DHAKA, June 29, 2019 (BSS) – President M Abdul Hamid today called upon the entrepreneurs and business leaders to stand against the unscrupulous traders who are tarnishing the country’s image globally as they cheat people with adulterated and substandard commodities.
“Don’t cheat people . . . Our door will remain open always for the honest and good entrepreneurs. On the contrary, the government won’t hesitate to go tough against the dishonest and corrupt businessmen,” he told the function of the “President’s Award for Industrial Development-2017” at Hotel Intercontinental here this afternoon.
Terming the business a noble profession which Islam gave special importance, President Hamid said the image of business (as a profession) is being tarnished by a section of corrupt and dishonest individuals.
“I feel proud when I see some commodities with the logo of ‘Made in Bangladesh’ in different super stores in Europe and America. But, again when a Bangladeshi good is withdrawn from or banned in the world markets for its substandard quality or adulteration, it seriously affect the businesses, simultaneously, tarnish the image of the country,” he said.
The head of the state also expressed grave concern over the quality of some food items, mentioning that the High Court recently ordered the authorities concerned to withdraw those adulterated and substandard commodities from the domestic markets.
Abdul Hamid called upon the industry entrepreneurs not to make any compromise with the quality of products and services as well.
Referring to the farsighted and time befitting work-plan undertaken by the present government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the President said in the last 10 years, the country’s industrial sector witnessed a tremendous progress with qualitative changes along with the tremendous advancement in many other sectors, including agriculture, health and infrastructural development.
He said due to the government’s time-befitting industry-friendly policies and programmes, a new chapter of quality industrialization has started here increasing the country’s export income.
“The contribution of the industrial sector to the Gross Domestic Products (GDP) meantime reached 33.71 percent. The government has an aim to enhance its contribution to the GDP to 40 percent and workforce to 25 percent by 2021,” the President added.
Stressing on enhancing more foreign investments to attain the targets of sustainable development goals (SDGs), President Hamid said the government has been providing various incentives to the private sector and entrepreneurs, particularly the SME (small-to-medium enterprise) sector entrepreneurs who are given loan at single digit interest rate and SME woman entrepreneurs are getting loan without collateral and plots on priority basis.
Work is underway to build 100 Special Economic Zones (SEZ) across the country, the President said, adding that the SEZs would create scopes for jobs for about one crore people and extra exports target worth US$ 40 billion annually.
Focusing on flourishing the private sector to achieve the desired goals of industrialization, he said, “The pace of industrialization will accelerate as much as the private sector becomes strong.”
Noting that Bangladesh has huge potentials of marine resources including fish, sea food, oil and gas, Abdul Hamid said these resources would help enormous expansion of blue economy and field for foreign investments.
“The country has a bright scope to invest for exploring the potentials in many sectors, including software-making, collecting sea resources, frozen fish, leather and leather goods, ceramic, medicine, plastic, furniture, home textile, jute and jute-made goods, agricultural products, tourism, business process outsourcing, automobile, motorcycle, bicycle, education, health, ICT, renewable energy and space research,” he mentioned.
Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun, MP, State Minister for Industries Kamal Ahmed Mojumder, MP, Industries Secretary Md Abdul Halim and secretaries concerned to the President, among others, were present on the occasion. Later, the President handed over awards to 14 representatives of the recipient industrial units for their outstanding contributions to the country’s economy.
Awards were given in six categories covering all major sectors – large industry, medium industry, small industry, micro industry, cottage industry and hi-tech industry.
The award recipients under the large-industry category are: chief operating officer (COO) of Square Pharmaceuticals Limited Dr Shamim Ahmed, chairman of Envoy Textiles Limited Kutubuddin and chairman of Olympia Industries Limited Mobarak Ali; under medium-industry category – MD of Green Textile Limited Tanvir Ahmed, MD of D and S Pretty Fashions Limited Rezin Ahmmod and MD of JME Agro Limited Chowdhury Hasan Mahmud; under small-industry category – MD of Auko Tex Limited Engineer Abdus Sobhan, MD of APS Apparels Limited M Shamim Reza and MD of BSP Food Product (Private) Limited Ajit Kumar Das; under micro-industry category – founder and owner of Smart Leather Products Begum Masuda Yasmin Urmi.
Director of Corr the Jute Works and Protibeshi Proshikhon Kendro and Kutir Shilpa Unnyan Sangstha Bartha Geeti Baroi were honoured with the award in cottage-industry category while under hi-tech industry category, chairman of Service Engine Limited ASM Mohiuddin Monem and Begum Roksana Parveen Dipu, owner of Nasania Limited, got the award.
