SRINAGAR, May 08 (KNS):  Apni Party Youth Provincial President Kashmir Khalid Rathore on Saturday demanded that the government must immediately announce an interest loan waiver scheme in view of the pandemic crisis that has viciously paralysed the business sector in Jammu and Kashmir.

In a statement issued to Kashmir news service (KNS), Rathore said that the first Covid-19 wave had already devastated the business sector in J&K and people were still trying to come out of it. However, the second Covid wave has utterly shattered all of their efforts now.

“The business and trading sector is already in shambles and now with the advent of the Second Covid wave every effort to come out of the previous losses borne by our business community have proved to be futile and of no avail," he said.

He said that the government must devise a comprehensive policy in order to compensate and mitigate the sufferings of the people associated with the ailing business sector.

'I urge the administration to announce amnesty schemes for our businessmen, traders and labourers in these trying times wherein the menace of the pandemic has spared none. The government has a moral obligation to introduce public welfare relief schemes so that some of the burden is laid off from the people's shoulders," he said.

Furthermore, Rathore demanded that an interest waiver remains requisite for the people belonging to business and trading class besides enhancing the moratorium period for all of the loan beneficiaries.

'I urge the administration to announce interest waiver schemes for the general public so that they can still have hope to save their crumbled businesses. Also, a further moratorium time duration needs to be given to such beneficiaries who have faced the brunt of this pandemic," he demanded.(KNS)