CM to inaugurate Investor Helpline soon: minister

LAHORE:The Chief Minister Punjab will soon inaugurate the Investor Helpline, a joint venture of Punjab Board of Investment and Trade (PBIT) and the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB).

This was decided in the maiden meeting of the Intra Departmental Committee for the establishment of Investor Helpline chaired by Provincial Minister for Industry and Commerce Mian Aslam Iqbal. The meeting was held in PBIT Committee Room and was attended by Additional Secretary Commerce Ijaz Khan, Chief Operating Officer Punjab Investment Board Jalal Hassan, Joint Director Citizen Contact Ali Zeb and concerned officers. Chairman PBIT attended the meeting through video link while CEO PBIT Dr Erfa Iqbal gave a detailed briefing regarding investor helpline.

Addressing the meeting, Aslam Iqbal observed that the establishment of Investor Helpline in the PBIT was a major step towards providing facilities to the investors. “Through this helpline the business community will get business registration, redressal of their grievances and information to start a business”.

The provincial minister said that focal persons have been appointed in the federal and provincial departments for redressal of grievances of the business community. Relevant departments will also be made legally bound to redress the grievances of investors. The Citizen Contact Centre will provide information to those interested in investing, he said. Dr Erfa Iqbal, CEO, Punjab Board of Investment, said that the investor helpline system would be taken forward in a phased manner. The first phase will cover all Special Economic Zones, Industrial Estates and Small Industrial Estates, she said.

NDMA MEMBER: The Member Operations NDMA Brig Waseem Uddin visited Emergency Services Headquarters & Academy of Rescue 1122 on behalf of Chairman National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Pakistan here on Friday. He met Pakistan Rescue Team (PRT) of Emergency Services Academy and discussed joint training schedule of other Urban Search & Rescue Teams of the country and coordination mechanism for deployment of UN certified rescue team in case of any disaster with Director General/Commander of PRT. Brig Waseem congratulated the Pakistan Rescue Team and said it is a milestone achievement to get UN Certification for disaster response. NDMA would provide all possible support and arrange mutual training programmes and exercises to enhance the capacity of different disaster response teams of the country. Brig Waseem was given detailed briefing about the process of urban search and rescue training, international certification and specialised purpose built training simulators in the Academy and ongoing specialised training activities of Fire, Rescue, Medical, Deep Well Rescue, Burn House, Fire Fit Challenge, Height Rescue, Water Rescue, Swimming, Urban Search & Rescue, and physical fitness training. He also visited the medical, fire and rescue labs where he was briefed about the appropriate advance use of rescue equipment in rescue operations as well as its usage in Emergency Services Academy for training purposes.