File photo of Prime Minister Imran Khan. Aamir Qureshi—AFP
Chairing meeting to review future outlook of economy in wake of pandemic, prime minister directs maximum relief for citizenry
Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday emphasized the need to develop out-of-box solutions to overcome the economic challenges arising out of the movement restrictions imposed to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Chairing a meeting in Islamabad to review the current economic situation, as well as its future outlook amidst the pandemic, the prime minister said greater attention should be directed toward supporting small- and medium-sized enterprises, as well as the agriculture sector, to ensure maximum possible job opportunities for the impoverished.
Appreciating the efforts of the Finance Ministry to ensure financial discipline and provision of relief during the COVID-19 situation, he said the process of reforming public sector organizations should be expedited to plug leakages of the economy.
During the meeting, the Finance Ministry provided a detailed briefing on the overall situation, as well as the performance of various macroeconomic indicators during the last nine months of the current financial year. He was also apprised of the economic impact of the pandemic and the progress and impact of the Economic Stimulus Package announced by the government to provide relief to the vulnerable segments of society.
The prime minister appreciated the finance ministry’s efforts to ensure financial discipline and provision of relief during the COVID-19 situation.
He said subsidy provision should also be reviewed to make interventions more effective and target-oriented. He emphasized that priorities and targets for the next public sector development program should be clearly defined with a focus on completion of projects rather than mere initiation.
The prime minister also underscored the need for maximum utilization of the public-private partnership model, including international development partners, to enhance and broaden the scope of the Public Sector Development Program.