ISLAMABAD, Feb 4: The government has decided to set up “One Desk Operation” to offer all kinds of infrastructure facilities to the investors within three days.
“We are sending a summary to the cabinet next week for approval to offer the much needed facilities like water, land, gas, electricity, telephone etc., to the investors within three days”, said Minister for Industries and Production Liaquat Jatoi.
He told Dawn here on Tuesday that there has always been a demand of the investors to have “one window operation” which could not be offered to them even after decades.
“But now this one desk operation facility to the investors will be extended and the government would make sure that nobody creates any hurdles in this behalf”, Mr Jatoi said.
The minister said that a decision has also been taken to provide new fiscal and non-fiscal incentives to the investors. “The matter will be finalized before June this year so that our recommendations could be incorporated in the new budget”, he added.
He said without extending genuine facilities and incentives to the investors, there will be no substantial investment in the country. “Without giving incentives, we cannot expect from the investors to set up their factories and if that does not happen, we won’t be able to eliminate unemployment”, he believed.
Responding to a question Mr Jatoi said that tariffs will also be rationalized to lure local and foreign investors to make new investment in Pakistan.
Answering another question he said that the UAE government has agreed to help set up new Export Processing Zone (EPZ) on the pattern of Dubai Duty Free Zone. He said a UAE delegation would shortly be visiting Pakistan to help build new EPZ for the investors.
“We have reconstituted Export Promotion Bureau (EPB), the purpose of which is to offer land and other utilities to the investors on reduced prices”, he said.
Replying a question he said that the government would soon be exporting rice, sugar and cement to Saudi Arabia. “I have just held successful negotiations with the Saudi authorities to export these three items to the kingdom”, Mr Jatoi said.
He said there was a great need for meaningful industrialization to increase overall growth and provide jobs to the unemployed people. “For this industrialization, we would also be separately proposing incentives for the vendor industry”, the minister said.
“We used to import spare parts of various machinery worth $700 million annually which has now been considerably reduced due to the development of vendor industry which of course needs further support of the government”, he said.
He pointed out that one of his main tasks was to attract overseas Pakistanis to invest in Pakistan. “I had earlier visited Saudi Arabia, UAE and now I would soon be going to Bahrain for a two-day visit to meet investors specially overseas Pakistanis and would ask them to invest in Pakistan”, he said.
He said the share of the Ministry of Industries and Production in the GDP growth was 17.7 per cent which will reach to over 18 per cent during the next financial year.
Mr Jatoi also said that the government has decided to revive 300 industrial sick units at Gadoon, NWFP. He said he has asked for the details from the Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry to revive these sick units. Currently, he said only 60 units were operating in Gadoon area.