By OUR STAFF REPORTER
DEHRADUN, 7 May: CII Uttarakhand State Council raised concerns of industries in the state with Indu Kumar Pandey, Chairman, State COVID Action Task Force during a virtual interaction, here, today.
Ashok Windlass, Chairman, CII Uttarakhand State Council, disclosed that the CII has formed a Task Force in the state to work on issues pertaining to the ongoing pandemic and seek government’s support for industry in these times.
Vikas Garg, Past Chairman, CII Uttarakhand, raised the following issues: Migration of labour has resulted in shortage of manpower to industry. Workers living in nearby districts within the state had to be allowed to commute for work and one time movement of workers from adjoining states simplified. The Labour Department was asked to take a balanced view of complaints against employers to eliminate frivolous ones. He wanted that employers not be under an obligation to pay wages to workers not reporting for work. Also, revised Variable Dearness Allowance (VDA), effective from 1 April 2020, needed to be put on hold for the time being. He also sought waiver of Fixed Charges on electricity during the lockdown period. Government was asked to provide advisories and SOP for industry when a COVID positive case is detected.
IK Pandey was highly receptive to the suggestions made by CII and assured full support. He revealed that the state government was likely to form district level committees for issues related to industry and relevant officers would be a part of such committees. He added that local trade and industry associations would also be invited to be a part of these committees.
Pandey was appreciative of CII’s efforts and suggested having more such interactions. He also requested CII to keep sharing the concerns of industries on a regular basis.
Vipul Dawar, Vice Chairman, CII Uttarakhand, Mukesh Goyal, Immediate Past Chairman, Rakesh Oberai, Past Chairman, Lovelena Mody, Past Chairperson, CII Uttarakhand, Kaushik Mukherjee, Chief Manager, ITC, and Manoj Tyagi, President, SEWS Pantnagar, also participated in the interaction.
