Poverty is one of the main reasons for every unethical activity in the society. There are, however, some exceptions but all the illegal and immoral activities spring from economic needs. The law and order of a society also deteriorates due to financial indiscipline. This may lead to an increase in incidence of poverty because the poor people do not get justice. Rule of law is essential for very survival of the poor and weak people who have no capacity to access justice.
In a developing nation like ours, we need an honest and very smart custodian. While fund for development is scarce, its management is crucial. One of the main goals of the election manifesto of an elected government is to reduce poverty of people. Progress of a nation depends on achievements of the government in several vital sectors including poverty alleviation.
Earning capacity is the main criterion to select a person under poverty line. Anyone who has no capacity to meet the essential needs i.e. food, clothing, shelter, education and medical care, is under the poverty line. New jobs created the government can only minimise the poverty incidence. In this situation, there are two issues that need to be addressed. One is improving the capacity of the job-seekers and another is to create new jobs. If the two issues can be tackled at the same time, then the government can claim its real success and the society will get the benefits. In a free market economy, the government is responsible for creating the business friendly environment and ensuring justice.
According to a FE report, 'BD needs to invest $74-100b until 2020 for infrastructure development.' The report is very timely. The main thrust in the World Bank's finding is to reduce poverty. Since independence, all the governments had taken a lot of programmes under the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) with assistance from foreign donors. For reducing poverty, the last goal was to achieve 100 per cent literacy by 2014. The government is claiming that near about 100 per cent school-age boys and girls have been enrolled in primary schools but a recent report published by the UNESCO and the UNICEF states that 5.6 million children still are out of schooling.
Infrastructure development is essential for development but it contributes to it indirectly. Poverty is the main hindrance to development. Direct investment and discipline in education, mainly at the primary and secondary levels, is very much related to poverty alleviation.
Direct investment is the only way to ensure food, healthcare and education for the less privileged group of the society and also to keep corruption in these sectors at minimum level. Otherwise, the so-called development programmes or the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) will exist only in papers and documents like the programmes initiated so many years ago with the aim of 100 per cent literacy of the people of Bangladesh by the year 2014. This is the month of April, 2014, only nine months left for implementation of the programme. And now the government is silent.
We have to ensure jobs for all job-seekers in our country. But we are under the impression that near about 2.5 million people are entering the job market every year with or without proper academic background. The Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) is the minimum criterion for selection of a job seeker. This year the number of HSC participants is over 1.1 million. There is no other way to improve the earning capacity by reducing poverty but education. Primary and secondary education stages are very crucial for improvement of human capacity. The next generation will only be better equipped for future responsibility if they get right and effective education. But what we are doing for our future generation in this regard?
The writer, an FCA, is Director of the DCCI. akc@bol-online.com
