Banks to provide subsidised loans to female entrepreneurs, says SBP

FAISALABAD: Female entrepreneurs would be encouraged to play their proactive role in the national economy and in this connection, banks would provide them subsidized loans as per policy laid down by the SBP, said Waqas Kashif Bajwa Chief Manager State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Faisalabad.

He was talking to a delegation of the Faisalabad Women Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FWCCI) which met him under the leadership of FWCCI president Robina Amjad.

FWCCI senior vice president (SVP) Tasgheera Tajammul and vice president Abeeha Hamid were also included in the delegation.

Robina Amjad underlined the importance of females and said that they must be given easy access to the capital enabling them to undertake new initiatives or expand their existing businesses.

She said Pakistan is facing the worst ever crisis as one third area of it is submerged under flood water. “The livelihood of people belonging to these areas has been totally washed away, inflicting colossal loss to the national economy,” she added. She said women must be involved in economic activities to rebuild the devastated areas with a focus of this marginalized segment of the society.

She told that FWCCI has prepared a roadmap with an objective to provide them access to financing resources.

She said that seminars, symposiums and workshops would be arranged in collaboration with banks to educate the female entrepreneurs about the available facilities in the banking sector.

She said that a large number of women work from their homes by exploiting their sewing, stitching and other skills. “Similarly, rural women also contribute their role in the agriculture sector but their role has never been recognized at the national level”, she added.

She said that FWCCI would provide women a platform from where these women could present and resolve their basic and fundamental issues.

She said a workshop would be arranged to give much-needed awareness to the female entrepreneurs about the new technologies being used by the banks including ‘Raast’ and ‘AMA’ apps.

She said that a meeting with the officials of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) would also be arranged to provide them special incentives in the tax regime.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022