Freelancers will be given bank loans: Salman F Rahman
The government will provide financial support to independent freelancers so that they can earn more remittance and contribute more to the economy, said Salman Fazlur Rahman, adviser to the prime minister on private industry and investment, yesterday.
Currently, the number of freelancers, especially in the IT sector, is more than 7 lakh and they are annually earning more than $1 billion.
Every freelancer is a businessperson and they will need money as their business grows, Rahman said, adding that the number of freelancers is also rising.
Only one private bank currently receives remittance of freelancers as it opened a special window for them, he said.
Subsequently, Rahman urged all banks to open a special window for freelancers so that they can receive remittance without hassle from abroad and can borrow money to expand their business.
Rahman’s comments came at a workshop on the role of media in promoting small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) development and sustainability, organised by the Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC), Economic Reporters Forum (ERF) and PRISM, an EU-funded project to assist SMEs. The workshop was held at the ERF office in Dhaka.
Bangladesh Investment Develop-ment Authority (Bida) will open a special window for freelancers by January next year so that they can register their names and companies and get a certification for receiving remittance through formal channels and take bank loans easily.
Freelancers will need loans to install sophisticated computer tools as they grow, he said.
He went on to cite the garment accessories sector as an example of thriving SMEs.
“Very few people know about the backward linkage of the garment industry,” he said, adding that accessories like buttons and zippers bring $7 billion in export receipts.
“These are all from the SMEs. Of the $7 billion, $1 billion was directly exported. I found this to be fantastic as previously we were importing those goods,” he said, adding that accessories are exported even to Vietnam and China.
The BSCIC has a target to establish 50 more industrial parks in different districts very soon to create a substantial amount of job opportunities by 2030, said its chairman, Md Mostaque Hassan.
By December the construction of the central effluent treatment plant at the Savar leather estate will be completed.
Then a certification from Leather Working Group can be obtained and Bangladesh can export leather and leather goods to countries around the world and at better prices, he added.
The government will publish an SME policy soon, said Abdul Halim, secretary to the industries ministry, adding that there is a target to take the contribution of SMEs in the GDP to 28 percent from the existing 25 percent.
ERF President Saiful Islam Dilal also spoke.
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