Small and Medium Enterprise Development Authority (SMEDA) distributed grants' cheques of Rs 19.863 million in 60 crisis-hit SMEs of the Kurram Agency under Economic Revitalisation of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA (ERKF).
The cheques' distribution ceremony was held in Tribal Area Chamber of Commerce & Industry TACCI) with vice president, Shakireen in the chair while vice president, Federation of Pakistan Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FPCCI), Adnan Jalil was also present on the occasion.
Speaking on the occasion, the Provincial Chief, Smeda Javed Iqbal Khattak congratulated the beneficiaries of the cheques and urged them to start the rehabilitation of their businesses with immediate effect. Otherwise, he said in case of failure in the spending of the grant on the same purpose, the fund even could be withdrawn. He said that the monitoring of the beneficiaries would continue for a period of at least 18 months. The provincial chief SMEDA said that the doors of the authority and ERKF project would always remained open for any kind of facilitation. He urged the SMEs for evolving strategy for the enhancement of businesses. He said that SMEDA would always be there for facilitation in resolution of their problems and credit to help promote business activities and eradication of unemployment in FATA.
Javed Khattak also thanked TACCI for arranging the simple but impressive ceremony. He said that tribesmen are doing their businesses in a very unfriendly environment for business and for promotion of business activities urged them for getting the membership of TACCI.
On this occasion, Haji Ali Mohammad, a trader from Parachinar city expressed thanks to SMEDA for creation of awareness regarding the project in the prevailing uncertain situation.
He said that the officials of the ERKF told them about the project and in response they told them of their losses. He said that none of the official had sought any kind of gratification from them, saying they are grateful on even whatever they had received.
The trader said that though their losses were in billions of rupees and acknowledging that they could not bring their business to the old level, but they still seeking support in that regard. He also demanded the extension of such financial support to other traders of their tribal agency.
He said that their losses had already been verified by the political administration. Therefore, they should not be harassed again and again. He said that the tribal businessmen, whose volume of trade was in billions of rupees today even, could not feed two time meal to their family members.