-Says govt is committed to providing incentives to expats and their families
-Directs strategy for forex and other economic needs
-Lauds FBR on historic Rs 4,732 bln Tax revenue
By Uzma Zafar
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday said the government was committed to providing facilities and incentives to overseas Pakistanis and their families, for their immense contribution to the development of Pakistan.
Terming the overseas Pakistanis an invaluable asset, he said the remittances were playing a key role in stabilizing the country’s economy.
Chairing a meeting on the increase witnessed in remittances, the prime minister stressed the need for steps to provide more incentives to the Pakistanis living abroad.
The prime minister directed to devise a comprehensive strategy regarding the foreign exchange and other economic needs in view of stability of economic growth and asked the relevant ministries to set targets.
The meeting discussed the incentives given by the government to overseas Pakistanis, success of Roshan Digital Account, increase in domestic exports, especially from Information Technology sector, promotion of foreign investment and bilateral agreements concluded with various countries.
The State Bank of Pakistan informed the meeting that the government’s policy of providing attractive incentives to Pakistanis abroad in terms of remittances was showing positive results. The meeting was informed that Roshan Digital Account had so far received $1.561 billion in just 10 months.
It was highlighted that remittances had been steadily increasing since the financial year 2018 despite the coronavirus pandemic, which reflected the confidence of overseas Pakistanis in the policies of Prime Minister Imran Khan.
The meeting was informed that the ‘National Remittance Loyalty Programme’ would be launched soon to facilitate Pakistani community abroad. Under this programme, a mobile application will be introduced and more remittances will be extended to Pakistanis abroad besides provision of financial incentives.
The programme will be launched in collaboration with Pakistan International Airlines, Federal Bureau of Revenue, National Database and Registration Authority, State Life Corporation of Pakistan, Overseas Pakistanis Foundation, Benevolent and Old Age Employees Fund and other government agencies.
The overseas Pakistanis associated with this programme will receive benefits from these institutions.
The meeting was updated on the achievements related to Roshan Digital Account, Roshan ‘Apni (own) Car’ scheme and Roshan Samaji Khidmat (social service).
Also, the ‘Roshan Apna Ghar’ is on the cards to provide houses on soft loan.
PM’s Adviser on Commerce Abdul Razak Dawood gave a detailed briefing on the possible growth in exports in various sectors, especially in harnessing the country’s potential in the Information Technology sector. The Board of Investment informed the meeting that every effort was being made to facilitate the foreign investors and ensure ease to do business.
The meeting was attended by the Finance Minister, the Minister for Economic Affairs, Adviser on Commerce, and the Special Assistants for National Security, Revenue and other senior officials.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday commended the efforts of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) in achieving the historic level of tax revenues of Rs.4,732 billion in 2020-21.
“This performance is testimony to the strong economic revival spurred by our government’s policies,” the prime minister wrote in a tweet. The prime minister mentioned that the achievement exceeded the target of Rs 4,691 billion and was 18 per cent higher than last year.
