PM Imran stresses upon out-of-box solutions to deal with COVID-19 challenges

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has stressed upon the need for out-of-box solutions to meet the present-day economic challenges in the wake of coronavirus pandemic, reported The News.

The premier made the remarks while he was chairing a meeting on Friday to review the economic situation and future outlook of the economy in the wake of COVID-19 situation.

The prime minister was given a detailed presentation by the finance ministry about the overall situation and the performance of various macroeconomic indicators during the last nine months of the current financial year during the meeting.

He was also apprised of the economic impact of the pandemic and also reviewed the progress and impact of the Economic Stimulus Package, worth Rs1.25 trillion, announced by the government to provide relief to the poor and vulnerable segments of society.

Appreciating the performance of various economic indicators during the last nine months, the prime minister appreciated the finance ministry’s efforts to ensure financial discipline and provision of relief during the COVID-19 situation.

He emphasised that greater attention should be paid to supporting small and medium sector enterprises and the agriculture sector enabling them to create greater job opportunities for the people.

The prime minister said the process of reforming the public sector organisations should be expedited to plug leakages of the economy.

He added that the process of provision of subsidies should also be reviewed to make the interventions more effective and target-oriented. Discussing future economic outlook, PM Imran said all efforts should be made to provide maximum possible relief to the people.

He emphasised that priorities and targets for the next public sector development programme should be clearly defined with a focus on completion of the projects rather than mere initiation.

The prime minister also underscored the need for maximum utilisation of the public-private partnership model, and involving international development partners to enhance and broaden the scope of the public sector development programme.

Separately, Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry called on the prime minister and briefed him about the Made in Pakistan Initiative project.

Chaudhry gave a detailed briefing to the PM on the production of COVID-19 related goods in Pakistan such as various types of masks, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and other things.

The premier appreciated the minister as well as the Ministry of Science and Technology for the Made in Pakistan Initiative project, local production of coronavirus related goods and other measures.

Originally published in The News