- Advertisement -
KARACHI, Jan 12 (APP):The Special Assistant to Prime Minister for Industries and Production Haroon Akhtar Khan, assuring government support to the promotion of SME sector on Monday, highlighted the responsive policies and targeted facilitation to unlock growth and employment opportunities in the country.
“SMEs form the backbone of our industrial ecosystem. Supporting them through responsive policies and targeted facilitation will help unlock growth, reduce the trade deficit, and create much-needed jobs,” he said during separate visits to major auto and industrial facilities at Bin Qasim Karachi.
The SAPM, visiting Tecno Auto Glass, Aisha Steel Mills and Pak Suzuki Motor Company, inspected various sections and keenly reviewed as well as received briefings on different steps of the manufacturing process of windshields, cold rolled steels, automobile steel parts, injection molded plastic parts as well as engine and transmission assembly lines.
Around 75 companies of the auto and auto parts industry are operating in Bin Qasim and surrounding areas providing employment to almost 100,000 people and producing high quality local parts used in the automobile sector, the SAPM was informed.
Appreciating the industrial infrastructure that is contributing to the creation of highly skilled and much needed jobs in the manufacturing sector, Haroon Akhtar Khan assured the government’s support to the sector, especially by facilitating production of small cars in higher volumes targeting the middle and lower income consumers, currently using motorcycles.
The industry stakeholders pledged to further increase their localization efforts to reduce cost and transfer skilled jobs to Pakistan to create opportunities for the young population.
The CEO of SMEDA, Nadia Jahangir Seth briefed the SAPM on the contribution of SME clusters to Pakistan’s manufacturing and export sectors as well as ongoing initiatives to support SME clusters, including efforts to improve access to finance, technology upgrades, and market linkages.
The SAPM Haroon Akhtar also planted a sapling at Tecno Auto Glass, SME cluster, Bin Qasim Karachi during the visit.