ISLAMABAD: Protec­ting the poor from the effects of price hike was among the government’s priorities, Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Friday.

“The government accords priority to giving relief to the common man amid the crisis caused by the pandemic,” the prime minister said during a meeting about the state of the economy.

He said developing countries suffered the most because of global inflation.

The meeting dwelt on the prime minister’s visit to Russia and the progress in bilateral relations.

Federal ministers Shaukat Tarin, Chaudhry Fawad Hussain, Asad Umar, Makhdoom Khusro Bakhtiar, Hammad Azhar and Special Assistant to PM Sania Nishtar attended the meeting.

The meeting was told the Russia-West standoff had brought with it economic shocks as it had sent crude prices soaring past the $100 per barrel mark.

The prime minister was apprised of different schemes launched under the Ehsaas programme as well as some of the corrective steps taken to remove snags in its execution.

Compliance regime

The development of the industrial sector was vital to socio-economic progress, Prime Minister Imran Khan said during another meeting.

“The government has introduced a ‘compliance regime’ in place of the No Objection Certificate (NOC) regime,” he added.

Matters concerning the industrial sector, with focus on job creation, and poverty alleviation were debated at length.

The prime minister directed the ministries concerned to ensure a business-friendly environment for investors so that industrialisation picked up pace.

He directed the Ministry of Finance, the Board of Investment, the Federal Board of Revenue, the State Bank and the Securities and Exchange Commission to work in tandem for ushering in an environment that spurred industrial growth.

Renowned industrialists Mian Anjum Nisar and Muhammad Irfan also attended the meeting.

Prime Minister Imran Khan revealed that the government would soon launch a programme at the district level to curb stunted growth.

He ordered the implementation of ongoing projects and initiatives related to health on a priority basis.

The prime minister was apprised about the provision of basic health facilities, health card and ongoing projects in the federal capital, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Published in Dawn, February 26th, 2022