ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that provision of job opportunities to the youth and an increase in the volume of exports were among the top priorities of his government.
The premier said this while chairing a meeting of the National Coordination Committee for Small and Medium Enterprises on Thursday.
He said the promotion of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) will play a vital role in achieving targets in these priority areas, adding that SMEs had been ignored for the past 10 years, which negatively impacted the country’s economy.
The PM said that all federal government departments and provincial governments should pay special attention to promotion of the SME sector in line with the government’s priorities. He said the government was committed to providing all possible facilities to the SMEs, including provision of credit, easy tax system and facilitation in business.
PM Imran directed the industries minister to finalize at the earliest a roadmap based on timelines in consultation with provinces regarding implementation of the proposed SME policy.
Earlier, a comprehensive National SME Policy 2020, which aimed at promoting small and medium enterprises in the country, was presented to the premier.
Besides Hammad Azhar, PM’s adviser Ishrat Hussain, federal secretaries and other senior officials were also present on the occasion.
State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Governor Reza Baqir and the provincial chief secretaries attended the meeting via video link.
