Nearly 100 industrial units in Kathua began operations on Wednesday, following the revised lockdown guidelines issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). Nearly 100 industrial units resumed functioning in Industrial Estate SICOP Kathua. The government’s decision to allow production has come as a relief to workers engages in various industrial units in the Kathua district. There are more than 500 industrial units in Kathua Industrial estate and nearly 15,000 labourers work here. Some units include producers of essential commodities, food and oil. Kathua Industrial Unit Association President Ajit Bawa said, “We have started nearly 100 units with 30 per cent labour as per guidelines and arranged for sanitisation, mask and checking body temperature of every worker in the industry.” He thanked the government for allowing work to resume. He said this would allow for livelihood to workers and they would also not need to migrate. He appealed to the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, GC Murmu, to announce a package for the industry for the losses suffered due to COVID-19 lockdown.
