A# | ID | department | jurisdiction | sector | date_enacted | description | detail_link | evidence |
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1 | F001 | Pakistan Standard & Quality Control Authority - PSQCA | Federal - Entire Pakistan | Soap and Detergent Industry, Manufacture of Chemicals and Chemical Products | 25. May 2021. | Condition Imposed by the Government for Importers of Palm Stearin to Mix Red Dye has been Removed Before: It was compulsory to mix red dye in Palm Stearin before importing, which increased the cost and also delayed shipments. After: After elimination of this requirement, Palm Stearin can now be imported more conveniently, without incurring extra cost. |
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2 | F002 | Pakistan Standard & Quality Control Authority - PSQCA , Punjab Food Authority , Sindh Food Authority , Food safety and Halal Food Authority-KP , Balochistan Food Authority | Federal - Entire Pakistan | Food Processing | 20. August 2021. | Same Food Standards Now Applicable to All Food Businesses Across Pakistan Before: Manufacturers of food products had to get certified against multiple standards of different provinces and the federal government. After: One single National standard for each product is now applicable in all jurisdictions. |
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3 | F003 | Pakistan Standard & Quality Control Authority - PSQCA | Federal - Entire Pakistan | Manufacturing Sector | 14. June 2021. | PSQCA Introduced a Simple Inspection Regime for Licence Before: PSQCA used to visit the factory multiple times before granting the license, which took several weeks. After: The entire inspection/ verification process is completed in one day now. |
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4 | F004 | Pakistan Standard & Quality Control Authority - PSQCA | Federal - Entire Pakistan | Manufacturing Sector | 19. April 2021. | Time for Getting Licensee from PSQCA Reduced Substantially Before: PSQCA regualtions allowed Max timeperiod of 45 days to issue CM License Certificate which was a lengthy process. After: The maximum time period allowed for issuance of CM license has been reduced to maximum of 28 days. |
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5 | F005 | Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan - DRAP | Federal - Entire Pakistan | Medical Devices Manufacturing | 29. July 2021. | Requirements for Manufacturing of Non-Sterile PPEs Simplified Before: The manufacturers of PPEs were following a pharmaceutical regime which required them to hire pharmacists and install HVAC systems etc., causing huge financial burden. After: Under the new Regime, all such unnecessary requirements have been removed for PPE manufacturers. |
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6 | F006 | National Electricity & Power Regulatory Authority - NEPRA | Federal - Entire Pakistan | Energy (Solar) | 5. January 2021. | Condition of 3-Phase Meter removed for Net-Metering Connection Before: To avail the facility of net-metering, consumers were required to first obtain a normal 3-phase meter before getting a bi-directional (green) meter, causing delay and extra cost. After: Now, direct installation of bi-directional meter is allowed which saves time and Rs. 15,000 for each consumer. |
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7 | P007 | Labour & Human Resources Department-Punjab | Punjab | All Sectors | 31. October 2022. | Elimination of Regulations for Declaring Smaller Establishments as Factories. Before: Section 05 of Factories Act authorized government to apply the provisions of Factories Act to smaller establishments with five or more employees. After: Through an amendment, section 05 of Factories Act has been amended, thus smaller establishments can no more be regulated under the Factories Act. |
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8 | F008 | Pakistan Standard & Quality Control Authority - PSQCA | Federal - Entire Pakistan | Manufacturing Sector | 14. June 2021. | PSQCA has Reduced Annual Inspections Meant for Standards Compliance Before: Each year PSQCA used to conduct four inspections to test products, which was costly and a burden on businesses. After: Now, there would be only two annual inspections resulting in reduced testing and costs. |
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9 | F009 | Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan - DRAP | Federal - Entire Pakistan | Manufacturing (Medical Devices) / Importers | 26. August 2021. | Process of Registration for Getting License for Import and Manufacturing of Medical Devices, from DRAP has been Fully Automated Before: License application along with documents had to be physically submitted in DRAP’s Islamabad Office, causing delay and extra cost to business. After: The Registration process has been simplified and automated. Applicants can now submit applications online from anywhere in Pakistan. |
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10 | F010 | Alternative Engineering Development Board - AEDB | Federal - Entire Pakistan | Energy (Solar) | 30. August 2021. | Warranty Requirements for Solar Equipment have been Made In Line with the Warranty Given by Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) Before: AEDB had fixed warranty periods for different equipment sometimes over and above the warranty period given by OEMs, causing additional cost to businesses. After: Now the warranty period would be the same as given by OEMs which will remove hardship to businesses. |
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11 | F011 | Alternative Engineering Development Board - AEDB | Federal - Entire Pakistan | Energy (Solar) | 30. August 2021. | Requirements for Certification of Solar System Installers Simplified Before: Earlier, small solar businesses could install solar systems of a limited capacity as AEDB had strict criteria for certification. After: With revised criteria, now small and medium size businesses may install systems with higher capacities which earlier were out of their scope ( C-1 “above 500 kw”; C-2 “upto 500 kw”; and C-3 upto 250 kw”). |
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12 | F012 | Alternative Engineering Development Board - AEDB | Federal - Entire Pakistan | Energy (Solar) | 30. August 2021. | AEDB has Enhanced Validity Period of License for Solar Installation Companies Before: Every year, such companies needed to apply for renewal of their license, causing hassle and adding additional cost After: Now the license will remain valid for 03 years |
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13 | K013 | Peshawar Development Authority-KP | Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | All Sectors | 16. June 2021. | No. of Inspections for Low Risk Buildings have been reduced Before: Businesses were required to undergo a number of inspections for getting construction permits which was causing delay and hassle for SMEs. After: After reform there are only 02 Inspections for low risk buildings; one before starting and other on completion. |
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14 | K014 | Environmental Protection Agency-KP | Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | All Sectors | 26. June 2021. | NOC Requirement from EPA for Low-Risk Buildings Removed
Before: Businesses were bound to get an NOC from EPA for construction of buildings regardless of their risk category. This was causing delay and adding cost to low risk small businesses. After: Now, the NOC requirement has been removed for low risk buildings. |
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15 | B015 | Balochistan Labour & Manpower Department | Balochistan | Manufacturing Sector | 11. June 2021. | Registration Fee Being Charged by Labour Department has been Removed
Before: The labour department charged a certain registration fee to register a business. After: Now, businesses can register themselves with the concerned labour department without paying any fee. |
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16 | K016 | Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minerals Development Department | Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | Mines and Minerals Sector | 17. June 2021. | Categorization of Minerals into Groups with Fixed Surface Rents Before: Due to no prescription from Govt., Businesses in the mineral sector were charged with excessive surface rents . After: A fair criteria for charging surface rent has been notified to safeguard businesses in the minerals sector. |
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17 | P017 | Industries, Commerce & Investment Department-Punjab | Punjab | All Sectors | 20. June 2021. | Online Registration of the Firms with Registrar Introduced Before: Firms were using the traditional manual system for registration with the Registrar of Firms, which was time consuming and adding cost. After: Now firms can register themselves with the Registrar of Firms with less time and cost through the newly developed online system. |
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18 | K018 | Peshawar Development Authority-KP | Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | All Sectors | 6. April 2020. | Time Bound Approval of Building Map/Layout Plans and Issuance of Construction Permit Before: No timelines were provided in the by-laws for approval of maps/ layout plans, resulting in uncertainty and causing delays. After: Now, the approval of map/ layouts is time bound and businesses can plan for construction with certainty |
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19 | P019 | Punjab Food Authority | Punjab | Manufacturing & Processing (Food Products) | 30. May 2021. | Food Products Registration Process Automated Before: Food Sector Businesses had to manually get registrations with food authorities, which was very cumbersome process and also time consuming and costly After: Now online facility has been launched for registration of food products |
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20 | P020 | Punjab Land Record Authority, Punjab Revenue Authority | Punjab | All Sectors | 1. July 2021. | Online Repository and Electronic Verification of Registered Property Before: Registering property was a manual and very hectic process in which several verifications were required After: The law has been amended and electronic verification of credentials is possible now. |
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21 | P021 | Punjab Agriculture, Food and Drug Authority | Punjab | Pharmaceuticals & Healthcare | Issuance of Drug License in Specified Time Before: Businesses were facing difficulty getting drug licenses as Pharmacies and drug stores had to obtain drug licenses from provincial authorities which was time consuming and uncertain. After: Now, the licensing process has been made time bound to ensure timely issuance of drug license. |
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22 | P022 | Directorate General of Labour Welfare-Punjab | Punjab | Manufacturing Sector | Authority of Inspectors to Penalize on Minor Issues Abolished Before: Pre-Partition Factories Act prescribed minute details like placement of spittoons and grading of whitewash. Inspectors used to penalize businesses for small violations. After: Businesses have been permitted to make hygiene related measures as per best practices. Now inspectors cannot challan businesses on lesser no. of spittoons or specific grade of whitewash. |
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23 | K023 | Directorate of Labour-KP | Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | Retail Sector | 28. June 2021. | Inspections to be Conducted based on Level of Risk Involved and Compliance Record of a Business Before: Labour departments used to inspect all businesses on frequent basis and businesses particularly those where no risk of safety and security is involved, often complain about unnecessary and frequent inspections After: Now for compliant and low risk businesses, no. of inspections has been decreased. Un-necessary inspections are eliminated. |
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24 | P024 | Directorate General of Labour Welfare-Punjab | Punjab | All Sectors | 27. May 2021. | Timeline introduced for Registration of Factories Before: For new businesses, the registration process was frustrating as there was no time frame for the registration of the factories. After: The factory registration process has been made timebound and the registration process has become efficient. |
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25 | B025 | Provincial Health Directorate-Balochistan | Balochistan | Pharmaceuticals & Healthcare | The Validity of Drug License has been increased from 02 Years to 05 Years Before: Drug businesses had to renew their licenses after every two years After: To save drug businesses from hectic renewal process, the validity of drug license has been enhanced from 2 to 5 years. |
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26 | B026 | High Court of Balochistan , District and Session Courts of Balochistan | Balochistan | All Sectors | Automated Case Management System introduced for the Courts Before: There was no efficient system for case and time management for judges and lawyers to track progress of cases. Resultantly adjournements were common and businesses use to face delay in case resolution. After: The Case Management System enabled courts to keep track of the cases from filing to disposition in a coordinated and timely manner. |
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27 | B027 | Culture, Tourism & Archives Department-Balochistan | Balochistan | Culture & Tourism Sector | 12. July 2021. | Long awaited Tourist Guide Regulatory Committee Notified Before: Businesses of tourism industry were unable to formally start business as committee needed under the law for promotion of tourism did not exist in Balochistan After: A committee has been notified and will work to tap Balochistan’s tourism potential |
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28 | B028 | Balochistan Development Authority | Balochistan | Manufacturing (Construction) | Specific Timeframe for Processing of NoCs/Permits for Low Risk Buildings Before: There was no timeframe specified for approval of building plans which caused delays in building plans approvals. After: Now, with specific timelines for issuance of NoCs/Permits in place the process has become efficient. |
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29 | P029 | Labour & Human Resources Department-Punjab | Punjab | Manufacturing Sector | 30. June 2021. | Requirement of Mandatory Apprenticeship Programme for SMEs brought down to 10% of Total Workforce Before: It was mandatory for all businesses to employ 20% of the workforce as apprentices which meant extra cost to businesses for unskilled employees. After: Now, for the SMEs, mandatory apprenticeship threshold has been reduced to 10% of the workforce. |
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30 | P030 | Services & General Administration Department-Punjab | Punjab | Manufacturing (Construction) | 28. July 2021. | Timeline for Approval of Permissible Use of Property Specified Before: Businesses were facing delays in getting approval for use of land under permissible use category as it used to take longer time than necessary. After: An efficient timeline has been decided within which the process should be completed. |
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31 | P031 | Industries, Commerce & Investment Department-Punjab | Punjab | All Sectors | Timelines Prescribed for Registration of Partnerships Before: Businesses were facing uncertainty as registrations for partnership were made without following any timeframe and in majority cases it took more time than necessary. After: The partnership registration process has been made time bound, now the registration is required to be done within the stipulated time. |
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32 | B032 | Mines and Minerals Development Department-Balochistan | Balochistan | Mines and Minerals Sector | 30. July 2021. | Overdue Royalty Charges Can be Paid in Installments Before: Businesses of the mining sector in Balochistan were facing difficulty as if a mining lessee failed to pay for the royalty within time, his lease was cancelled. After: Now after this reform, an option to pay overdue royalty in 4 equal quarterly installments has been provided in law. |
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33 | F033 | Security and Exchange Commission of Pakistan | Federal - Entire Pakistan | All Sectors | Single Digital Registration Certificate for 7 agencies through SECP’s e-services portal. Before: New companies needed to obtain separate incorporation certificates from several agencies, causing hassle and adding to the cost and time. After: Joint incorporation certificate by 7 agencies is issued electronically in one day, with QR code for verification. |
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34 | S034 | Labour & Human Resources Department-Sindh | Sindh | All Sectors | 28. April 2020. | Registration Fee of Labor Department Waived off by Sindh Before: The process of labor registration was taking around 7 days and payment of fee was also a burden for small businesses. Payment of fee alone took 4-5 days. After: Waiver of registration fee has now made it easy for Companies to register in one day with all relevant departments. Government of Sindh waived off registration fee of PKR 1,000 to reduce cost and time of business. |
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35 | E035 | Federal Board of Revenue - FBR-IRS | Federal - Entire Pakistan | All Sectors | 27. March 2018. | FBR Introduced Online Payments of Corporate Income Tax and Sales Tax Before: Businesses were required to make tax payments manually, involving cumbersome processes. Besides, in the World Bank’s Doing Business Report, the numbers of payments of Corporate Income Tax were recorded 05 and 12 for Sales Tax, as a result Pakistan’s ranking was 173/190. After: Payments are being made online, which is quite simple and fast process, saving a lot of time and reducing calculation errors. |
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36 | E036 | Employees Old-Age Benefits Institution | Federal - Entire Pakistan | All Sectors | 13. December 2018. | EoBI Introduced Online System for Pension Contributions by Employers Before: It was budensome for businesses to pay contributions manually each month After: After introduction of Online oayment facility by EOBI, Businesses can conveniently pay their contributions online |
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37 | E037 | Federal Board of Revenue - FBR-IRS , Animal Quarantine Department - AQD , Department of Plant Protection - DPP | Federal - Entire Pakistan | Agriculture , Livestock | 26. March 2018. | More Departments Integrated for Reduction in Time and Transparency in Trade Before: : There was no integration of Animal Quarantine Dep, Plant Protection Department and Seed Certification Departments with the WeBOC system, resulting in more time and cost for documentary and border compliance in trade. After: Integration with WeBOC Reduced a lot of hassle, time and cost for getting clearance from these departments for clearance. |
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38 | P038 | Law Department-Punjab , Lahore High Court | Punjab | All Sectors | 13. April 2021. | The Ordinance has been Promulgated in Punjab, wherein, Time for Disposal of a Suit has been Fixed to 180 Days, Maximum Limit of 02 Adjournments has been Set
Before: For businesses, it was worrisome if they were caught-up in any legal dispute because there was no time limit for disposal of a suit and maximum no. of adjournments. Resolution of Commercial Cases was taking much time, in some cases even more than three years. After: This reform lifted the confidence of businesses operating in the country as more than 50% of commercial cases are disposed of within the time limit of 180 days and within 2 adjournments. It will also improve Pakistan's ranking in this indicator in the Doing Business report. |
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39 | P039 | Law Department-Punjab | Punjab | All Sectors | Commercial Courts have been Established in Sindh and Punjab to Fast-track Contract Enforcement Before: Timely decision from court is very important for businesses confronted with any dispute. Unfortunately, Commercial Cases were taking much time for resolving a business dispute, because of a greater number of other cases, causing delay and resulting in loss of confidence by businesses on the system. After: Now, exclusive courts have been established for hearing Commercial Cases. Cases are being filled in these courts and disposal time of these cases has been reduced substantially. |
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40 | E040 | State Bank of Pakistan , Security and Exchange Commission of Pakistan | Federal - Entire Pakistan | All Sectors | 29. April 2020. | Financial Institutions Act, 2016 amended for Enhancing Access to Credit by Financial Institutions Against Moveable & Immoveable, Existing and Future Assets and Providing More Protection to Borrowers and Lenders Before: Only incorporated companies were getting loans against immovable assets. Besides, only current assets could be kept as collateral for loans. This situation was difficult for businesses as it restricted the access to credit After: Now, businesses can get loans against their moveable assets as well and unincorporated entities are also eligible for loans. Besides, future assets can also be kept as collateral for getting loans. Such practices are considered business friendly and improvement is expected in the ranking in Getting Credit indicator in Doing Business report, 2021. |
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41 | S041 | Sindh Building Control Authority | Sindh | Manufacturing (Construction) | 3. July 2018. | SBCA and LDA have Introduced an Online Single Window Facility for Issuing Construction Permits. Moreover, the Requirement of PT-1 Forms has also been Eliminated by KWSB and WASA Before:A manual process to apply for Construction Permits meant that businesses had to put in much time and effort to obtain them. After: The process of Construction Permits has been simplified by automation and integration of different agencies, reducing time taken to obtain them. |
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42 | E042 | Federal Board of Revenue - FBR-Customs , Federal Board of Revenue - FBR-IRS | Federal - Entire Pakistan | All Sectors | 1. April 2021. | Elimination of Compulsory Checking of Accessories and Inputs for Exports Through the Introduction of Risk Management System under WeBOC. Before:Businesses required clearance of materials, accessories, components etc., for use in production of exportable goods. All importers (including reliable ones) required to get each consignment examined which was causing delay & additional expense to the businesses. After: Pakistan Customs/FBR has introduced Risk Management System under WeBOC to facilitate the clearance for import of materials, accessories, components etc., for production in exportable goods. Now, a huge portion of 50% export clearances are being granted under Green Channel. |
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43 | E043 | Department of Plant Protection , Ministry of National Food Security and Research , Federal Board of Revenue , Pakistan Standards & Quality Control Authority | Federal - Entire Pakistan | Manufacturing & Processing (Food Products) | 1. April 2021. |
Risk Management introduced for import of Food Product Ingredients Introduced for Speedy Clearance Before: Imported food products/ingredients (Peanut Grit, Raisins, Dehydrated Vegetables, Egg Powder etc.) consignments were stopped by the Department of Plant Protection for sample collection, testing and reporting every time, causing delay & additional expenses. After: Introduction of a mechanism of Temporary Release Certificate (TRC) by PSQCA has minimized time involved in clearance of imports of food products, samples and edible items and it has saved importers from damages. |
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44 | E044 | Federal Board of Revenue - FBR-Customs , Federal Board of Revenue - FBR-IRS , Department of Plant Protection | Federal - Entire Pakistan | Food Processing Sector | 1. April 2021. | Inspection regime for Import of samples of edible items has been shifted to Risk Management System and Plant Protection Release Order for Import of Samples of Edible Items has been Eliminated Before: To participate in tea auctions abroad, importers received (non-commercial quantity) tea samples. Department of Plant Protection (DPP) regulations require Release Order for Customs Clearance causing considerable delays. Sometimes, samples were cleared after auction had already been completed, rendering the entire exercise futile. After: Inspection regime for import of samples of edible items has been shifted to Risk Management System. Now less than 1% of shipments are stopped for inspection. Risk based filters like source/origin, importer’s and exporter’s profile and product have been developed and deployed. Only two interceptions have been reported in the last 6 months, and the number of inspections will be increased or decreased depending upon the frequency of violations. |
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45 | E045 | Animal Quarantine Department , Ministry of National Food Security and Research , Federal Board of Revenue | Federal - Entire Pakistan | Manufacturing & Processing (Food Products) | 1. April 2021. |
Risk Management Technique for Inspection of Inputs for Manufacturing of Edible Items has been Introduced Before: Imported food products ingredients (skimmed milk powder, whey powder, coconut oil etc.) consignments were stopped for drawing samples, testing and reporting every time before issuance of clearance by the Animal Quarantine Department. This process was causing delays & additional expenses for importers. After: Inspection regime for import of samples of edible items has been shifted to Risk Management System. Now less than 1% of shipments are stopped for inspection. Risk based filters like source/origin, importers and exporter’s profile and product have been developed and deployed. |
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46 | E046 | State Bank of Pakistan , Information and Communications Technology , Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication | Federal - Entire Pakistan | IT & ITeS | 19. February 2021. | The Restriction for IT Companies to Make Payments from Forex Account has been Eliminated Before: Exporters of software were not allowed to utilize their own export earnings in Foreign Currency accounts exclusively for payment of expenses incurred by employees travelling abroad to provide business related services. The existing rules only allowed the payment of commission/discount, promotional publicity, import of hardware/software, and foreign consultant’s fee etc. After: SBP broadened the use of funds by I.T exporters and have allowed to retain a certain portion of their exports proceeds in their special foreign currency accounts and use it for branch office, branding, marketing and traveling expenses. |
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47 | E047 | State Bank of Pakistan , Ministry of Commerce | Federal - Entire Pakistan | All Export Sectors | 1. April 2021. | Modernizing the Process of Filing of Monthly and Annual Reporting of EE Statements Before: Process for filing of monthly and annual reporting of EE statements for annual export ticket approval was manual which caused delays and huge expenses for the businesses. After: Automated filing of monthly and annual reporting of EE statements for annual export ticket approval has reduced the turnover time from 21 to 07 days. |
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48 | E048 | State Bank of Pakistan | Federal - Entire Pakistan | Trade Sector | Removing Industrial Inputs from the List Under Foreign Exchange Act Before: SBP had imposed margin restriction on import of items listed under FE Act-BPRD Circular No. 2 of 2017 and 5 of 2018. After: SBP has waived the condition of 100 percent cash margin requirement on imports made against the restrictions imposed in 2017-18 for 106 items in 2020 and for 11 items in 2021. |
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49 | K049 | Industries, Commerce and Labour Department-KP | Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | All Sectors | Local Government KP Allowed Free of Cost registration of Small Trades & Businesses Before: All 120 trades including small ones had to obtain Trade License and and pay pay License fee and annual inspection fees . After: All trades have been exempted from Trade License Fee & Inspections under Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Local Government Act, 2013 |
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50 | P050 | Local Government and Community Development Department , Government of Punjab | Punjab | All Sectors | 17. May 2021. | The Government of Punjab has Abolished the Fee for Licensing of Professions and Vocations Before: SMEs engaged in any professions or vocations business had to pay fees to obtain/ renew registration/ license to start/operate their business on annual basis. After: Fees to obtain/renew Licensing of professions or vocations has been abolished under the “Punjab Local Government (Amendment) Act, 2021”. |
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51 | B051 | Balochistan Development Authority , Building Control Authorities , Tehsil Municipal Authorities and Housing and Town Planning Agencies of Balochistan | Balochistan | All Sectors | 5. July 2021. | No. of Inspections for Low Risk Buildings have been reduced Before: Businesses were required to undergo a number of inspections for getting construction permits which was causing delay and hassle for SMEs. After: After reform there are only 02 Inspections for low risk buildings; one before starting and other on completion. |
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52 | B052 | Balochistan Environmental Protection Agency | Balochistan | All Sectors | 6. July 2021. | NOC Requirement from EPA for Low-Risk Buildings Removed
Before: Businesses were bound to get an NOC from EPA for construction of buildings regardless of their risk category. This was causing delay and adding cost to low risk small businesses. After: Now, the NOC requirement has been removed for low risk buildings. |
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53 | K053 | Labour Department | Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | All Sectors | Registration Fee Being Charged by Labour Department has been Removed
Before: The labour department charged a certain registration fee to register a business. After: Now, businesses can register themselves with the concerned labour department without paying any fee. |
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54 | S054 | Industries and Commerce Department Sindh | Sindh | All Sectors | Online Registration of the Firms with Registrar Introduced Before: Firms were using the traditional manual system for registration with the Registrar of Firms, which was costly and time consuming. After: Now firms can register themselves with the Registrar of Firms online saving time and cost. |
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55 | B055 | Industries and Commerce Department, Govt of Balochistan | Balochistan | All Sectors | 20. June 2021. | Online Registration of the Firms with Registrar Introduced Before: Firms were using the traditional manual system for registration with the Registrar of Firms, which was time consuming and adding cost. t After: Now firms can register themselves with the Registrar of Firms with less time and cost through the newly developed online system. |
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56 | K056 | Office of the Provincial Registrar , Joint Stock Companies & Societies , KP | Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | All Sectors | 6. May 2021. | Online Registration of the Firms with Registrar Introduced Before: Firms were using the traditional manual system for registration with the Registrar of Firms, which was time consuming and adding cost. After: Now firms can register themselves with the Registrar of Firms with less time and cost through the newly developed online system. |
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57 | K057 | Balochistan Food Authority | Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | Manufacturing & Processing (Food Products) | 30. May 2021. | Food Products Registration Process Automated Before: Product registrations with food authorities was manual, which was very cumbersome process involving extra time and cost. After: Now online facility has been launched for registration of food products |
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58 | B058 | Balochistan Food Authority | Balochistan | Manufacturing & Processing (Food Products) | 30. May 2021. | Food Products Registration Process Automated Before: Product registrations with food authorities was manual, which was very cumbersome process involving extra time and cost. After: Now online facility has been launched for registration of food products |
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59 | K059 | Board of Revenue-KP | Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | All Sectors | 1. July 2021. | Online Repository and Electronic Verification of Registered Property Before: Registering property was a manual and hectic process. There was no provision in Law to create online repository and authorize electronic verification After: The law has been amended and electronic verification of credentials is possible now. |
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60 | B060 | Board of Revenue-Balochistan | Balochistan | All Sectors | 1. July 2021. | Online Repository and Electronic Verification of Registered Property Before: Registering property was a manual and hectic process. There was no provision in Law to create online repository and authorize electronic verification. After: The law has been amended and electronic verification of credentials is possible now. |
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61 | K061 | Directorate of Labour-KP | Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | Manufacturing Sector | Authority of Inspectors to Penalize on Minor Issues Abolished Before: Pre-Partition Factories Act prescribed minute details like placement of spittoons and grading of whitewash. Inspectors used to penalize businesses for small violations. After: Businesses have been permitted to make hygiene related measures as per best practices. Now inspectors cannot challan businesses on lesser no. of spittoons or specific grade of whitewash. |
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62 | B062 | Directorate General Labour Welfare-Balochistan | Balochistan | Manufacturing Sector | Authority of Inspectors to Penalize on Minor Issues Abolished Before: Pre-Partition Factories Act prescribed minute details like placement of spittoons and grading of whitewash. Inspectors used to penalize businesses for small violations. After: Businesses have been permitted to make hygiene related measures as per best practices. Now inspectors cannot challan businesses on lesser no. of spittoons or specific grade of whitewash. |
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63 | K063 | Directorate of Labour-KP | Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | Manufacturing Sector | 27. May 2021. | Timeline introduced for Registration of Factories Before: For new businesses, the registration process was frustrating as there was no time frame for the registration of the factories. After: The factory registration process has been made timebound and the registration process has become efficient. |
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64 | P064 | Labour & Human Resources Department-Punjab | Punjab | All Sectors | 28. April 2020. | All Businesses are Required to Register Themselves with Respective Labor Departments Before: The process of labor registration, particularly processing of, the process of registration was taking around 7 days and payment of fee was also a burden for small businesses. Payment of fee took 4-5 days. After: Waiver of registration fee has now made it easy for Companies to register online in one day thus save cost and time of business. |
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65 | S065 | Law Department-Sindh/ Law-Parliamentary Affairs & Criminal Prosecution Department-Sindh | Sindh | All Sectors | 5. November 2020. | Commercial Courts have been Established in Sindh and Punjab to Fast-track Contract Enforcement Before: In civil courts, the disposal of commercial cases took a lot because of existing civil case burden, causing delay and resulting in loss of confidence by businesses in the system. After: Now, exclusive courts have been established for hearing Commercial Cases. Cases are being filed in these courts and disposal time of these cases has been reduced substantially. |
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66 | P066 | Lahore Development Authority | Punjab | Manufacturing (Construction) | 3. July 2018. | SBCA and LDA have Introduced an Online Single Window Facility for Issuing Construction Permits. Moreover, the Requirement of PT-1 Forms has also been Eliminated by KWSB and WASA Before:Obtaining Construction Permits was a manual and cumbersome task After: The process of Construction Permits has been simplified by automation and integration of different agencies, reducing time taken to obtain them. |
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67 | F067 | Federal Board of Revenue - FBR-IRS | Federal - Entire Pakistan | All Sectors | 22. June 2021. | The Payment of Rebate to Exporters (Cases Selected for Compliance Check) Now Being Paid in 07 Working Days Before: There was no time limit prescribed for processing of Rebate claims selected by Risk Management System for compliance check. After: FBR has prescribed a time limit of 07 working days in law for clearance of selected rebate claims for compliance within. |
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68 | F068 | Ministry of Energy , National Electricity & Power Regulatory Authority - NEPRA | Federal - Entire Pakistan | All Sectors | 7. July 2021. | NEPRA has Prescribed Robust Timelines for Change of Name, Load and other Particulars in Electric Connections Before: TFor different categories of electric connections, change of name, load and other particulars used to take a long time since there was no timeline present to complete the process. After: Efficient timelines for all categories of electric connections have been added in the Consumer Service Manual of NEPRA to facilitate consumers. |
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69 | F069 | Drug Regulatory Authority Of Pakistan | Federal - Entire Pakistan | Manufacturing & Importing (Medical Devices) | 21. July 2021. |
DRAP has allowed use of Approved Premises for Additional relevant Processes such as Manufacturing Medical Devices Before: DRAP restricted utilization of approved premises for production of other relevant products due to which businesses couldn’t utilize extra space in manufacturing of allied products. After: Now DRAP has allowed use of approved premises for additional relevant processes such as manufacturing medical devices |
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70 | P070 | Punjab Employees Social Security Institution , Labour & Human Resource Departments and Excise & Taxation Departments of Punjab | Punjab | All Sectors | Single Digital Registration Certificate for 7 agencies through SECP’s e-services portal. Before: New companies needed to obtain separate incorporation certificates from several agencies, causing hassle and adding to the cost and time. After: Joint incorporation certificate by 7 agencies is issued electronically in one day, with QR code for verification. |
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71 | S071 | SESSI, Labour & Human Resource Departments and Excise & Taxation Departments of Sindh. | Sindh | All Sectors | Single Digital Registration Certificate for 7 agencies through SECP’s e-services portal. Before: New companies were reuired to obtain separate incorporation certificates from several agencies, causing hassle and adding to the cost and time. After: Joint incorporation certificate by 07 agencies is issued electronically in one day, with QR code for verification. |
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72 | P072 | Development Authorities , Building Control Authorities , Tehsil Municipal Authorities and Housing and Town Planning Agencies of Punjab | Punjab | All Sectors | 24. August 2019. | No. of Inspections for Low Risk Buildings have been reduced Before: Businesses were required to undergo a number of inspections for getting construction permits which was causing delay and hassle for SMEs. After: After reform there are only 02 Inspections for low risk buildings; one before starting and other on completion. |
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73 | F073 | State Bank of Pakistan - SBP | Federal - Entire Pakistan | IT & ITeS | 13. August 2020. |
Measures Taken to Enhance Digital Banking Channels
Before: There were restrictive arrangements for cloud outsourcing arrangement for banking sector. After: Enhanced banking relationships with digital banking options to cater to the requirements of IT & ITeS and other sectors. |
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74 | F074 | State Bank of Pakistan - SBP | Federal - Entire Pakistan | IT & ITeS | 28. September 2020. |
Payment to Foreign Digital Service Provider Companies made easier
Before: Procedure for payment to foreign vendors against digital services obtained was lengthy and involved approval from SBP for each transaction above USD 100,000. After: Now State Bank has allowed payment up to USD 400,000 to 62 white listed companies without obtaining approval from State Bank. |
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75 | F075 | State Bank of Pakistan - SBP | Federal - Entire Pakistan | All Sectors | 10. February 2021. |
Equity Investment Abroad/ Equity Investment Abroad Made Simple
Before: Foreign Exchange (FE) Manual had prescribed approval of SBP or ECC for each investment made abroad which discouraged businesses from investing in foreign countries. After: Now the residents of Pakistan including firms and companies are allowed to make equity-based investment in entities abroad on repatriable basis, and decision has been delegated to banks for different categories. |
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76 | F076 | State Bank of Pakistan - SBP | Federal - Entire Pakistan | All Sectors | 10. February 2021. |
Local Banks allowed to Issue Cross Border Corporate Guarantees to their Foreign Branches or to other Foreign Commercial Banks
Before: Foreign subsidiaries were unable to secure direct financing from banks to meet their working capital. After: The Authorized Dealer (Banks) have been allowed to open standby letter of credit to facilitate the offshore entity of a Pakistani firm/company for raising funds from offshore jurisdiction. |
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77 | F077 | State Bank of Pakistan - SBP | Federal - Entire Pakistan | All Sectors | 1. January 2019. |
Import of Small Quantity Materials made easier
Before: Import of material in small quantities was subjected to stringent regulations under the Foreign Exchange Manual. After: Industry friendly policies have been introduced to allow small quantity import of material on an open account basis. |
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78 | F078 | State Bank of Pakistan - SBP | Federal - Entire Pakistan | Food processing (Meat) | 22. January 2021. |
Fresh Meat included in Export Finance Scheme (EFS)
Before: Previously, only frozen meat products were included in the Export Finance Scheme and short term financing facility was not allowed for fresh meat products. After: Now, fresh meat products have also been added in the Export Finance Scheme along with frozen food products. |
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79 | F079 | State Bank of Pakistan - SBP | Federal - Entire Pakistan | All Sectors | 28. January 2020. |
Scope of Long-Term Financing Facility (LTFF) expanded
Before: Long Term Financing Facility (LTFF)/ Islamic Long Term Financing Facility (LTFF) was restricted to few sectors and limit was up to Rs. 2,500 million which was regarded as insufficient. After: The scope of LTFF/ILTFF has been extended to all sectors and maximum financing limit has been enhanced from Rs. 2,500 million to Rs. 5,000 million. |
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80 | F080 | Federal Board of Revenue - FBR-IRS | Federal - Entire Pakistan | IT & ITeS | 3. December 2020. |
Withholding Tax reduced to ZERO for IT & ITeS Exports in Special Technology Zones (STZs)
Before: There were no special tax exemptions for Information Technology and Information Technology enabled Services (IT & ITeS) sector to enhance its exports. After: Now, custom duties have been exempted to facilitate the exports of services in the IT & ITeS sector. |
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81 | F081 | Employees Old-Age Benefits Institution - EOBI | Federal - Entire Pakistan | All Sectors | 30. October 2021. |
Small organizations (5-9 employees) are exempted from mandatory registration with Employees’ Old-Age Benefit Institution (EOBI)
Before: All businesses having at least 5 employees were required to register with the Employees’ Old-Age Benefit Institution (EOBI). After: Employees’ Old-Age Benefit Institution (EOBI) has exempted micro/ small organizations from mandatory registration. |
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82 | F082 | Pakistan Standard & Quality Control Authority - PSQCA , Ministry of Science and Technology | Federal - Entire Pakistan | Manufacturing Sector , Food Processing Sector | 12. August 2021. |
PSQCA Launched Online portal for Licensing and Inspections
Before: PSQCA has mandate to ensure observance of standards of mandatory products in Pakistan. Businesses had to visit PSQCA office to register their products. After: A dedicated web portal (http://pas.psqca.com.pk/e_services/ca_online.aspx) for Licensing has been introduced by PSQCA. Now applications for licensing and inspections can be filed from anywhere online. |
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83 | F083 | National Electricity & Power Regulatory Authority - NEPRA , Ministry of Energy | Federal - Entire Pakistan | Energy sector | 9. November 2021. |
Elimination of Generation License for net-metering through Solar/Wind Generation up to 25 kW system by NEPRA
Before: All Consumers intending to connect with national grid through net-metering had to obtain generation license from NEPRA. After: Now the small consumers and SMEs can avail facility of net-metering and connect their solar or wind power generation up to 25 kilowatt without requiring to obtain a license from NEPRA. |
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84 | F084 | Federal Board of Revenue - FBR-Customs , Federal Board of Revenue - FBR-IRS | Federal - Entire Pakistan | All Sectors |
Customs Registration of Exporters Simplified
Before: Exporters need to register as users in the WeBOC system of FBR which required more than twenty documents and also required exporters to physically visit concerned offices for physical verification. After: Now registration of exporters is done through an integrated online system of Pakistan Single Window (PSW) with data exchange with other concerned departments as well as biometric through NADRA. This has reduced a lot of hassle and cost on the part of exporters. |
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85 | F085 | Ministry of Interior , Security and Exchange Commission of Pakistan | Federal - Entire Pakistan | All Sectors | 2. November 2021. |
NOC requirement from MoI eliminated for reappointment of Foreign Directors
Before: For reappointment or appointment of a foreign director in another company, fresh NOC from MoI was required which took a lot of time. After: The requirement of fresh NOC from MoI for incumbent Foreign Director of a company has been eliminated. |
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86 | B086 | Provincial Health Directorate-Balochistan | Balochistan | Pharmaceutical and Healthcare |
Drug License Process Automated in Balochistan
Before: Drug Sale license were issued by using traditional manual system which was burdensome because of increased cost and compliance hassle. After: Drug Sale Licenses can be obtained by applying on newly developed online portal;(http://www.dghs.gob.pk/medicalapp/index). |
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87 | B087 | Directorate General Labour Welfare-Balochistan | Balochistan | All Sectors | 6. July 2021. |
Requirement for White Washing of all surfaces in Factories Abolished in Balochistan
Before: Factories Act prescribed minute details like grading of whitewash and ensuring all surfaces are white washed. Inspectors used to penalize businesses for even minor violations like whitewashing of factory premises. After: Now the businesses have been permitted not to compulsorily white wash the surface if it is made of the material which cannot be painted, varnished or whitewashed including marble tiles or similar material. |
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88 | P088 | Directorate General of Labour Welfare-Punjab | Punjab | All Sectors | 14. July 2021. |
Requirement for White Washing all surfaces in Factories Abolished in Punjab
Before: Punjab Factories Act prescribed minute details like grading of whitewash and ensuring all surfaces are white washed. Inspectors used to penalize businesses for even minor violations concerning whitewashing of factory premises. After: Now the businesses have been permitted not to compulsorily white wash the surface if it is made of the material which cannot be painted, varnished or whitewashed including marble tiles or similar material. |
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89 | K089 | KP Labour & Human Resource Departments | Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | All Sectors | 14. July 2021. |
Requirement for White Washing all surfaces in Factories Abolished
Before: Factories Act prescribed minute details like grading of whitewash and ensuring all surfaces are white washed. Inspectors used to penalize businesses for even minor violations concerning whitewashing of factory premises. After: Now the businesses have been permitted not to compulsorily white wash the surface if it is made of the material which cannot be painted, varnished or whitewashed including marble tiles or similar material. |
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90 | B090 | Balochistan Labour & Manpower Department | Balochistan | All Sectors | 31. August 2021. |
Risk based Inspections Introduced in Balochistan
Before: Labour departments used to inspect all businesses on frequent basis even inspected those businesses where no risk of safety and security is involved. After: Now for compliant and low risk businesses, no. of inspections has been decreased. Un-necessary inspections have been eliminated. |
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91 | B091 | Industries and Commerce Department-Balochistan | Balochistan | Manufacturing Sector |
Registration of Factories have been made time bound in Balochistan
Before: For new businesses, registration process was time consuming and frustrating as there was no time frame specified. After: The factory registration process has been made time bound and the registration process has become efficient. |
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92 | B092 | Provincial Judiciary of Balochistan Courts | Balochistan | All Sectors | 4. September 2021. |
Alternative Dispute Resolution Mechanism introduced in Balochistan
Before: There was no Alternative Dispute Resolution mechanism in place, therefore, courts were the only forum to resolve the business-related disputes. After: Balochistan Government has approval “The Balochistan Alternative Dispute Resolution Bill, 021” to enable establishment of alternate dispute resolution system in Balochistan. |
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93 | B093 | Law Department-Balochistan , Provincial Judiciary of Balochistan Courts | Balochistan | All Sectors | 4. September 2021. |
Commercial Courts for Speedy Disposal of Commercial Cases established in Balochistan
Before: Businesses suffer as commercial Cases were taking much time for resolving a business dispute, because of a huge litigation burden, causing delay and resulting in loss of confidence by businesses on the system. After: Now, legislative changes enabling establishment of Commercial Courts have been made to fast track dispute resolution |
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94 | K094 | KP Labour & Human Resource Departments | Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | All Sectors | 10. August 2021. |
No more declaring Smaller Establishments as Factories
Before: Section 05 of Factories Act authorized government to apply the provisions of Factories Act to smaller establishments with five or more employees. After: Through an amendment, section 05 of factories has been deleted, thus smaller establishments can no more be regulated under the Factories Act. |
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95 | K095 | Transport & Mass Transit Department-KP | Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | Transport and Mass Transit | 6. September 2021. |
Validity Period of License for Auto Workshops Increased from 01 to 03 Years in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Before: The validity period of license granted to auto workshops was just 01 year and the owners have to get it renewed every year. After: Now, the validity period of the auto workshop license has been extended to 03 years instead of 01 year bringing ease to those businesses. |
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96 | S096 | Livestock and Fisheries Department-Sindh | Sindh | Fisheries License Holder/Fisherman | 12. October 2021. |
Validity of Fisheries License extended from 1 to 3 years in Sindh
Before: The validity period of fisheries license under the Fisheries Rules, 1983 was 01 financial year (July-June). After: Now, the validity period of fisheries license has been increased from 01 year to 03 years. |
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97 | F097 | Ministry of Commerce | Federal - Entire Pakistan | Manufacturing (Surgical) | 30. September 2021. |
Minimum Export Price Condition for export of Surgical Instruments has been repealed
Before: The manufacturers of surgical items could not export goods below the price fixed by the Ministry of Commerce even if it was financially feasible. After: This restriction has been eliminated and exporters of surgical instruments can sell goods in accordance with market conditions. |
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98 | F098 | State Bank of Pakistan - SBP , Security and Exchange Commission of Pakistan - SECP | Federal - Entire Pakistan | All Sectors | 30. November 2021. |
New Corporate Bank Account Opening Made Easy
Before: The bank account opening process involved manual verification from Security and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) which used to take 30-40 days. This procedural bottleneck delayed the bank account opening for the corporate consumers and legal persons such as companies registered with SECP. After: Now, on the filling of request for Corporate Account opening, any commercial bank can obtain the requisite verification from SECP through SECP’s Virtual Portal which is integration with all the commercial banks. |
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99 | F099 | State Bank of Pakistan - SBP | Federal - Entire Pakistan | All Sectors | 25. November 2021. |
Outbound Foreign Exchange Payment Made Easy
Before: Earlier the outbound foreign exchange payments were heavily regulated and involved cumbersome paperwork which caused unwarranted delay and frustration among the newly founded businesses. After: Now these businesses can make outbound forex payments on the basis of their National Tax Number, Sale Tax certificates or other tax registration evidence with FBR. |
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100 | F100 | Security and Exchange Commission of Pakistan - SECP | Federal - Entire Pakistan | All Sectors | 17. November 2021. |
Simplified Approval of Resolution of a Company
Before: As per the Companies Act, a resolution shall not be deemed to have been passed, unless the resolution has been circulated, together with the necessary papers, if any, to all the directors After: Now, a resolution can be passed by a majority of the directors. |
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