The slow-down of industrial activity amid rising prices of fuel, frequent increases in dollar price, and other related issues have forced the industry to resort to layoffs.
If the situation persists, established units will also face closure as they are already operating well below their capacities.
The declining production trend is a common feature amongst the entire industry including auto manufacturers, auto parts manufacturers, cement industry, steel industry, and urea manufacturers. The nascent mobile phone manufacturing industry, which was being claimed as a success story in the recent past has also faced a decline in production volumes.
It seems that the Ministry of Industries & Production (MoI&P), which is running various departments on an ad-hoc basis does not have the answer for the current situation. In developed countries, the infrastructure for testing, standardization, productivity improvement, technical training and assistance, technology improvement, skill development, etc. are being looked after by dedicated offices with trained technical manpower and through putting the right people on relevant jobs.
MoI&P also has dedicated departments like the National Productivity Organization (NPO), Technology Upgradation and Skill Development Company (TUSDEC), Pakistan Industrial Technical Assistance Center (PITAC), Engineering Development Board (EDB), Small & Medium Enterprise Development Authority (SMEDA), etc. but the performance of the ministry needs to be improved as the required support, which is a prerequisite for the industry to prosper, seems missing.
Sources told ProPakistani that the control and full responsibility of Heavy Electrical Complex (HEC) Hattar, and two important Lahore-based organizations i.e. Technology Upgradation and Skill Development Company (TUSDEC) and Pakistan Industrial Technical Assistance Centre (PITAC) having significant mandate have been left under the supervision of a single Customs Officer, who is working on a challenging full-time assignment in MoI&P as Joint Secretary (LED) as well.
Having limited exposure, irrelevant experience, and background related to the above-mentioned areas, it seems that the ministry is least bothered to support the industry in technology improvement, skill development, and provision of technical assistance.
As the roles assigned to such organizations cannot be executed through part-time or interim arrangements, proper appointments need to be carried out at the top level in said organizations on an immediate basis.
Follow ProPakistani on Google News & scroll through your favourite content faster!
Support independent journalism
If you want to join us in our mission to share independent, global journalism to the world, we’d love to have you on our side. If you can, please support us on a monthly basis. It takes less than a minute to set up, and you can rest assured that you’re making a big impact every single month in support of open, independent journalism. Thank you.
