DHAKA, Jan 31 (BSS) - Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today underscored the need for further increasing revenue income to strengthen economic foundation of the country.

Expressing satisfaction over the country's present economic situation, she asked the authorities concerned to find out the gaps between income and expenditure of people with their living standard.

The Prime Minister gave the directives while presiding over the half-yearly (July-December) review meeting of "Financial Management and Economic Situation" at her office here this afternoon.

Finance Secretary Dr M Tareq presented half-yearly report on the overall economic situation of the country. The meeting was apprised that despite global economic recession the overall financial situation of the country is satisfactory when it is expecting progress rate at 6 per cent in the current fiscal.

During the meeting, the Prime Minister asked the authorities
concerned to further ease investment procedure of the country so
that more expatriate Bangladeshi could encourage to invest in the
country.

Mentioning the eagerness of the expatriate Bangladeshis to
invest in the country, she said that they sometime loss their
encouragement to invest in Bangladesh due to complexities of the
existing investment system.

"If the procedural complexities are removed, the expatriate
Bangladeshis as well as the foreign entrepreneurs will come
forward to invest more in Bangladesh," she added.

About jute, once called the golden fiber of Bangladesh, the
Prime Minister said the jute industry was destroyed in a planned
way during the past BNP regime. She directed the authorities
concerned to take effective measurers to protect jute industry
from ruination.

Laying emphasis on infusing dynamism to the activities of
the administration, she said administrative bureaucracy was made
weak due to unprecedented politicization of administration during
the past BNP led alliance government.

"Our government has already taken effective measurers to
infuse dynamism to the activities of the administration by
removing all shortcomings," she added.

Sheikh Hasina also laid emphasis on agricultural development
to further boost the economic activities in the rural areas and
changing fate of the people. Our government is working
relentlessly to change the fate of the rural people through
agricultural development, she said.

Finance Minister A M A Muhith, Planning Minister Air Vice-
Marshal (Rtd) A K Khandaker, Prime Minister's Advisers H T Imam
and Dr Moshiur Rahman, Cabinet Secretary M Abdul Aziz, Principal
Secretary to the Prime Minister M A Karim, Press Secretary to the
Prime Minister Abul Kalam Azad, Bangladesh Bank Governor Dr Atiur
Rahman and NBR Chairman Dr Naser Uddin Ahmed, among others,
attended the meeting.