Srinagar, September 26: The Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCC&I) has honoured its former president Sheikh Ashiq Ahmad with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his longstanding contribution to the business community of Jammu and Kashmir.
The award was presented during the Chamber’s 92nd Annual General Meeting held at Taj Dal View, Kralsangri, Srinagar, on Saturday.
The recognition acknowledges Sheikh Ashiq’s years of association with KCC&I and his role in raising issues concerning trade, commerce, handicrafts, tourism, industry and exports.
During the 2014 Kashmir floods, when businesses and livelihoods suffered extensive losses, Sheikh Ashiq, as KCC&I president, sought rehabilitation and compensation for affected traders and households.
The Chamber also approached the Jammu and Kashmir High Court through a Public Interest Litigation seeking directions for the settlement of insurance claims and immediate release of 50 per cent of insured amounts to affected policyholders. According to figures cited by Sheikh Ashiq and reported at the time, insurance companies subsequently disbursed around ₹2,500 crore in flood-related claims.
In February 2015, KCC&I also met a visiting World Bank team, presenting assessments of losses across horticulture, agriculture, retail, wholesale, tourism and other sectors and seeking institutional support for economic reconstruction.
The Chamber also advocated greater assistance following the announcement of a ₹1,667-crore short-term rehabilitation package, stating that additional support was needed considering the scale of the damage.
Sheikh Ashiq continued to raise concerns over the economic difficulties faced by Kashmir’s business community after 2019 and during the COVID-19 period. KCC&I estimated economic losses at around ₹10,000 crore after August 2019 and later revised the estimate to approximately ₹40,000 crore by August 2020.
Following representations by the Chamber, the J&K administration constituted a committee in August 2020 to examine economic revival and support for businesses. In September that year, the administration announced a ₹1,350-crore economic package, including a 5 per cent interest subvention for borrowers.
Sheikh Ashiq also remained associated with efforts to promote Kashmir’s handicrafts, carpets and export sector. As a member of the Committee of Administration of the Carpet Export Promotion Council, he advocated improved export infrastructure, support for artisans and exporters, and greater market access for Kashmiri handicrafts.
KCC&I also raised issues such as high transportation costs and the absence of a dry port before parliamentary committees, while seeking freight support and measures to strengthen the handicraft and carpet industry.
The Chamber said the Lifetime Achievement Award recognises Sheikh Ashiq’s sustained representation of traders, exporters, artisans, tourism stakeholders, industrialists and entrepreneurs before government and other institutions.
It said the honour was a recognition of his contribution to the organised business community and the institution of KCC&I over the years.
