Small business and industry play critical role in economic growth, must be facilitated: SCCI

PESHAWAR
President, Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry Malik Imran Ishaq reaffirmed his commitment to growth of Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) through policy advocacy and promotion of their goods and services.
SCCI chief acknowledged small businesses and industries are the backbone of our nation, driving growth and creating livelihoods with their tireless efforts, urging the government to take pragmatic steps towards small industries and allied sectors.
President Malik Imran Ishaq was talking to a delegation of Small Industrialists Association Kohat Road Peshawar, headed by its President Wahid Arif Awan and Chairman Engr Maqsood Anwar Pervaiz.
Meeting was attended by SCCI’s senior vice president Naeem ur Rehman, leader businessman forum and former FPCCI president Ghazanfar Bilour, trader leader Haji Amanullah Mohmand, former presidents Hasnain Khurshid, Faiz Muhammad Faizi, and former vice president Shuja Muhammad, member of the executive committee Abidullah Yousafzai, Malang Khan, Sikandar Iqbal, Asim Shahzad, Nadeem Shahzad and Khalid Khan, Secretary General Muqtasid Ahsan, office bearers, senior members of the association and representatives of various factories.
The delegation extended heartfelt felicitations to new office bearers and executive committee and expressed best wishes and hoped they will play a key role in resolving issues, being faced by small industries.
SIE Association president Waheed Arif Awan and other members highlighted the challenges facing small industrial estates, mostly relating to provision of electricity on wheeling charges, rationalization power tariffs, issues pertaining to arms manufacturers, crackdown on pretext of digital invoicing, closure of Pak-Afghan border, difficulties in provision of loans due to tough conditions, double taxation, exorbitant increase in SIDB charges, extreme increase in greenbelt management, ban on goods vehicles in the industrial estate, hurdles/financing issue in construction of main gate of the estate on Ring road side, anti-encroachment drive and hurdles in export of footwear, urging the chamber to play role in resolving the aforesaid issues by taking up with relevant authorities.
The chamber president urged commercial banks to simplify the procedures to apply for a bank loan and further reduce the interest on loans for the development of the small and medium enterprises sector.
Malik Imran Ishaq emphasised that the government should offer special incentives and loan schemes to attract new investment to promote industrialisation in the province to create employment opportunities and stabilise the local economy.
The SCCI chief also stressed the need for upgrading existing small industrial estates alongside establishing new ones.
President Malik Imran Ishaq in response to different queries and issues of small industrialists assured that the chamber would take up all these issues with relevant government authorities in a befitting manner.
Ghazanfar Bilour also spoke on the occasion and assured possible initiatives to address the all aforementioned issues attached with various sectors.