Planning minister for wealth creation to alleviate discrimination

Planning Minister MA Mannan on Wednesday called for more research on how to increase the existing wealth underscoring the need to alleviate discrimination from society.   

"We want to create wealth and for this, we need to conduct research on how we can increase our existing wealth," the minister said while addressing the inaugural session of BIDS Research ALMANAC 2023 organised by the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) at a hotel in the capital on Wednesday.

"Wealth creation comes with the risk of discrimination, however, deliberate discrimination can be controlled to create a society based on justice," he said.

Regarding the poor, Mannan stated that poverty can not be eliminated but it can definitely be alleviated.

"Poverty is not inevitable. It is something that is created, so it can be reduced as well, The government has adopted social safety net action in order to improve the living standard of the poor. At the same time, we are exploring more options," he further added.

During the event, BIDS Director General Dr Binayak Sen said around 50% of the country's total poverty-stricken population is new, who descended in the category from a better position. 

"In 2022, when we were trying to turn around from the economic slowdown, the Russia-Ukraine war came as another big blow to our plan," he added.
 
The minister also emphasised the importance of knowing the contributions of domestic work to perceive the real economic scenario of the country.

Calling for an in-depth study in this regard, MA Mannan said, "It is important to know the contributions of domestic work carried out by our mothers and sisters at home so that we can draw a parallel picture of our economy. This will help us understand the actual economy of the country." 

Minister MA Mannan also noted that the contribution of domestic works to the economy deserves recognition.