The present government is ready to establish a separate city for cottage industry of the province, as the government believes in facilitating the business sector in the larger interest of economic well-being of the country. Secretary Industries Javed Majid expressed these views while speaking during Cottage Industry meeting here at Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) on Tuesday. Majid maintained like industrial estates, Cottage City was very much under consideration and soon a formal announcement would be made.
"The cottage industry was a bit unorganised sector and a number of demands and suggestions could not reach the government high-ups, therefore the business leaders should prepare their demands and forward the same to the government through LCCI," he added.
Speaking on the occasion, LCCI executive committee member Muhammad Ali Mian announced the Chamber would soon form a liaison committee for better interaction between the Ministry of Industry and cottage industry.
LCCI executive committee member Mian Shafqat said in the past that sector was badly ignored but then the mindset at the government level had changed and the government high-ups was ready to listen to the genuine complaints of businessmen.
Earlier, addressing the participants, the LCCI Standing Committee on Cottage Industry Convener Ghulam Sarwar Malik demanded of the government to provide the cottage industry with cheaper utilities, therefore the people attached with that sector could take advantage of business-friendly policies of the government. Talking about smuggling, Malik said the monster of smuggling was eating up the cottage industry of the country and the present government should take concerted efforts to control the menace. He also demanded of the government to exempt the cottage industry from social security law, as the law was creating multiple problems for the people attached with the industry.