Finance minister wants to implement concept of 'one village one product'

Emphasising the country’s blacksmiths, weavers and small artisans, Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury said that the government wants to implement the concept of ‘one village, one product’. 

“For example, if Barishal’s Shital Pati can be taken to global platforms like Amazon or Alibaba with design support, skill development and marketing support, it will become a major contributor to gross domestic product,” he cited. 

In addition, initiatives have been taken to increase their contribution to GDP by recognising theatre, sports and music as industries.

He said these things in his speech as the chief guest at a meeting titled 'Stepping Forward: The Inauguration of Raise-2' organised by the Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF) on Sunday.

The finance minister said that in order to ensure accountability of government funds and ensure proper use of public money, the current government will approve any project from now on only if it meets the conditions of employment creation, return on investment and environmental protection.

Emphasising economic democratisation, Amir Khosru said democracy should not be limited to politics, but the common people should have equal rights in the economy as well. 

The government’s goal is to provide every citizen of the country with an opportunity to actively participate in the national economy and to bring the benefits of development to everyone, he added.

He said that unplanned and unprofitable projects taken in the past are currently being reviewed or cancelled.

Praising the work of PKSF, the finance minister said that there is a similarity between the economic philosophy of the government and the activities of PKSF. 

He called for further diversification of its scope of work in the coming days. Especially in the new initiatives of the government such as universal healthcare, education and expansion of the social security sector, institutions like PKSF can be important delivery partners.

Amir Khosru also said that the government is directly giving special importance to the empowerment of women. A plan has been taken to increase demand and create a saving trend in the local economy by directly transferring cash to women as the custodians of the household budget. 

The government is also committed to direct input support for farmers and support for the health sector, he also said.

The finance minister further said that the government is working tirelessly to address the challenges of the past economic burden and the current global war situation. 

To showcase Bangladesh’s success story to the world, everyone’s participation is necessary, regardless of party affiliation, he noted.

Najma Mobarek, Secretary, Financial Institutions Division, Ministry of Finance, was present as a special guest at the event chaired by PKSF Chairman Zakir Ahmed Khan.

Dr Gaily H. Martin, Acting Division Director for Bangladesh and Bhutan, World Bank, representatives of development partners, PKSF officials, and grassroots participants of the RAISE project were present as guests.