Jammu: In a significant move, the Administrative Council (AC) headed by Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Wednesday approved the waiver of 50 percent of passenger tax chargeable on various vehicles, an official spokesman said.
The waiver will be effective from April 01, 2020 to March 31, 2021, he added.
Farooq Khan and Rajeev Rai Bhatnagar, Advisors to the LG, Dr. Arun Kumar Mehta, Chief Secretary, J&K and Nitishwar Kumar, Principal Secretary to the LG attended the meeting.
The decision would address the genuine demand of the operators of commercial transport who have suffered losses on account of COVID-19 induced nationwide lockdown and restrictions leading to non-operationalisation of the public transport, the spokesman said.
“For owners of commercial vehicles, who have already deposited the passenger tax for aforesaid period in full, the excess amount paid thereof by them shall be adjusted against the liability accrued or accruable in the next financial year – for the time period of 1st April, 2021 to 31st March, 2022,” he said.
In another decision, the spokesman said the AC approved the strengthening of corporations under the administrative control of the Power Development Department (PDD) by creating various posts in view of the unbundling of the department.
The AC sanctioned the creation of 64 posts at various levels in J&K Power Transmission Corporation Ltd (9), J&K Power Corporation Ltd (16), Kashmir Power Distribution Corporation Ltd (18) and Jammu Power Distribution Corporation Ltd (21), he said.
He said these newly created posts include managing directors, executive directors, law officers, administrative officers, secretaries, account officers and public relations officers.
Further, the Power Development Department was directed to notify respective recruitment rules at the earliest to speed up recruitment against the new posts, the spokesman said.
Additionally, he said, the Administrative Council also approved the creation of nine posts under different categories in the J&K Trade Promotion Organization (JKTPO) Department of Industries and Commerce.
These posts include managing director, financial advisor, general manager (GM) operations and administration, manager (branding & marketing/exports), company secretary, assistant manager (branding & marketing), assistant manager (exports), accountant, and personal assistant, he said.
The Jammu & Kashmir Trade Promotion Organization is the nodal agency for investment promotion in the Union territory by engaging with various national and international stakeholders and serves as the reference point of the J-K administration.
“The newly created posts will serve the manpower need of the organisation to efficiently address investment-related issues towards boosting industry-led employment generation in Jammu and Kashmir,” the spokesman said.
