Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Apr 27: Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president, D K Shivakumar, on Monday April 26, held a meeting with over 140 merchants, workers, representatives of industrial organizations etc at the KPCC office here. He urged the state government to announce a compensation package for the merchants and businessmen and extend the period of instalment repayment. He said that the Congress has become the voice of businessmen and merchants and had taken up their problems with the state government.

Speaking after the conclusion of the meeting, Shivakumar said that his party does not stand alone for workers, businessmen and farmers, but also for all the classes of the society. He said like the employees, employers also occupy a place of prominence. "All the businesses have come to a grinding halt since a year, and their recovery will not happen until next year. Therefore, the government should waive tax on commercial properties for a period of two years and postpone repayment period of all the loans availed by businessmen, merchants and industrialists for a period of two years. The government also should waive loan up to a certain limit. For loans between ten and twenty lac rupees, interest on the loan should be paid by the government," he demanded.

KPCC working president Saleem Ahmed, All India Congress Committee secretary Dinesh Gundu Rao, MLCs P R Ramesh and Naseer Ahmed, Federation of Karnataka Chamber of Industry, Perikal Sundar, and many others took part in the interaction.