However, of the 218 large industrial units, 129 are reportedly struggling due to financial crisis.
The session, chaired by Speaker Babar Saleem Swati, included a detailed question-and-answer segment during which Provincial Minister for Industries Abdul Karim responded to queries raised by MPA Sobia Shahid.
He stated that reasons behind the closure of some industrial units vary as five units are non-functional due to ongoing court cases and 26 due to electricity-related issues. One due to the impact of COVID-19 while five due to customs-related complications and three owing to a shortage of raw materials.
He said that eight units were non-functional due to internal disputes among directors while four due to weak marketing and one due to security concerns
The minister added that between 90 and 100 industrial units were successfully revived during the previous government’s tenure.
During the session, JUI-F lawmaker Adnan Khan raised concerns about the declining trend in vehicle registrations across the province.
He pointed out that registrations have dropped from 106,000 in 202122 to 95,000 in 202223, and further to 66,000 in the current fiscal year.
He warned that the drop poses a threat to provincial revenues, and questioned why some districts report high vehicle registration figures despite lower revenue collection.
Responding to the issue, Minister for Excise and Taxation Khaliqur Rehman explained that the discrepancy is partly due to the inclusion of motorcycle registrations in the total figures, which affects revenue projections.
He noted that 7,078 more vehicles have been registered this year compared to the previous year, resulting in an overall increase in revenue.
Regarding imported vehicles, the minister clarified that each vehicle’s tax status is verified before registration.