ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan called for an out-of-box solution for economic growth in the given situation, as the coronavirus had negatively affected Pakistan and the global economy.
He observed this while presiding over a meeting of the Economic Think Tank on Saturday here in which Finance Advisor Dr. Abdul Hafeez Sheikh, Advisor on Institutional Reforms Dr. Ishrat Hussain, Governor SBP Raza Baqir and former finance secretary Dr. Waqar Masood participated.
Addressing the participants, the prime minister stressed the need to find effective solutions for economic growth in view of the current situation of coronavirus across the country. He appreciated the suggestions made by the think tank on banking and finance, further improving the Ehsaas program and providing facilities to small and medium enterprises. “Providing assistance to the poor through targeted subsidies is a top priority. The Ehsaas program is the government's flagship program for poverty alleviation that needs to be extended to more beneficiaries,” he said.
He said the government adopted a strategy to maintain a balance between sustaining economic activity and protecting the masses from infectious disease of Covid-19. He highlighted that a substantive package had been announced for construction and housing sector aimed at increasing the much-needed employment opportunities and economic stimulus as well as adding to the inventory of affordable housing for the poor. He highly appreciated the proposals presented by the think-tank regarding banking & finance, further improving the Ehsaas program and facilitating SMEs. The prime minister directed that regular feedback of the think-tank be provided to him on various ongoing initiatives, policies and programs of the government.
Later, talking to the media, Dr. Abdul Hafeez Sheikh said the government had decided to provide easy installment loans to the people. The finance adviser said the purpose of the think tank was to work with experts in various fields to take steps to improve economy. He said the decision to provide incentives to the people in the construction sector would be implemented. Apart from Razak Dawood, Shaukat Tareen, Sultan Allana and Dr Ijaz Nabi also attended the meeting through the video link.
