National Assembly Body Expresses Concerns On Substandard Auto Mobiles Production In Country

The National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee on Industries and Production on Monday expressed its concerns on the substandard production of automobiles vehicles and asked for ensuring the international standards for the safety and security of the users in the country

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 20th Jan, 2020 ) :The National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee on Industries and Production on Monday expressed its concerns on the substandard production of automobiles vehicles and asked for ensuring the international standards for the safety and security of the users in the country.

The committee met here under the chairmanship of Sajid Hussain Turi and expressed its concerns over the monitoring and evaluation mechanism of SMEDA/ Ministry of Industries and Production regarding disbursements of grants to different sectors for establishing of business.

The committee recommended that Small Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA) would provide details of its ongoing and new projects on quarterly basis to this committee.

The committee noted the issues being faced by the general public owing to substandard production of automobile vehicles.

The committee members were of the opinion that manufacturing companies including Toyota, Honda and Suzuki were not providing air bags and anti-lock breaking system (ABS) in automobile vehicles.

However, the representatives from the said companies clarified that they were providing above mentioned accessories in their vehicles.

The committee unanimously decided that the next meeting would be convened to discuss the taxation issues of automobile sector.

The committee decided that Federal board of Revenue, Ministry of Commerce, Engineering Development Board, Pakistan Standard and Quality Control Authority would also be invited in the said meeting.

The committee was briefed by the Utility Stores Corporation (USC) managing director with regard to six billion relief package announced by the prime minister. He informed that the funds had been released to the USC.

The committee members had expressed their concerns over the shortage of flour in the country.

The USC managing director informed that 200,000 MT of wheat was provided to the USC by the government for selling in the market, after grinding (flour), which had been distributed to all its outlets across the country. The committee appreciated the efforts made by the USC.

The committee also discussed the matter raised by Ali Gohar Khan, MNA regarding "the reason for nonpayment of dues to the contractors who supply the items to the USC." The managing director said the USC had already released 50% payments of (pending liabilities) to the contractors and remaining amount would be released in next six months. He further informed that there was a huge pending liability of Rs8.3 billion, which had now shrank upto 3.9 billion.

SMEDA chief executive officers (CEO) briefed the committee about the Economic Revitalization Programme in FATA, and said the basic focus of the programme was on three agencies (North, South Waziristan and Khyber) aiming to provide sustainable livelihood opportunities leading to long term economic growth of FATA, mobilizing communities, entrepreneurs and local authorities to identify and invest in areas of high demand and potential to sustain return.

He added that the project took three track approaches, which was focused on restarting livelihoods in the short term through public investment in FATA.

For medium term growth, he further said it would establish a challenged funds and business development grants to provide investment capital for new and existing enterprises to establish themselves, break into new markets of scale up.

The committee meeting was attended by MNAs Sahibzada Sibgatullah, Sajida Begum, Aliya Hamza Malik, Usama Qadri, Ali Gohar Khan, Mohammad Pervaiz Malik, Rana Muhammad Ishaq Khan, besides the senior officers of Ministry of Industries and Production.