PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan on Monday launched a one-window business portal to promote industrial and commercial activities in the province through better facilitation of investors and businesspersons.

He said the facility would serve as a one-stop shop for investors and business community to obtain registrations, licences, certifications and permits of various departments required for investment and starting business in the province.

Additional chief secretary Shahab Ali Shah, industries secretary Hamayun Khan, CEO of the KP Board of Investment and Trade (KP-BoIT) Hassan Dawood, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Technology Board managing director Ali Mahmood and other relevant officials were also present on the occasion.

The portal jointly developed by the KP-BoIT and KP-ITB will connect businesses with the relevant provincial and federal stakeholders digitally for effective and efficient services on their doorstep, according to officials.

They said the portal was a one-click shop and connects business with eleven different departments making the system formidable, efficient and effective.

The officials said besides facilitating the business community in obtaining NOCs and licences from various departments, it would also provide the online facility for payments of various taxes, registration fees and approval of building maps.

They said the business portal would help investors and business community get rid of the time-consuming and cumbersome processes of obtaining NOCs for starting various business, and that they would not require to roam around various offices separately. Also, the portal will ensure transparency and accountability in the issuance of NOCs for starting business.

Speaking on the occasion, the chief minister termed the launching of the ‘One- Window Business Portal’ an important achievement of the provincial government for the ease of doing business in the province and said it would help a great deal to attract private sector investment and facilitate them at maximum.

“Our government, as per the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan, is taking result-oriented steps to extend maximum facilitation to the private sector investors. All required facilitation is being extended to private sector investors under one roof in the province.”

Mr Mahmood said beside other facilities, the provincial government was also offering tax rebate to attract the maximum private sector investors to the province.

He said the government is providing the locally produced of electricity on cheaper rates to the local industries through its wheeling system so that the maximum job opportunities could be created for people by promoting industrial activities in the province. The CM said environment was very conducive in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for private sectors investors, and called upon private sector investors to put their money in different sectors of the province.

Published in Dawn, December 14th, 2021