ZCZC
BSS-09
PM-SME FAIR LEAD 2 DHAKA
In her speech, the prime minister put emphasis on creating more women
entrepreneurs, proper utilisation of marine resources, diversification of the
products, exploring new markets, setting up food processing industries,
producing goods keeping pace with the variation of seasons, generating more
employment and ensuring availability of the raw materials.
She suggested the youths to launch small businesses by taking loans instead
of not running after jobs.
Sheikh Hasina said collateral-free loan is being disbursed from the
Karmasangsthan Bank and the SME Foundation, and the entrepreneurs can start
business by taking loans from there.
Pointing out that the interest rate of the bank loans are very high, she
said the government has taken initiatives to cut the lending rate. “We want
to bring down it to a single digit so that our entrepreneurs can invest by
receiving loans easily … we’re creating this facility (for them),” she
said.
The prime minister said her government has ensured food security for the
people. “We’re now concentrating on ensuring nutrition for the people and
they’re getting its benefits,” she said.
“Alongside, we’ll have to generate employment for the people and save the
lands suitable to cultivation. To attain the goal, we’re developing 100
special economic zones across the country,” she added.
In this connection, Sheikh Hasina said she has already given directives to
the authorities so that the women entrepreneurs can get special facilities
there.
“I want the males and females to come forward equally and we want to give
special attention to create more female entrepreneurs and I hope that our
sisters will be more interested in this regard,” she said.
The prime minister said Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur
Rahman enacted the Territorial Waters and Maritime Zones Act soon after
independence to establish sovereign rights of the people on the sea and sea
resources.
“After assuming office by the Awami League government, Bangladesh achieved
huge quantity of maritime boundary and we’ll have to utilise the marine
resources in our economy and for this we’ll have to take steps,” she said.
Placing emphasis on strengthening the connectivity, Sheikh Hasina said
smooth transportation and marketing of the products is not possible without
it. “Keeping this in mind, we’ve taken various measures,” she said.
The prime minister said: “We’ll have to create our domestic markets side by
side with exporting goods abroad and focusing this, we’re working.”
She went on saying: “We’ll also have to explore new markets alongside
creating domestic markets. We’ll have to take initiatives and search that the
demand of which items is high in which country and accordingly, we’ve to
produce those goods.”
Sheikh Hasina said more importance should be given to set up food
processing industries as the demand of food is increasing fast.
Mentioning that the marketing of the products is a problem, she said
problem will have to be addressed for the sake of the entrepreneurs as they
cannot stay in their house with their products.
“So making proper arrangements for marketing of the products are a must,
and to this end, we’ve taken steps for boosting up regional and sub-regional
communication alongside our domestic connectivity,” she added.
The prime minister said her government has taken steps to build a skilled
workforce in the country as the demand of such manpower is high everywhere.
“We’ve given importance to vocational and technical education and we’re
setting up technical schools at upazila level to build such workforce,” she
said.
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