ICCI urges government to provide special relief package to small traders - Press Release issued by Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Islamabad -- June 18, 2020 (PPI-OT)

Following is the text of press release issued by Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI)

Quote

Tahir Abbasi, Senior Vice President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry has said that the lockdowns due to Covid-19 have badly affected small traders due to which they are facing great difficulties and urged that the government should announce a special relief package to alleviate the plight of small traders. He said that the majority of business people in Pakistan belong to small traders but due to lockdown many small traders have suffered huge losses. He emphasized that the government should provide them immediate support, otherwise, many of them would lose their business forever, leading to increased unemployment and poverty.

Tahir Abbasi said that due to the closure of businesses, small traders in Islamabad are no longer in a position to pay rent of shops and stressed that the government should negotiate with shop owners to provide 6-month relief in rent payment to small traders. He said the government should also consider providing subsidies to small traders in payment of rents.

He said that SBP has launched a Rozgar scheme for businesses so that they can take loans from banks to save their employees from becoming unemployed. However, he said that banks were demanding collateral for loans while small traders are not in a...