UNISAME URGES PM FOR SPEEDY SME PROMOTION & DEVELOPMENT

The Union of Small and Medium Enterprises (UNISAME) invited the attention of the prime minister (PM) to the slow pace in high impact steps needed for MSME promotion and development and urged the PM to give directions for speedy positive action steps

President UNISAME Zulfikar Thaver said the trade policy 2015 -18., the Exim Bank, the SME specific bank, the SME export bureau, SME chamber and Institute are all dragging and delay is causing irreparable loss to the sector. The trade policy needs to be announced with favourable business friendly policies and facilities of doing business with ease and one window operation in true sense. The SME sector needs an SME specific bank to give access to finance. The SME export bureau is the need of the hour for promotion of exports of goods manufactured by the sector. There is a technological gap and for this the SME institute is needed for upgradation of SME units and undoubtedly an SME chamber of commerce and industry is desperately needed for the global information and transfer of technology support from world chambers.

The other important steps required are the implementation of the SME policy wherein it was promised the establishment of an SME ombudsman, the SME credit guarantee insurance and the appointment of SME sector representative on the board of SMEDA, PCSIR, NPO and PSQCA for quality advocacy and feedback.

The cost of doing business is increasing and it is very important that the doing of business is made easy and the sector is facilitated

The access to finance is still an issue although the mark up rate is now affordable and for this reason UNISAME has urged the PM to allow the microfinance banks to finance the small entrepreneurs by increasing their financing limit.

Thaver said it is indeed very surprising that the government has not realized the urgency of high impact steps for SME promotion and development in the face of growing challenges and is pretty unmoved.

He said the lethargy of the government is very disturbing and it is not expected from a business friendly government of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz ( PML-N) to go so slowly and procrastinate on remedial measures

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