Take care of workers

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday urged the garment entrepreneurs to ensure welfare of the workers by improving their living standards.
“You are enjoying the outcome of hard work by the labours. Build up confidence among them with care so that they can deliver more,” Hasina said at the inauguration of 22nd Bangladesh Apparel and Textile Exposition (Batexpo-2011) in the city.
The prime minister said her government is working to create improved opportunities for businesses.
The three-day annual event is staged at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre.
Jute and Textiles Minister Abdul Latif Siddique, LGRD Minister Syed Ashraful Islam, Industries Minister Dilip Barua, Commerce Minister GM Quader, Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister M Faruk Khan and Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan, among others, attended the function.
First Vice President of BGMEA Nasir Uddin Chowdhuy and Second Vice President M Siddiqur Rahman also spoke while BGMEA President Safiul Islam Mohiuddin was in the chair.
Hasina urged the owners to improve the working conditions and salaries of the workers. “I think better relations between the owners and workers would help achieve better productivity which in return would benefit both.”
She also called for launching rationing system for the workers in collaboration with the government, so that the workers do not need to spend a major share of their income in purchasing food items.
The prime minister said her government is setting up seven special economic zones across the country to encourage new industries. The conversion work of Dhaka-Chittagong highway into four lanes is rolling fast to ensure smooth movement of exportable items for shipment.
“We have enacted a new industrial policy providing greater opportunities for the private sector entrepreneurs. Some 21 sectors have been earmarked as thrust sectors under the policy,” she said.
The incumbent government has added 2,694 megawatt of electricity to the national grid over the last three years and more electricity is in the pipeline to be added soon to reduce power crisis, the prime minister said.
Some 349 million CFT of gas was added during the last 35 months, she said and advised the industry owners to use more solar panels at their offices to reduce dependency on electricity.
The government's target is to reduce poverty rate to 21.5 percent from the current 31.5 percent within the next four years, Hasina said adding she wants to turn the country into a middle-income one by 2021.
Later, she visited different stalls at the venue where businesses from home and abroad are displaying their products in 146 stalls.
BSS adds: Highlighting the steps to protect the highest foreign exchange earning garment sector from global recession, the prime minister said her government is providing incentive to the sector for the last two consecutive years, apart from 17 other sectors.
Domestic and foreign investment is increasing and capital machinery and raw materials import showing positive growth, and Bangladesh has already earned GSP facilities to India, Malaysia, South Korea, Japan and China, Hasina said.
"We have always been attaching priority to the development of textile and garment sectors," she said adding "in our previous tenure we provided 61 special facilities including 30 percent cash incentives, waiver of double LC charge for exports, bonded
warehouse facilities and introduced general bond instead of risk and duty bonds to flourish the sector".
The prime minister said at the request of BGMEA, her government for the first time liquidated the accounts of 270 closed and sick industries to facilitate them start their business afresh. The BGMEA has been given the authority to determine country of origin as a measure to save money and time of the exporters.