RAWALPINDI: The Executive Committee of Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) showed concerns over increasing unemployment ratio in the country. The meeting was held at Chamber on Thursday and presided by President RCCI Syed Asad Mashadi while Senior Vice President Mian Humayun Parvez, Vice President Saboor Malik and other members of the committee were also present. It was suggested in the meeting that government has to achieve 7 percent growth rate to address the issue as country’s current growth rate is around 3 percent.
Quoting a recently published report Asad Mashadi said that there are 3.7million jobless people in the country and every year Pakistan need 1.7million new job opportunities to eliminate unemployment. He was of the view that government cannot handle the situation alone and it is need of the hour to promote public-private partnership and government must take private sector onboard to resolve the issue.
President RCCI while suggesting said that government must take solid measures to encourage Small & Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and should establish modern technical & vocational training institutes to generate skilled labor. He said that no country can make progress without promoting SMEs; government must facilitate SMEs and enhance their capacity to support business activities in the country.
Mashadi said that commercial banks must make easy policies for SMEs as at current stage SMEs have only 6% share in total lending offered by these banks. He said that RCCI always support SMEs and specially women entrepreneurs and an incubation center for business women in the Chamber is in under construction in which every facility will be provided to business women under one roof.-END
