Senator Ilyas Bilour, Provincial Industry Minister Sami Ullah Alizai, Secretary Industry Fazal Karim Khattak, Secretary Finance Sahibzada Saeed, MD BOK Bilal Mustafa, members Chamber of Commerce, and industrialists were also present on the occasion. Addressing the ceremony, the chief minister paid tributes to the role of the business community in the development of the province and especially the continuity of the activities of trade and industries in the tough prevailing circumstances.
He said that the program of industrial development had been prepared on the recommendations of industrialists and chambers. And that more resources had been allocated and that to benefit from these opportunities the government had initiated special initiatives during the current and last years.
The chief minister said that under the MoU between the BOK and Industry Department, the scheme of long term loans for promotion of industry had commenced formally in the province. Under the scheme, he said industrialists would be provided loans for a long term of eight years with mark-up up to 7%. He said that these loans would be offered both for the establishment of new industries and the up-gradation of existing industry to create employment opportunities enhance business and trade activities.
Amir Haider Khan Hoti said that the distribution of loans would be purely on need and merit based. He lauded the role of BOK in realising the government's welfare schemes. He said that the scheme of free treatment for cancer patients and the laptop scheme for intelligent students would commence this month.
He said that after acknowledging the importance of the IT sector, the establishment of another IT Park in Abbottabad was also under consideration, adding that terrorism and militancy can be battled with more investment in education and industrial sector. He expressed the satisfaction that future governments would also continue these people welfare schemes. And said that they had undertaken practical measures for the provision of educational opportunities to the youth, employment opportunities to the jobless youth and modern machinery to farmers.
He stated that five projects under the Provincial Action Plan for hydro power generation had been launched, and added that 2100 MW power would be generated under the 24 projects. He said that the completion of these schemes would help arrest the energy crisis as well as earn revenues worth billions of rupees for the province.
He said that the Oil and Gas Company of the province would soon be realised and the provincial board of investment had been established and its formal meeting would soon convene. He said that the recommendations of the business community have been considered in the selection of members of the board.
The chief minister also lauded efforts of the Managing Director BOK and his team, which had not only enhanced economic activities but also stabilised the bank. He asked the industrialists and traders to put up their recommendations for acquiring Rs 200 million allocated to the SMEs to be utilized in economic development of the province.