Ramesh Mishra, Regional Director (North) of the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, on Monday assured that issues raised by the business community in Jammu & Kashmir would be resolved in a time-bound manner, with a focus on strengthening ease of doing business and expanding the corporate base in the region.
Speaking after an interaction with stakeholders in Srinagar, Mishra said the engagement—his first with the local business community—yielded “useful and practical suggestions” which would be acted upon.
He indicated that increasing the number of registered companies under the Prime Minister’s Internship programme and ensuring continuous institutional engagement would remain key priorities.
“As part of the ease of doing business, we will try to resolve the issues raised. There is a need for continuous interaction so that problems are addressed promptly,” he said, adding that matters within the Regional Director’s jurisdiction would be handled at his level, while policy issues would be escalated to the Ministry.
He also acknowledged demands for improving institutional access, including a proposal to establish a camp office in Ladakh, and said the same would be examined.
The interaction was organised by the Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which used the occasion to present a comprehensive set of concerns affecting companies, professionals and stakeholders across the Union Territory.
KCCI President Javid Ahmad Tenga said the visit marked the first direct engagement of a Regional Director from the Ministry with the Chamber, describing it as a significant outreach initiative. He, however, underlined that the corporate sector in J&K continues to face persistent structural and regulatory challenges requiring urgent intervention.
The Chamber highlighted issues, including limited participation of local companies in the Prime Minister’s Internship Scheme, complications related to Director Identification Numbers (DIN) and associated penalties, delays in updating company records, and the absence of an effective grievance redressal mechanism.
Tenga stressed the need to make the Registrar of Companies (RoC) office in Srinagar fully functional, stating that its reduced operational capacity has forced stakeholders to route matters through Jammu, leading to delays and inefficiencies. He pointed out that the Kashmir Valley accounts for nearly 55 per cent of companies in the Union Territory, making a strong local regulatory presence essential.
The Chamber also raised concerns regarding difficulties faced by stakeholders in Ladakh and sought the establishment of a camp office or helpdesk to improve access to services.
Further, KCCI flagged persistent technical issues on the MCA21 portal—ranging from server downtime and form unavailability to payment failures and document retrieval problems—which have adversely impacted company incorporation, compliance filings and approvals. It also pointed to pendency in adjudication and compounding matters, recurring DIN KYC and DSC validation issues, and lack of clarity in compliance norms for small companies and startups.
On legacy issues, the Chamber reiterated its demand for a one-time amnesty scheme to address cases of multiple DINs issued in the past, noting that current penalty provisions impose a significant financial burden on stakeholders.
Responding to these concerns, Mishra acknowledged that the issues raised were substantive and reflected genuine ground-level challenges. He emphasised that continued engagement with stakeholders would help align policy frameworks with practical realities.
Haamid Bukhari, Registrar of Companies, J&K and Ladakh, stated that many of the operational issues—particularly those related to DIN KYC, DSC validation and processing delays—are system-driven, and assured that genuine grievances would be addressed through facilitative measures.
He added that such interactions would be institutionalised, with plans to hold them at regular intervals, including outreach programmes for young entrepreneurs, to ensure sustained dialogue and structured resolution of issues.
The session concluded with KCCI reiterating its commitment to working closely with the Ministry to improve regulatory efficiency, reduce compliance burden and strengthen the corporate ecosystem in Jammu & Kashmir.
