The Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal, Monday termed the significant improvements and hard-earned stability of national economy as an opportunity for creating collaborative efforts to maintain the momentum, tap the real potential and achieve the goals of sustainable growth.
The minister, while addressing the leadership of the business community and later responding to media queries during his visit to Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), highlighted the key features of Uran Pakistan program and said that it is the vision of sustainable development and prosperity of Pakistan.
Ahsan Iqbal underscored that peace and harmony, political stability, continuity of the policies, and cohesive reforms and adaptability are four basic elements of a sustainable growth ecosystem.
Pakistan, with its diverse national resources, has the potential to transform itself into a trillion dollar economy but we need commitment to these four elements as it is the path that leads the nation to glory, he maintained.
The Planning minister said that Uran Pakistan program is the development footprint for the entire nation and the planning ministry has started working on its implementation agenda identifying 8 areas for special focus including agriculture, industry, services, IT, mining, manpower export, blue economy and creative industries.
He also sought feedback and viable proposals from trade bodies in the regard.
The inflation and the policy rate have witnessed significant decline during the year while the government recently reduced the electricity tariff by around Rs 7, the minister said and hinted that further economic stability may enable more reduction in the tariff and it would further ease the production cost as well as cost of doing business.
For taking ourselves out of the “Boom and Bust” cycle, he stressed, we need to embed sustainable growth with exports and build up foreign reserves, he said adding that the government and private sector have to work hand in hand to make Pakistan an exporting nation and establish the brand “Made in Pakistan”.
Referring to $ 4 billion record inflows of workers’ remittances, the minister said that Pakistan can enhance workers’ remittances to $ 50 billion within two or three years by imparting youth with skill and professional training as per global market requirements.
We need to become a one trillion economy by 2035 and only agility could help us to utilize our potential to the fullest and achieve the status of top economies of Asia, he maintained .—APP
