FCCI concerned over decrease in uplift budget

FAISALABAD: The Punjab budget for the remaining eight months of the current fiscal year will have no immediate impact on the provincial economy, however, the government should take solid steps to dilute the ill effects of rise in gas tariff and expected increase in the power rates by the federal government.

Acting president Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCI) Mian Tanveer Ahmed said that government had allocated maximum funds for health and education sectors but decrease in development budget will certainly affect the masses in general.

Similarly, maximum funds allocation for underdeveloped areas of the province is a positive step which will help generate much-needed economic activities and bring these underprivileged areas at par with the developed cities of the province, he said.

He also welcomed new schemes of health cards, health insurance and maximum allocation for farmers but remarked that proactive, honest and committed administrative machinery is imperative to make these schemes successful.

Ahmed said that industrial sector was the mainstay of any economy and Punjab government should facilitate it. “Without reducing the production cost, we cannot make phenomenal growth in this important field.” He also stressed the need to utilise information technology to minimise the interference of more than one dozen government departments. He proposed that government should introduce a one-window facility for industrial sector so that they could resolve their all provincial issues at one place instead of visiting different offices.

The FCCI acting president appreciated the Punjab government for allocating Rs4 billion for Quaid-e-Azam Industrial Estate but opposed a proposal to empower the Punjab Revenue Authority (PRA) with the authority of sealing the business centres. He warned that such actions will not only discourage new investment but also promote unemployment.