News Dwsk: Prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday underlined the need to focus on exports to earn foreign currency instead of depending on remittances.
‘We have to more focus on exports to earn foreign currencies instead of only depending on remittances,’ she said.
The prime minister also asked all concerned to diversify local products to explore new markets abroad.
She was inaugurating 24 Technical Training Centres, including Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Centennial TTC at the upazila level, joining virtually from her official Ganabhaban residence in Dhaka.
The Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training organised the function at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium in the capital.
‘We have to take initiatives to earn foreign currency by making local products multidimensional to find new markets abroad,’ she said.
The prime minister stated that some citizens were making illogical comments and spreading rumours about the foreign currency reserve, adding that it is common for the reserve to be more or less than the amount stated.
‘I believe, it is enough to have a foreign currency reserve to purchase food for three months,’ she continued.
But, she said that Bangladesh had to reduce its dependency on other countries for consumer products and food items.
‘We can utilise properly the people and fertile lands we have. We have to modernise the process of preserving foods and largely establish food processing industries,’ the prime minister said.
In this way, the demand of the local markets would be fulfilled and locally made products could be exported to earn foreign currency, she added.
Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment minister Imran Ahmad, its parliamentary affairs committee chairman, Anisul Islam Mahmud, secretary Ahmed Munirus Saleheen, and BMET director general, Md Shahidul Alam, spoke on the occasion.
A documentary on the TTCs was screened at the function.
Due to corruption, irregularities, and syndicate, the number of workers sent abroad during the BNP regime had reduced significantly and they had only sent 2,52,0902 workers in FY 2005-06, she said.
The prime minister asked the people who were now criticising the government about foreign reserves to realise what the situation was in Bangladesh during the BNP-Jamaat alliance government.
Rather, the Awami League government has expanded the overseas job markets in 55 countries and increased manpower exports many folds, she said.
The prime minister emphasised giving proper training based on vocational, technical, and science to the Bangladeshi people so they could cope with the advanced technologies and fourth industrial revolution to meet the growing demand for skilled manpower at home and abroad.
In this connection, she said that 100 economic zones were being set up across the country, which would also require skilled manpower.
She asked the authorities concerned to focus on providing training on how to drive heavy vehicles, considering its huge demand abroad.
The prime minister stressed the need for working in unison with all the concerned ministries on sending manpower abroad.
‘Home ministry is entrusted with issuing passports, while the foreign ministry finds out new labour markets, the industries ministry gives certificates, and the expatriates’ welfare and overseas employment ministry will send manpower abroad. Each of these ministries should work together,’ she said.
She also suggested forming a committee with a representative of each of the ministries to ease the work relating to sending manpower abroad.
The prime minister called for, including the civil aviation and tourism ministry, to this end.
Sheikh Hasina also asked all concerned to make sure that the expatriate Bangladeshis could easily send their earnings to the country through banking channels, as many of them were now facing difficulties in doing so and allured to sending money through illegal means, including Hundi.
The concerned ministries can work together with the consultation of the Bangladesh Bank in this regard, she added.
She also suggested employing an officer to oversee the well-being of the expatriate workers.
The prime minister asked the young generation not to fall into the clutches of brokers, being allured by their false promises.
The foreign job seekers, in many cases, have lost everything, including their lives and money collected from selling their ancestral houses and lands being caught by the manpower brokers, she said.
She asked everyone to go abroad for jobs by taking loans from the Probashi Kallayan Bank, saying that loans are being disbursed from the bank without any security.
She hoped that more skilled manpower would be sent abroad by imparting them with proper training at the upazila level TTCs.
With setting up of 40 more TTCs and one IMT, a total of 104 TTCs and seven IMTs would be established across the country, which would give them the capacity to give training to nine lakh people.
While the world is reeling from the economic meltdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine war pushed the globe into another trouble, she said.
‘The war is meaningless as I can see that those who are producing arms are becoming beneficial from the war and the lives of commoners are becoming helpless,’ she said.
The war and subsequent sanctions and counter-sanctions have put the world at economic risk, she said.at
The prime minister said that the developed countries were also now facing difficulties, and they were now in trouble with preserving power and energy, alongside ensuring food security, and they were now taking various measures to tackle the situation.
‘Such obstacles are very regretful when countries like us are trying to move towards development and reach a destination. It will not be wise for us to stop here, and we have to march ahead,’ she said.
Bangladesh is following the strategy of saving energy likewise other countries across the globe, she said.
SK
