Strengthening EDB

The government’s decision to dissolve the Engineering Development Board (EDB) is being criticised immensely and various associations in the auto industry have appealed the authorities to either reconsider the decision or announce a successor organisation to take over the existing affairs. The EDB is the apex government body under the Ministry of Industries and Production that has been entrusted to strengthen the engineering base in the country. The board focuses on the development of the engineering goods and services sector on modern lines, which has been helping strengthen the engineering sector and integrate it with the international market. Experts believe that the auto industry has grown at a rapid pace in the last few years because the organisation has played an important role in nurturing the domestic auto industry and promoting the growth in the localisation of auto parts in the country.

Also, it is extremely important to keep a single entity accountable for the auto sector as the delegation of operational responsibilities to relevant ministries might tamper with the growth of the industry. Therefore, the government should review the decision in view of the EDB’s role that provided support to the auto industry’s operations over the years.

S A Hadi Bilgrami ( Karachi )