QUETTA: Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan Alyani has said that his government would soon announce tax exemption for industries in the province.

Talking to reporters here on Tuesday, he said the industries would get incentives through exemption in service tax and reduction in other taxes which would help them to continue their production.

The chief minister said the industries would be given tax relief so that its benefit could reach the people who were suffering badly due to the coronavirus outbreak.

He said the provincial government was aware of the difficulties of daily wage workers who had been rendered jobless because of lockdowns and a package for them and other needy people would be announced within a week. The departments concerned were preparing that package, he added. “We are evolving a ration distribution system in consultation with welfare organisations so that food items could reach every deserving person,” Mr Alyani said.

He expressed anger over negative response of businessmen and industrialists of Hub and other areas of Balochistan who did not help jobless people.

He asked philanthropists to help poor people of the province. He said that despite meagre resources and without required assistance from the federal government his government made all arrangements for pilgrims who returned from Iran. He said over 5,000 pilgrims and other people were sent to their provinces after keeping them in quarantine. He said that during last one month people arrived in Pakistan through different routes.

He said the provincial government had purchased 250,000 begs of wheat and started sending them to all districts, specially to Makran and Rakhshan divisions, which could face shortage of edible and other daily use items due to closure of border with Iran.

Published in Dawn, April 1st, 2020