Economic Revitalisation Project to start from March

$14m will be released to support small businesses in K-P, FATA.

PESHAWAR: The World Bank-funded Economic Revitalisation Project worth $14 million is likely to start from mid-March, according to Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (Smeda) provincial chief Javed Iqbal Khattak. Khattak explained on Thursday that the project is aimed at providing relief to flood and conflict-hit small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata).

Of the total fund, $7.8 million will be spent on rehabilitation and revitalisation of damaged SME businesses in K-P and the remaining $4.2 million is earmarked for Fata businesses. Seventy per cent of the total amount, with a maximum limit of Rs1 million, will be spent on rehabilitation support, 20 per cent – with a maximum limit of Rs0.75 million – will be for individuals and 10 per cent – with a maximum limit of Rs0.3 million – will be utilised for capacity building of the affected enterprises. Besides, Rs5 million will be spent on cluster projects. The provincial chapter of Smeda in K-P will, along with project management units, implement the project in both K-P and Fata.

Similarly, K-P and Fata will have separate grant steering committees. At the implementation stage, a grant technical committee will scrutinise the cases and documents before sending them to a review committee for approval of the release of funds to the affected enterprises.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 25^th, 2011.