<i>A night with a difference</i>
A dance sequence plays out at a gala function of the Bangladesh Business Awards 2009, organised by The Daily Star and DHL Express at Sonargaon Hotel in Dhaka yesterday. photo: SK Enamul Haq
It was an atypical night of celebration of the country's business sector.
And even before the programme started, the night of Bangladesh Business Awards 2009 naturally became a huge gathering of innovative, enthused and aggressive corporate leaders regardless of age and type of their businesses.
Many of them termed the award, jointly conferred by The Daily Star and DHL Express Ltd, the country's highest for businesses as this alone recognises the local entrepreneurs each year.
It was the 10th edition of the awards.
The event started with a fusion musical performance styled "The Colour of Life", which filled the entire ballroom of Sonargaon Hotel with joyful mood.
"This is the most credible and encouraging award for the businessmen of our country. I think this is helping entrepreneurs become more competitive," said Zulfiqar Ahmed, managing director and CEO of Unitrend, a leading advertising agency.
TV news presenter Mahmudur Rahman hosted the programme for the eighth time.
On top of the joyful celebrations, business leaders were discussing potentials of the country's economy and problems that might lie ahead.
Bangladesh Bank Governor Atiur Rahman talked about the steps the central bank has taken to materialise the dream of "digital Bangladesh".
"We have taken several measures that will eventually help the country's business sector. We have just introduced automated clearing house for faster settlement of transactions and payment systems," he said.
"We moved one step ahead of many other countries by introducing this modern payment and transaction system," he said, adding, "The system will reduce the settlement time to only two hours from three days."
However, leaders were also expressing frustration over the country's power crisis.
Syed Nasim Manzur, managing director of Apex Adelchi Footwear, said entrepreneurs are paying high price for frequent power cuts, which reduces productivity, and have to allocate a huge amount on money for diesel.
"In my own factory the daily expenditure on diesel has increased to Tk 1,83,000 from Tk 64,000. But there are many enterprises that cannot afford this cost," he said, adding that the government should go for rental power plants immediately to resolve the crisis.
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