govt seems to be cajoled into accepting the dictates of big businesses and other vested economic interests who have long been in hegemonic position in India in collusion with the bureaucracy and the Mafia politician. After Liquor and Mining primarily, the next target is Retail and Wholesale including distribution etc.
Ankur Sharma said that through out the history of post 1947 India, the choice of Economic Policies were and continue to be influenced by “Entrenched Special Interests, Fragile Social Consensus and Weak Administrative Capacity”. “`Even today’s Govt has assumed the character of a predator, as policies and programmes are designed to transfer resources to very narrowly defined interest groups,” he alleged.
Sharma urged that the Government should avoid pursuing narrow distributional goals as doing so would hit equity and hit average grade entrepreneurs, numbered in lakhs very hard. He stressed and asked the Govt to have well designed Safety Nets for the existing players and the most vulnerable.
President IkkJutt Jammu Party said that Jammu which remains a Colony of Kashmir and continues to suffer second order status deserves a Government which has the capacity to mobilize efforts to struggle poverty, ill health, unemployment, malnutrition, Jihadist intrusions and forces of inequity.
Buzz words like Privatisation, Deregulation, Use of Market Forces in Public Sector & Institutional/Constitutional Reforms were marketed by the current Govt to achieve Reduction of Inflation, Lower Taxation, Growth & Employment. Did it happen, asked Ankur Sharma. The answer is No, he said. Inflation is in double digits, Taxation is all time high & unemployment is unprecedented.
IkkJutt Jammu Party asked the Govt to take immediate corrective measures redressing the genuine grievances of Jammu’s Business Class failing which it shall suffer heavy political cost.
Ankur Sharma describing the approach of Govt as “High on rhetoric and short on thinking” , criticized the Govt for erroneously believing that an economic miracle will happen with the introduction of big corporations without providing sufficient safety nets for the existing players coupled with anti monopolistic measures.
“If voted to power in next Assembly Elections by people of Jammu Province, IkkJutt Jammu Party here by places it on record its vow to reverse all economic and political wrongs done by the current Govt in a very limited time frame, said Ankur Sharma.
