PESHAWAR, Jan 11: Federal Minister for Industries and Production and Special Initiatives Jehangir Khan Tareen has said that private sector's representatives will be taken on the decision making bodies /board of directors of public sector institutions.

"Board of directors and decision making bodies of important institutions meant for the promotion of industries are being revamped by taking private sector's representatives to make them effective to facilitate the industrial sector," said the minister while addressing members of the Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) here on Monday.

The Pakistan Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC), he maintained, would be revamped and prominent industrialists of the country had been taken on its board of directors to take advantage of their experiences. Similarly, he said, under the umbrella of PIDC two new companies would be established to streamline the industrial sector.

The companies including national industrial development and management company and the technology up-gradation and skill development company, he maintained, would be managed by the private sector's representatives and professionals to help the industrial sector take benefit from their expertise.

"We will make changes under every board involving the private sector in policy making process to bring about the much wanted change in our system," said the minister, adding that "we will make the private sector responsive by taking their representatives on the board of directors of important public sector entities."

In this respect, he also announced to take Mohsin Aziz, former president of the SCCI and ex-chairman of the All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (Aptma) on the board of directors of the newly established National Industrial Development and Management Company.

His inclusion will raise the number of NWFP's industrialists' representatives to two as former president of SCCI Jamshed Savul has earlier been taken on its board.

Rejecting the impression that the federal government had always meted out 'step-motherly' attitude to NWFP's industrial sector, Mr Tareen said that one of the two industrial estates being set up by the National Industrial Development And Management Company would be established in Peshawar, and the other in Karachi.

"We will also talk to government of NWFP for its cooperation, however, the management of the estate will be taken care by the National Industrial Development And Management Company," said the minister.

Both the industrial estates, said the minister, would not be run by the industries department. Rather, their affairs would be taken care of by professionals from the private sector.

In addition to establishing new industrial estates equipped with modern facilities and infrastructure, the government, he added, was also evolving a strategy to upgrade the existing industrial estates. In this respect, he maintained, his ministry would prepare a project, which would be made part of the next financial year's budget.