PM Urges To Mark Down Industrial Areas In Every District

It would encourage the investors to set up businesses using local opportunities, she said adding industrial development is very crucial to make Bangladesh a developed nation in South Asia by 2041.

The Prime Minister was addressing the officials of the industries ministry during her visit to the ministry at Motijheel here.

Sheikh Hasina said though the government has attached importance on private sector industrial growth, but the government officials should keep it in mind that the government has a big role in this sector particularly for proper execution of the industrial policy and monitoring other aspects.

Sheikh Hasina asked the officials to be careful for development of environment friendly industries, not necessarily hearing the hue and cry of the environmentalists always.

The Prime Minister said industries should not be allowed everywhere, but a designated area should be developed with necessary infrastructure and facilities under a well-thought plan to stay away from destroying valuable land and environment.

She confidently said Bangladesh would be a happy and prosperous nation based on its agriculture, industries and manpower. "None would be able to hinder the growth if we can use these resources in a planned way," she said.

Minister for Industries Amir Hossain Amu and Industries Secretary Mohammad Moinuddin Abdullah also spoke on the occasion.

Laying importance on maintaining conformity in the industrial policies of different governments, the Prime Minister said, in the past different governments adopted different policies in this regard. "We need private entrepreneurs but reality is that everything would go out of control and substandard in absence of presence of the public sector," she said.

The Prime Minister said the government has taken steps for reconstruction and reorganization of the public sector industries where it's necessary. Side by side the government has adopted a very liberal policy for flourishment of the private sector.

Sheikh Hasina said, her government wants to develop labour-intensive industries because of huge population of the country. In view of this she said importance was given to groom up the workers with necessary training to enable them to cope with modern technology.

Pointing out her government's plan for setting up of special economic zone in seven areas of the country, the Prime Minister said the government is looking for more places in the country to be suitable for local and foreign investment.

In this regard, she said, the government would no more privatize any jute mill rather using the lands by converting those into industrial plots for local and foreign investors. She also asked the officials for giving gas supply to KAFCO in Chittagong to resume fertilizer production.

Recalling the memories of the assassination of Bangabandhu and most of his family members, the Prime Minister said, "Except my sister I have lost every member of my family. With this pain in my heart I'm striving to ensure a dignified position for Bangladesh amidst global community by making it as a developed and prosperous nation."

Laying importance on industrial growth for development of the country, she said, "Bangladesh is an agriculture based country. We cannot ignore agriculture, but economic progress cannot be attained without industrialization of the agriculture sector."

Terming the present time as an era of industrial development, she said foreign investors are keen to set up industries in Bangladesh. She said the government has attached priority to private sector for industrial growth as well as giving support to public sector and cooperatives.

Sheikh Hasina said the industrial growth in this country precisely had begun at the initiative of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman when he was in charge of the industries ministry of the Jukta Front government in 1954 for a short time.

Within that short period, Sheikh Hasina said, Bangabandhu had taken scores of steps for industrial development of the region with framing many legal frameworks against the common Pakistani approach that Bangalees are not fit for industry or business.

The Prime Minister laid importance on five-year plan for development of the country saying Bangabandhu was the pioneer of the five-year development plan. After taking office in 1996, she said, the Awami League government formulated the fifth five-year plan.

She said the present development programmes of the country are going on the sixth five-year plan adopted in 2009 and a 10-year long-term perspective plan where importance was given on education as well as employment generation.

In those plan, the Prime Minister said, the government has given due importance to industrial growth and said development of industries would create employment opportunities for educated youths and help them alleviate poverty.

In this regard she criticized previous BNP government for taking development plan for one or two-year or on ad-hoc basis saying long term plan is needed for development of the country.

-Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS)

Photo Courtesy: Saiful Islam Kallol