Govt officials must serve people, move away from bureaucratic mindset: Gayeshwar

BNP Standing Committee member Gayeshwar Chandra Roy has criticised bureaucratic red tape and the culture of holding up files, saying government officials must move away from the bureaucratic mindset inherited from the British era and serve the people.

Administrative complexities need to be reduced and decisions taken quickly to promote trade and business, he said.

Gayeshwar made the remarks while speaking as the chief guest at the opening ceremony of the five-day 'Sharat Mela' organised by the Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) at its building in Dhaka's Tejgaon Industrial Area at 11am today (7 October).

"We have to keep the wheels of files moving," he said, stressing that files should not be held up and decisions should be made quickly. This would ensure entrepreneurs and businesses receive the support they need and help accelerate economic activity, he added.

He said cottage and handicraft industries have the potential to generate higher incomes than the garment sector.

"With proper training, promotion and marketing facilities, people can earn a respectable income from cottage industries while working from home, even more than they can from the garment sector," he said.

The BNP leader said locally made products, drawing on the innate talent and skills of Bangladeshi artisans, are highly attractive in terms of quality and design.

However, people involved in cottage industries need proper training to become more self-reliant than those working in garments and other jobs, he said.

"Making products alone is not enough. Effective promotion is also needed to bring those products to consumers," Gayeshwar said.

Improved promotional and marketing facilities would help expand the market for cottage industries and create more employment opportunities, he added.

Highlighting the role of cottage industries in helping women achieve economic independence, Gayeshwar said many women from disadvantaged and marginalised communities are earning an income by producing such goods from home.

Through this work, they are becoming self-reliant while also establishing a dignified position for themselves within their families and communities, he added.

Highlighting the continuing demand for traditional and rural products, Gayeshwar cited Jamalpur's embroidered quilts, cool mats, earthenware and terracotta products as examples of items that remain popular.

He said that even amid increasingly technology-driven lifestyles, people are once again turning towards nature- and tradition-based ways of living.

Such products not only enrich people's appreciation of beauty but also play an important role in creating employment, he added.

Speaking about global environmental pollution, Gayeshwar said a major share of global pollution is caused by developed countries, while various conditions are being imposed on developing and least-developed countries.

The developed and developing countries' actual circumstances should be taken into consideration when determining the distribution of responsibility for environmental pollution, he said.

BSCIC Chairman Benazir Ahmed chaired the opening ceremony, held on the ground floor of the BSCIC building. Industries Ministry Secretary Abdus Naser Khan and Additional Secretary Nuruzzaman were also present.

Organisers said the 'Sharat Mela' will continue until 11 October. More than 100 stalls are showcasing and selling various products made by small and cottage industry entrepreneurs.

The fair will remain open to visitors from 10am to 8pm every day.