Jammu, 07 October (H.S.): Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary today ruled out shutting down Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs), asserting that the Government was instead examining the reasons behind their losses and would hold officers responsible for their poor performance accountable.

Speaking to reporters after laying the foundation stone for a café house and the renovation of an existing guesthouse at the Government Silk Weaving Factory in Rajbagh here, Choudhary said the Government was exploring ways to improve the functioning of these undertakings and make them financially sustainable.

We have to find the causes of why these PSUs plunged into losses and who was responsible. The officers who were at the helm must be held accountable, he said.

Choudhary said committees had been constituted to examine past decisions and assess the functioning of the undertakings. Referring to the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report, he said the Government would discuss its findings and explore possible solutions.

I am not in favour of shutting down the PSUs. Under the Omar Abdullah Government, there is no policy of closing any PSUs. We are finding ways to address the issues, he said.

On the proposed industrial policy, Choudhary said it was in its final stages and would seek to remove bottlenecks and ensure that people benefited from the incentives and opportunities it offered.

He said the Government would address shortcomings in the previous policy, including allegations of selective treatment. If there were instances of pick-and-choose in the earlier policy, we are aiming to address the bottlenecks and ensure that people benefit from the industrial policy. What happened earlier will not be repeated now, he said.

Responding to the opposition's allegations that the Government had failed to deliver on its promises, Choudhary accused opposition parties of failing to effectively raise public issues in the Legislative Assembly. He alleged that opposition members had focused on making social media reels instead of using the House to highlight people's grievances.

Earlier, Choudhary laid the foundation stone for a café house and the renovation of an existing guesthouse at the Government Silk Weaving Factory, a unit of Jammu and Kashmir Industries Limited (JKI).

The project, being executed by the J&K Small Scale Industries Development Corporation Limited (SICOP), aims to improve visitor facilities and generate additional revenue for JKI. Choudhary also visited the JKI showroom at the factory, where he appreciated products made from Kashmiri mulberry silk and local wool.

He urged officials to increase production and sales, promote traditional crafts and ensure better utilisation of industrial assets to strengthen the undertaking's financial sustainability.

MLA Lal Chowk Sheikh Ahsan Ahmed Pardesi and Commissioner Secretary, Industries and Commerce, Vikramjit Singh, were present on the occasion.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Krishan Kumar