Differing with the business people's view on the recent Monetary Policy Statement (MPS) that apprehends about the MPS' adverse impact on the private sector investment, he said such investment would not be hampered as huge liquidity (around Tk10,000crore) remains in the banking sector.

He, however, said, "Although boosting investment is no job of the central bank, we are very much cautious about the MPS impact on private sector growth and we are mulling recommending to the government not to go for huge bank borrowing."

The BB chief was addressing as chief guest a workshop on Poverty and Role of Bangladesh Media organised by South Asian Free Media Association (Safma), Bangladesh.

Chaired by Reazuddin Ahmed, the Safma's Bangladesh chapter president, the workshop was also addressed by its general secretary Zahiduzzaman Faruque, Mir Nasir Hossain, president of Federation of Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) and Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad, president of Bangladesh Economic Association (BEA).

The central bank governor also came down heavily on private banks' high lending rate and said the difference between the interests on loans and deposit is not logical.

The FBBCI president observed that while the local investors pay 14 percent lending rate, their competitors like Chinese entrepreneurs pay 3 percent and Indians pay only 7percent.

In this situation, he asked, if government frequently increases energy prices, how can the local investors survive?

He said when the business community has been passing through a transition period, new energy price hike will definitely slow down the investment flow.

Dwelling on the workshop topic, the governor emphasised the media's role in reducing poverty as a social auditor, urging the media people to be more objective rather than subjective to project the real picture of an event, be it from the government side or the private sector.

Terming the government's project evaluation process a very lengthy one, Dr Salehuddin said the journalists can become a monitor of every government programme by following every development stage.

He said 40 percent people belonging to below poverty line are not poor in terms of wealth, lack of direction from the top level also keeps them on that level.

The BB governor said the main challenge is to reach out the policy benefits to the grassroots level.

The people who are being treated as poor are not behind creativity or capacity, he said, adding "we need a system that could ensure equal share of economic growth for the people from top level to grassroots level".

Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad said PRSP is nothing but a good paper for poverty reduction.

Such paper fails to alleviate poverty, he observed, adding that the number of extreme poor increased last fiscal.

The organisers said the Safma meeting will be held in Nepal shortly.

The Safma president said Nobel laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus will be the keynote presenter in the upcoming Safma meet.