PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak on Saturday announced the formation of a committee to make the first industrial policy of the province.

The committee comprising industrialists, bureaucrats, consultants and experts will do the job within a month, said a handout issued here.

The chief minister made the announcement during a meeting at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat, where top officials of the relevant departments and industrialists and traders were in attendance.

The participants gave suggestions about the proposed industrial policy.

The chief minister said besides effective legislation for all sectors of economy, his government would also make comprehensive policies to help the province progress in an organised manner like developed countries.

Says industrialisation to guarantee economic uplift

He said he was hopeful that the committee would come up with a comprehensive industrial policy covering mineral, environment, energy, transport, tourism, sports and other social sectors besides industries, labour and manpower sectors.

“The industrialisation is crucial for us as it will guarantee our economic development and prosperity to alleviate backwardness, poverty and unemployment,” he said.

Khattak said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was not attractive for industrialists due to the successive governments’ ill-conceived policies and wrongdoings, while most local industries were on the verge of closure.

He,, however, said his government would revive industries in the province through some major steps.

“We’re abolishing red tape in government organisations. In future, all government departments will have one-window operations to facilitate industrialists and investors,” he said.

The chief minister said industrialists should come forward and cooperate with the government for economic revival.

He urged local industrialists and traders, especially those of Peshawar, to give proposals for promotion of trade and industry in the province.

Khattak said the government took effective steps to end corruption, change the system, and ensure rule of law in the province believing it would lead to progress and development.

“Our province has lost industrial attraction but we are committed to bringing about industrial revolution in the province,” he said.

The chief minister said the measures besides the provision of cheap electricity to woo domestic investors and handing over of all industrial zones to private sector also included several other policy related steps.

He said the government has decided to establish new industrial zones at important trading areas, while an industrial estate was being established on the gateway to Kohat and Karak, which would be followed by Malakand.

Khattak said a remarkable progress had been made for the establishment of oil refinery, which besides promotion of small and medium enterprises would also generate excellent employment opportunities for their unemployed youths.

He said his government offered incentives to industrialists and investors and extended all required facilities and guarantees to them for economic progress and prosperity.

The chief minister said the energy department was working on a comprehensive plan under which hydel energy in northern districts and thermal power stations and other resources in southern districts would be used for generation of electricity at local level.

Published in Dawn, July 27th, 2014