Small scale industries seek relief from AP government

Vijayawada: The Small Scale Industries Association appealed to the Special Chief Secretary Rajat Bhargava to ensure that the ESI pays 70 per cent of salaries to the workers by treating the lockdown period as leave and thus ease the burden on the industry.

The Association in a statement here on Friday said the Labour Department has been exerting pressure on the industrialists to pay salaries to the workers. About 93,000 industries remain closed for the last 40 days due to lockdown and they are not in a position to pay salaries to the workers, it said.

The association also requested the government to see that the payment of electricity charges is deferred for the time being.

Though the association has been submitting memoranda to the Ministers and the officials time and again, there is no positive response from them.

The Association requested the government to ensure that concessions and incentives that are due to the small-scale industry were provided and pending bills that are to be paid to a number of industries were cleared immediately.