One of the fundamental flaws holding back our nation is the incredibly centralized nature of our economy -- a vast majority of Bangladesh is made up of rural areas, which really shines a light on the inefficiencies of our current centralization.
Pilot projects such as the Amar Gram, Amar Shohor would not only allow us to better cater to the vast majority of the population living in rural areas, but it is also a meaningful step towards the gradual decentralization of Bangladesh.
Aside from the primary cities such as Dhaka, Khulna, Rajshahi, etc, the government has yet to spread out meaningful development throughout the more rural parts of the country. Every year, millions of people from rural Bangladesh flock to cities like Dhaka and Chittagong in search of employment opportunities -- this has led to these cities being overburdened as they don't have the structural capacity to support so many people.
This inward pull leads to a vicious cycle which sees urbanization being concentrated to only a handful of cities and regions, hindering the overall development of the entire nation. Hopefully, this pilot project can mitigate these issues.
The government must ensure that any decisions pertaining to national development are inclusive and sustainable -- where different services and benefits are available to all, not just to those who live in already established urban areas.
Decentralization has long been a goal for us. While coming up with plans and projects are worthy of praise, implementation is where, historically, governments both past and present have faltered when it comes to projects of such size and scope. This is one area where we cannot afford to allow elements which have, in the past, slowed down progress for such initiatives.
Our nation is incredibly reliant on a handful of cities, especially its capital, for the brunt of its economic activity. We need to get out of this cycle and it is high time our development plans reflected that.
