CPEC offers massive job opportunities: Industries Minister

Gwadar Pro

Islamabad: Federal Minister for Industries and Production Makhdum Khusro Bakhtyar has said that massive job opportunities were in the offing under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and Prime Minister Imran Khan’s vision to create employment.

Chairing a virtual meeting of the National Coordination Committee (NCC) here to finalize the Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) policy, Bakhtyar showed optimism that the CPEC projects will provide jobs to hundreds of thousands of jobless Pakistanis.

In addition, he pledged, to provide jobs to scores of others under government’s schemes and planning.

Prior to NCC meeting, the Minister also held a virtual interactive session with representatives of micro-financing banks to discuss the policy framework of SME policy.

The purpose of the NCC meeting was to engage implementary agencies at federal as well as provincial level for lining up action plan for upcoming SME policy.

The meeting also discussed the progress on the national SME policy in purview of financial incentives, taxation systems and regulatory simplification for SMEs of the country.

In his remarks, the Minister said that the government would formulate SME policy in accordance with the Prime Minister Imran Khan’s vision to promote cross-sectoral small and medium scale industries to generate employments and enhancing capacity of export-oriented enterprises of the country.

The forum was apprised that government would ease credit facilities and services for SMEs. It was shared that a set of simplified laws would be promulgated in order to encourage SMEs’ participation in public procurements. During interaction, the framework of SME portal and issuance of SME cards was also discussed in detail.

In concluding remarks, the Minister reaffirmed that the Ministry of Industries and Production would formulate national SME policy with a detailed action plan to augment growth of SME across the country.

Finance Minister Punjab Makhdum Hashim Jawan Bakht, Secretary Industries and Production Jawwad Raffique Malik, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA) Hashim Raza and other senior officials participated in the meeting.