KPEZDMC inks MoUs to ensure facilities to industries

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Economic Zones Development and Management Company (KPEZDMC) on Tuesday launched steps for ensuring bank finance and other facilities to industries.

It signed two separate memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with The Bank of Khyber (BoK) and University of Engineering and Technology Peshawar (UET) for these facilities.

The ceremony was held at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat with Chief Minister Mahmood Khan as a chief guest, said an official handout. Provincial Minister Taimur Salim Jhagra, Advisor to Chief Minister on Industries Abdul Kareem Khan, Special Assistant on Information and Higher Education Kamran Bangash and others attended the function.

As per the MoU signed with the BoK, the bank will open conventional/Islamic branches in economic zones subject to provision of space and volume of business to cater to the need of KPEZDMC requirements. Similarly, bank will provide financial assistance to the Industries and developers to be developed in the special economic zones and economic zones.

The bank will also extend consumer finance facilities to the employees and enterprises at the KPEZDMC. The KPEZDMC will arrange suitable premises for opening BoK branches along with basic utilities. It will also issue certificates for the employees interested in availing BoK consumer loan.

As per the MoU signed between KPEZDMC and University of Engineering, Centre for Industrial and Building Energy Audit (CIBEA) of Engineering University will lead and operate Industrial Energy Assessment Centres (IEACs) in Special Economic Zones. It will enable these centres to conduct online and instrumented energy audits. The CIBEA will establish a service at IEACs that will advise the industry towards the design of energy-efficient buildings which will help increase productivity-to-energy-ratio of the industry during the lifetime of the facility.

The CIBEA will help KPEZDMC to develop its own energy audit equipment lab. Furthermore, it will generate a database of industrial energy usage for current and future planning needs.

Study tours to be arranged for children

Minister for Culture and Labour Shaukat Yousafzai on Tuesday said that study tours would be arranged for children to create awareness among them about their culture and history.

A delegation of UNESCO Pakistan, THAAP and NIDA Pakistan led by UNESCO Pakistan Country Director Patricia McPhillips called on the minister here. The delegation discussed ways and means to highlight the modern and ancient cultural aspects of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and raise the level of awareness. The delegation briefed the minister on various projects of UNESCO Pakistan, THAAP and NIDA Pakistan. The delegation included Dr Sajida Wadal, Muhammad Arif, Tariq Ahmad Khan and Dr Zia-ur-Rahman.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Director Culture Shama Naimat and Director Tourism Muhammad Shoaib were also present.

The minister said that the tradition of study tours for children would be revived to create awareness among them. He added that it was important to make children aware of the modern and ancient aspects of the culture and to get them involved in daily activities. “Our culture is our identity.

Every city and village in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has its own historical significance. Historic sites and thousands of years old traditions and historic buildings are still of interest to domestic and foreign tourists,” he said.

The minister thanked the delegation for coming to Peshawar. The delegation assured the minister that they would cooperate with the government to promote the local cultural.