Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday chaired a meeting of his economic team, wherein he was briefed on the outcomes of the recent steps taken by the government to ensure sustainable growth, economic consolidation, increased productivity, ease of doing business as well as protection of the existing and prospective investors.
Other important issues discussed during the meeting included poverty alleviation, infrastructure and communication development, revitalising and mobilising the dead investment, disaster management and improved coordination among the concerned ministries and divisions for smooth and timely implementation of projects.
The meeting was also briefed on the investment in the small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and the construction sector.
The prime minister said that industrial development is vital for economic growth and job creation. “Besides removing the hindrances in the way of industrialists, our focus should be on those projects that yield high productivity.”
The PM observed that without giving protection to the business community, economy cannot flourish. “We must raise the confidence of the business community in order to generate investment in all the sectors,” he added.
He directed the officials to include all the poor strata of society under the Ehsaas Programme, including the chronically poor, extremely poor and marginalized segments of the society.
The PM was informed about the inclusion of women for balanced economic development of the country. It was emphasised that women should be given incentives so that their contribution to the socio-economic development of Pakistan could be enhanced.
Special Assistant to PM on Information & Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, while citing the Malaysian model of growth, said that the empowerment of women would contribute significantly towards socio-economic growth of Pakistan.
National Disaster Management Authority Chairman briefed the meeting on proposals regarding communication and infrastructure development, mobilisation of dead investment for reaping the investment benefits in the short term.
The chairman also proposed the creation of ‘Disaster Risk Financing’ in the wake of frequent natural disasters and shortage of funds earmarked currently to respond in case of any eventuality.
The meeting was further briefed on the proposed lease plan of Pakistan Steel Mills and the interest shown by the Russian and Chinese companies.
The PM directed the concerned to come up with a comprehensive plan regarding the proposed lease of PM in a separate meeting at the earliest.
