LAHORE:
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was on Thursday informed of the start of the process to secure the services of international experts to develop the SME sector.
He chaired a promotional meeting for small and medium enterprises related to the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA).
The meeting reported on the performance of the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Authority.
The meeting was informed that the board of directors of SMEDA had been formed as per the direction of the prime minister and meetings of its board of directors were held regularly.
The chief secretaries of Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu Kashmir were included in the steering committee of the SME sector.
The State Bank of Pakistan had instructed banks to make easy and simple forms for providing loans to SMEs.
The meeting was informed that the Ministry of Industries and Production had improved liaison with provincial governments for the development of SMEs.
The governments of Sindh and Balochistan had prepared a comprehensive strategy for SMEs, while the governments of Punjab, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu Kashmir were developing strategies in this regard.
The meeting was further told that as per the Prime Minister’s instructions, data was being collected from SMEs in the country.
The prime minister stated that small and medium-sized businesses are the backbone of the country’s economy.
He said the government was taking all possible measures to provide facilities to small and large businesses.
The prime minister said that all-out efforts were required to make Pakistani industries part of the global supply chain.
He said the center and all provinces should work together for the development of small and medium enterprises.
The meeting was attended by Federal Minister for Industry and Production Rana Tanveer Hussain and other officials.
