PESHAWAR: The finance department of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa organised a pre-budget consultative meeting for public and private sector stakeholders here, which was chaired by Finance Secretary Mohammad Ayaz.
The meeting organised under the auspices of Business Advisory Committee was attended by Caretaker Minister for Industries, Commerce, Technical Education and Revenue Mohammad Adnan Jalil, Regional Coordinator of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) Sartaj Ahmad Khan, senior officials of the finance and other departments and a large number of businessmen.
Speaking on the occasion, Sartaj Ahmad Khan of the FPCCI said that presently the entire country is facing a financial crisis and even during this critical juncture the business community is trying to strengthen the national economy. He proposed that at least 20 percent share of the upcoming provincial budget should be set aside for economic stability in the province.
He pointed out that the province has 22 notified border stations, but only four of them are operational. He also complained of a lack of facilities at the border stations.
He said that progress in four sectors — namely hydel power, mineral resources, cross-border trade and tourism — is essential for the uplift of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and called for allocation of maximum funds to these sectors. Sartaj Khan also proposed the initiation of a one-window operation in public sector organisations to facilitate the business community.
He said that in the last budget the government had promised the provision of land for his chambers and a grant of Rs100 million for the construction of a building for the FPCCI Regional Office, but the promise was not fulfilled.
In response to the matters raised by Sartaj Khan, Caretaker Minister Adnan Jalil said that the issue of grant of Rs100 million for the proposed FPCCI Regional Office would be presented in the upcoming meeting of the provincial cabinet.
He said that the province has the potential of generating surplus electricity and in this connection consultation had been held with Adviser on Energy Himayatullah Khan.
Addressing the meeting, Finance Secretary Mohammad Ayaz said that all the recommendations and proposals put forth by the business community would be weighed for possible incorporation into the provincial budget.
During the meeting it was decided that a joint seminar of business community members, finance department officials and other public and private sector stakeholders would be held soon at which all budget-related proposals would be discussed.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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