LAHORE: Acting President of the Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry Muhammad Nasir Hameed Khan has urged the government to develop cottage and small & medium enterprises through strategic approach.
He was speaking at the oath taking ceremony of Lahore Sewing Machines Association here at the Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry. Convener Standing Committee on Cottage industry Ghulam Sarwar Malik, Chaudhry Javed Iqbal, Tausif Mirza, Sheikh Muhammad Shafiq, Umer Afzal Mughal, Tahir Mahmood Mughal and Mian Muhammad Naeem also spoke on the occasion.
Muhammad Nasir Hameed Khan said that that the economic revival of the country would remain a dream until and unless the government redesigns its policies and divert resources towards cottage industry. He said that early establishment of a well equipped cottage city on the pattern of industrial zones in the country should be made part of the economic agenda of the government.
He cited the example of China, Korea and United States where an equal importance is being given to the small business. They are treated at par with Large Scale Manufacturing sector. He said that despite having all the resources, the economic downturn being witnessed by the country is an eye-opener for the people sitting at the helm of the affairs.
He called for a two-pronged strategy to cope with economic meltdown. He suggested to the government to evolve short-term sector-specific policies to break the economic logjam as it has proved that the longer term policies generally fall prey to political uncertainties.
Secondly, he said that government should expedite process of consultation with private sector as the business community is the real stakeholders and no policy should be announced without due consultation with the businessmen.
Earlier, Muhammad Nasir Hameed Khan taken oath from the newly elected office-bearers of Lahore Sewing Machines Association.