Jammu And Kashmir Finance Department Circular Puts SSIs At Peril

The J&K government’s September 17, 2019, order, directing all its departments to make purchases of goods like furniture etc. through the e-Governance Marketing (GeM) portal, has put at peril 2,000 small scale industries (SSIs) and jobs of 15,000 workers. Financial commissioner of the Union Territory of J&K A K Mehta had on September 17 last year issued a circular, directing all the government departments as well as autonomous bodies to acquire goods or items required in their offices through the GeM portal.

To begin with, on November 22, the secretary of the department of rural development and Panchayati raj released Rs 38.5 crore to two directors of rural development of Jammu and Kashmir regions for purchase of office furniture for block development councils and panchayats. The secretary explicitly mentioned in the order that the purchases should be made through the GeM portal as per the finance department circular. It was also mentioned in the order that the furniture items should be purchased from branded companies.