FAISALABAD:Policymakers and bureaucracy must have knowledge of economic intricacies so that they could formulate comprehensive policies to give a quantum jump to the national GDP in line with the ground realities and contemporary needs in consultation with the business community.
Addressing a delegation of the participants of the 33rd mid-career course of The National Institute Of Management (NIM) Lahore, Atif Munir Sheikh, president FCCI, said that Faisalabad is the third major industrial, commercial and business city of Pakistan. “It is directly affected with any new economic policy formulated at the federal or provincial level”, he said and added that the FCCI had a well developed R&D department to analyze these policies and pin pointing its pros & cons with necessary recommendations to achieve the required results.
He expressed satisfaction over the recently announced industrial incentive package and said that it was prepared and announced on the demand of the FCCI and it contained around 90% of its recommendations.
He said the FCCI was regularly sending trade delegations to the foreign markets to enhance national exports. “Currently a delegation of the FCCI is visiting Spain”, he said and added that yet two delegations for the UK and Turkey were in the pipeline.
Responding to a question, he said that local business tycoons had recently decided to set up the Faisalabad Development Legend Fund to undertake development mega commercial projects by following the Sialkot Model. He said that a safe city project, international standard hotels, hospitals, expo centre and theme park would also be undertaken which would entirely change the urban landscape of this vibrant metropolis.
The president FCCI told the participants that the FCCI had inked a MOU with CPO to start work on installation of CCTV cameras by different trade organizations in their respective commercial areas to monitor criminal activities. “These cameras would be controlled through a central room to be established in the building of the former CPLC”, he said and added that these scattered networks would be handed over to the safe city project in a later phase.
He said the FCCI was also working in liaison with the FIA to create much needed awareness about cyber crimes. “Lectures are being delivered to students of major universities and colleges of Faisalabad”, he added.
About a question on Point Of Sale (POS), he said that FCCI fully supported it as it was a right step in the right direction for the documentation of the economy.
About dearth of skilled manpower, he said that he was in touch with concerned and relevant organizations to take extra measures to produce skilled manpower for the hi-tech industrial units expected to be established in local industrial estates.
Later, President Atif Munir Sheikh presented FCCI memento to Madam Adeela Younas, Additional Directing Staff of the NIM Lahore. Madam Adeela also reciprocated and handed over an insignia of NIM Lahore to Atif Munir Sheikh.