UNISAME SENDS SOS TO PM TO SAVE SME SECTOR

The Union of Small and Medium Enterprises (UNISAME) has sent an SOS to prime minister (PM) Shehbaaz Sharif to take immediate measures to save the majority sector from a very big setback.
The majority SME sector is in turmoil and day by day sinking.
The UNISAME president Zulfikar Thaver and council members said it is very important that SME promotion and development is put on fast track and given priority. It is pertinent to note that the sector is facing challenges due to high energy cost,high cost of finance, technological gap, access to finance, insufficient marketing support, high cost of doing business and other impediments like non conducive environment, safety issues and wave of anticipated inflation due to recent budget.
The UNISAME council urged the PM to order immediate setting up of SME Bureau, SME specific bank, value addition bureau,Office of SME Ombudsman, SME police liaison committee, SME gallery for global marketing support, subsidies for alternate energy and remove unnecessary rules and regulations hampering growth and set up real one window operations in letter and spirit.
The council also invited the attention of the PM to the urgent need to increase the size and scope of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA) to enable it to outreach the micro to medium entrepreneurs and farmers as well.
If it is not possible or the government is not inclined for any other reason then the policy makers must follow the report of Asian Development Bank and place SMEDA under the cabinet division for direct report to the cabinet and the PM.

Posted in: Press Releases