Punjab govt approves business facilitation centres

LAHORE: Accepting a long-standing demand of the business community, the establishment of business facilitation centers across the Punjab province has been approved. 

A summary in this regard will be sent to the Punjab chief minister soon. According to the document obtained, issuance of all necessary NOCs for starting a business in these centers will be possible under one roof.

In this regard, Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi presided over two meetings with officials of six chambers of commerce of Punjab, including Lahore, Faisalabad, Sialkot, Gujranwala, Multan and Rawalpindi, in which they discussed facilitation centers.

The Punjab industries secretary also participated in the consultation meetings after which it was decided to establish business facilitation centers in consultation with departments concerned.

Punjab Chief Secretary Zahid Akhtar Zaman also presided over meetings for the purpose. An executive business facilitation center will be built in the Al-Falah Building on The Mall Road in Lahore, while a knowledge portal for business information is also being built in it.

Anyone visiting the center will have access to all the information through the knowledge portal, including information on all necessary documents to start a business. Electronic tracking of applications for obtaining NOCs for starting a business and application status can also be tracked from the centre.

The business facilitation officer, after the initial meeting with the applicant at the center, will assist them in processing the application and also inform them of the date to come to collect the tracking ID and NOC. Applicants will have the option to collect their documents themselves if they wish or have them delivered to their address by courier.

Representatives of Punjab Directorate General of Industries, Prices, Weights and Measures, FEDMIC, PEDMIC, Punjab Small Industries Corporation and Punjab Board of Investment and Trade will also be present at the centers to guide the applicants.

Since most of the applications of traders, industrialists and business community in Punjab are for obtaining NOCs from Environment Department, Local Government and Housing Department, these departments will also be made part of the centres. A high-powered committee will also be set up to monitor and check the performance of centers.