LAHORE, May 20 (APP): Provincial Minister for Finance Dr Ayesha
Ghaus Pasha has said that according to the World Bank’s Report
Pakistan’s economy is among the top performers of South Asia with
GDP growth expected to reach 5.2 percent in Fiscal year 2017.
According to a handout issued here on Saturday, she expressed
these views at a local hotel during the launching ceremony of World
Bank’s bi-annual Publication on economic developments in Pakistan
“Pakistan Development Updates Spring 2017”.
Increase in GDP rate was conditional with the development of
local export and SMEs, she added.
She said Punjab was committed to play its part in order
to establish a strong foothold as a growing economy and proactively
working towards growth and prosperity and adopted inclusive and
sustainable policies for the result oriented reforms in energy,
industry, agriculture, resource mobilization, employment and skills,
public private partnership and urbanization.
The minister said that access to international markets
would be possible for providing skill training to two million youth
by 2018.
She said that for the first time in the history of the country, interest free loans to small farmers, use of information technology
and opportunities of benefitting from latest research were being
provided so that they could play their role in enhancing agriculture production as well as in the development of the country.
The minister said that Punjab was ready to take maximum benefit
from CPEC as not only law and order situation is better in the province
but geographical, cultrual and business atmosphere were also attractive
for investors.