ISLAMABAD (APP) - The Senate Standing Committee on Finance, Revenue and statistics and economic Affairs, on Tuesday suggested the real sector development should be given due consideration with a view to increase agricultural output and achieve large scale manufacturing growth. The Committee met at the Parliament House today under the Chairmanship of Senate Ahmed Ali. The Committee directed the Finance Division and State Bank to take steps for bringing about improvement in the fiscal discipline as the economic growth remained weak in the financial year 2008-09. The committee was given a detailed briefing by the Governor SBP Saleem Raza on the current state of the economy. Members of the Committee underlined the need for taking major policy initiatives to lower the inflation rate and take some concrete steps to build up the countrys foreign exchange reserves. They emphasized the need for introducing such fiscal policies that may help in lowering the interest rate as the consumer financing is being affected by the high interest rates. Replying to a question, the Governor SBP admitted the fact that modern techniques were required to boost the agro- financing in the country and a comprehensive plan was required to revamp and restructure the banks to give boost to this sector of financing. Regarding suspension of the licenses to the foreign exchange companies, the committee directed the SBP and the FIA to make coordinated efforts for ensuring elimination of all unhealthy practices. Earlier, Minister for Finance, Shaukat Tarin informed the Committee that steps were being taken to lower the inflationary pressure. He said that prices of various commodities have been linked to the international market to strengthen the agriculture sector. The meeting was attended by Senators Syeda Sughra Imam, Islamuddin Shaikh, Dr. Safdar Ali Abbasi, Ilyas Ahmed Bilour, Mrs. Kalsoom Parveen and M Ishaq Dar besides Federal Minster for Finance, Shaukat Tarin, governor SBP, Syed Salim Raza and senior officials of the Ministry of Finance and its attached departments. Meanwhile, the Senate Standing Committee on Labour, Manpower and Overseas Pakistanis Tuesday observed that there is a need to exploit full potential of the overseas Pakistanis, who are a great asset for the country instead of merely considering them as money making machines. The most rewarding means of achieving this end, it said, would be a concerted endeavour to improve the skill level of Pakistani workers along with embarking upon aggressive marketing campaign for greater manpower export from the country. Terming them as Roaming Ambassador of the country, the meeting which met at the Parliament House under the Chairmanship of Senator Naeem Hussain Chattha demanded enhanced status for overseas Pakistanis rather than a source of remittances only. The meeting called for immediate initiation of crash programmes for Pakistani workers to enhance their skill level. It was suggested that organization like NAVTEC should be used more judiciously to achieve the objective. It was also suggested that the Pakistani workers should be apprised of the basic laws, customs and traditions of the host country before sending them abroad. The meeting directed the Ministry of Labour and Manpower to launch aggressive marketing; campaign for our workers in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which should explore more markets initial in various countries of Asia and Europe. It instructed that role of Community Welfare Attaches (CWAS) be strengthened further to achieve these objectives. The meeting urged the Ministry of Labour to strive for promoting the welfare of out workers, improve their skill level and strive for obtaining more contracts from abroad so that new job opportunities could be generated. The committee highlighted the importance of providing a better deal to our workers, improve residential facilities for overseas Pakistanis and maintain strict vigil that traditional 'qubza groups may not be able to usurp their houses and properties. The meeting regretted that welfare schemes have been announced with much fanfare in the past for overseas Pakistanis but most these schemes could not bring about any real improvement in our workers lot. It urged that right lessons must be learned from the past experiences. The Committee expressed its surprise that data relating to overseas Pakistanis is still sketchy and unreliable. It directed the Ministry to compile authentic data on Pakistani diaspora at the earliest so that some of the innovative schemes may be put to actual execution.