July 17, 2002	Wednesday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 6, 1423

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PESHAWAR, July 16: NWFP Governor Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah has stressed that the government organizations must avoid to indulge in business-oriented production activities.

They should facilitate the role of private sector in the production and investment activities in the province, he said while presiding over a meeting held to review the performance and role of Small Industries Development Board (SIDB) here on Tuesday.

The governor urged that there should be no duplication of work being carried out by different organizations and departments and they must be very much clear towards their aims and objectives and to achieve the targets entrusted to them.

The meeting, besides others, was attended by NWFP Minister for Industries Mohsin Aziz , Chief Secretary Shakil Durrani, Secretary Industries Abdul Ghaffar Somroo, Secretary Law Saleem Khan, Chairman SDA and MD SIDB.

He said that the role of each and every such institution should also have to be changed and they must help and encourage the private sector to establish industrial units. He also desired that the district governments should also be taken into confidence and that their help must be sought in the promotion of cottage industry. He referred to the training aspects of the cottage industry, particularly vocational training being carried out by different organizations, saying that the elected representatives could play a significant role in the promotion of such activities.

About the working of the industrial estates, he said, the scope of such assets should also be clearly defined and they must have in-built system to run their affairs.

Similarly, he said, possibility should also be considered to allocate a certain portion in the existing industrial estates for the establishment of small industrial units. He said that the government organizations must restrict their role to the facilitation, regulation and policy formulation and they should avoid investment on commercial grounds.

However, he said, keeping in view the unique nature of working of the small industrial units being run under the control of SIDB, towards the promotion of job opportunities, the possibility of public-private partnership should also be considered to meet the future requirements.