KARACHI: Sindh Minister for Women Development Syeda Shehla Raza has said that the women development department will be launching a portal soon to facilitate women entrepreneurs of the province to market various products online. Speaking at the first meeting of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry's Women Entrepreneurs Subcommittee, Shehla Raza said that women in those households that had been affected by joblessness caused by the coronavirus pandemic wanted to do something for their families.
"Hence, we decided to provide them with an e-portal where they could easily promote and sell their products," said the minister. Shehla Raza further informed the audience about Sindh government's micro loans to women entrepreneurs. This micro loan facility had now expanded to 18 districts across Sindh.
She said that the government had been looking into the possibility of introducing more such financing facilities for women. The minister advised the women entrepreneurs not to stay confined to just textile designing but to go for other options as well.
"You are very talented as you have been producing some excellent products, but in order to fetch more returns, you must focus on diversification and further improving products through value-addition," she said.
Referring to the KCCI's demand for improving the infrastructure, she said that the Sindh government intended to improve the infrastructure, but it had been facing problems due to shortage of funds as the federal government had given Rs275 billion less to the province than Sindh's share for one year.
She also criticized the federal government for disbursing Rs65 billion less from the Federal Divisible Pool in the last three months. KCCI President M. Shariq Vohra, while warmly welcoming Sindh Minister for Women Development, appreciated her hard work and struggle for women rights throughout her political career.
Welcoming the e-portal initiative, the KCCI president requested the minister to take members of KCCI's women entrepreneurs subcommittee on board. He said that the Sindh government must take measures to provide some relief to the perturbed people of Karachi who were facing a lot of miseries and hardships due to the dilapidated infrastructure.
KCCI Senior Vice President M. Saqib Goodluck, Vice President Shamsul Islam Khan, Women Entrepreneurs Subcommittee chairperson Durre Shahwar Nisar and deputy chairperson Mannal Jayyad Dar also attended the meeting.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020
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