Industries Minister Khandakar Abdul Muktadir on Thursday said eliminating overlapping projects run by different ministries could ensure double-digit efficiency gains as the government moves to review such duplication to boost national productivity.
Speaking at an event organised by the Ministry of Industries in Motijheel, he said efforts are underway to examine whether projects implemented by different ministries overlap.
“No issue today is confined to one country; we have to look at the whole world,” the minister said, adding that it is not possible to remain outside the existing global system even if one wishes to.
“So, there is no alternative to raising productivity. The nation that increases productivity will be the one that advances,” he said.
Pointing to the ready-made garment (RMG) sector, Muktadir said it has demonstrated how progress can be achieved even with workers from marginalised sections of society.
Speaking at the event, Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) Executive Director Nazneen Ahmed said small enterprises need support to grow into medium-sized ones, and that the government coordinates with various sectors to facilitate such growth.
She stressed the need to examine whether these initiatives involve duplication.
Nazneen said the government needs assistance in designing productivity training, adding that replacing people with machines should not be the goal.
Instead, she said, attention should be given to how machinery and technology can enhance workers’ skills, while innovation also needs to be increased.
The CPD executive director noted that women’s participation in large industries is declining.
“Women cannot take the skills training required for automation because of household pressures, so they are falling behind in skill-based jobs,” she said.
She also proposed a refinancing scheme for the SME sector, saying linking loans to productivity improvement could lead to significant growth in the sector.
