by Shafqat Ali 

 

ISLAMABAD, September 19: Pakistani Federal Minister for Industries and Production Makhdum Khusro Bakhtyar said on Saturday afternoon that China was a role model for Pakistan regarding the progress of women in business and other fields of life.

 

In a virtual meeting here with small and medium enterprises, Bakhtyar pointed out that men and women need to work shoulder to shoulder for the prosperity of any country.

 

During the meeting, the representatives of manufacturers, exporter associations and female entrepreneurs were taken on board.

 

“China progressed because women worked as equal partners. Women have a great role to play in the development of Pakistan. The government will support women,” Bakhtyar promised.

 

The purpose of the meeting was to enhance cross sectoral participation and foster dialogue with SME stakeholders in the policy-making process.

 

The meeting reflected upon the recommendations from stakeholders with regards to the upcoming National SME policy in detail.

 

The meeting also discussed 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 employment and enhance the capacity of export-oriented enterprises of the country.

 

Bakhtyar noted that the proposed SME policy would augment growth of women-oriented businesses, entrepreneurship, pharmaceuticals, IT enabled and farm services in the country as well as it would also support the enterprise to explore local and international market opportunities.

 

The Minister apprised the forum that the government would ease credit facilities and services for SMEs. He said that the government would further encourage SMEs to participate in public procurement.

 

Bakhtyar reaffirmed that the Ministry of Industries and Production with collaboration of SMEDA would continue to engage all stakeholders in the process of formulating a comprehensive SME policy.

 

During interaction, SME stakeholders commend GoP for placing promotion of SMEs squarely on the national economic agenda. The businessmen and industrialists lauded the incumbent government for relaxation in terms of taxes and approved action plans for SMEs to promote business in the country.

 

Jawwad Raffique Malik, Secretary Industries and Production, along with senior officials of Ministry and Hashim Raza, CEO of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA) participated in the meeting.

 

This article originally appeared on Gwadar Pro.