LAHORE - Acting president of the Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry Khawaja Shahzad Nasir has called for friendly measures to give a desired strength to the cottage industry.

He was addressing an over 100-member delegation of All Pakistan Cottage Industry, led by Ghulam Sarwar Malik, at the Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry. LCCI Vice President Fahim-ur-Rehman Sehgal also spoke on the occasion.

Khawaja Shahzad Nasir said that cottage industry plays a significant role in economic development as it not only provides employment to the people but also help growth of manufacturing sector. He said that cottage industry should be given due importance and should be promoted in the rural areas to eradicate poverty and trend of migration from rural to urban areas. He cited the example of China, Korea and United States where an equal importance is being given to the small business. They are treated at par with large scale manufacturing sector. He said that despite having all the resources, the economic downturn being witnessed by the country is an eye-opener for the people sitting at the helm of the affairs.

The LCCI acting president said that the economic revival of the country would remain a dream until and unless the government redesigns its policies and diverts resources towards cottage industry. He said that early establishment of a well equipped cottage city on the pattern of industrial zones in the country should be made part of the economic agenda of the government.

LCCI vice president Fahim-ur-Rehman Sehgal called for a two-pronged strategy to cope with economic meltdown. He suggested to the government to evolve short-term sector-specific policies to break the economic logjam as it has proved that the longer term policies generally fall prey to political uncertainties. He said that government should expedite process of consultation with private sector as the business community is the real stakeholders and no policy should be announced without due consultation with the businessmen.

In his welcome address, Chairman All Pakistan Cottage Industry Ghulam Sarwar Malik sought the help of Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry for the revival of cottage industry. He said that some well-equipped space must be allocated by the government for the cottage industry so that the people attached with cottage industry can be able to do their businesses with peace of mind.