ISLAMABAD:
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has asked the relevant institutions to expedite measures to provide loans to small and medium enterprises on easy terms through banks and other financial institutions.
Chairing a meeting on Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (Smeda) at PM House on Monday, the Prime Minister praised Special Assistant Haroon Akhtar and Smeda’s newly elected board for formulating a practical and effective plan.
“Small and medium enterprises are the backbone of the country’s economy,” the prime minister said, adding that “there is a huge potential to increase the country’s exports through the development of small and medium enterprises.”
A three-year roadmap for the promotion of small and medium enterprises was presented at the meeting in addition to a detailed briefing on the problems faced by the SMEs and the action plan to address them; the strategy to include the SMEs in the country’s exports, and other initiatives included in the business plan.
Prime Minister Shehbaz also visited Bangladesh High Commission to express his condolences on the demise of Begum Khaleda Zia, former Prime Minister of Bangladesh and Chairperson of Bangladesh Nationalist Party.
The Prime Minister conveyed his condolences to the Charge d’Affaires of Bangladesh, signed a message in the condolence book and also offered Fateha for the departed soul.
In his condolence message, he paid rich tributes to Zia, describing her as a visionary leader and an eminent political figure who dedicated her life to public service.
Remembering the late leader as a sincere friend of Pakistan, the Prime Minister noted that she had left behind a lasting and inspiring legacy.
(WITH ACCESS FROM APP)
