All possible assistance for women-friendly industrial environment: Barua
Wednesday, 23 June 2010
FE Report
Industries Minister Dilip Barua said the government will provide all possible assistance to create a women-friendly investment and industrial environment to encourage women entrepreneurs to invest their capital.
He called upon the women entrepreneurs to invest in building a prosperous country with a self-reliant economy.
He was addressing the inaugural session of the National Women Entrepreneurs Conference 2010 at a city hotel Tuesday.
Small and Medium Enterprise Sector Development Programme (SMESDP) project with the industries ministry organised the day-long conference.
The government wants to create skilled and trained women entrepreneurs as poverty alleviation is not possible until women -- constituting half of the population -- are left out of the development process, Mr Barua said.
The Women Entrepreneurs Forum has already been formed and the forum will work as a 'focal point' for the woman entrepreneurs, he said adding the SME Foundation has organised training programmes for woman entrepreneurs across the country.
The government has directed the banks to provide a minimum of 10 per cent of their total loan as SME loans for the women entrepreneurs, the minister said stressing the need for greater participation of women in the sustainable development of the country.
"Bangladesh Bank (BB) has undertaken a special scheme to distribute loans on easy terms for the women entrepreneurs," Atiur Rahman, Governor of Bangladesh Bank, said.
"A women can receive Tk 2.5 million loan at 10 per cent interest against her individual security," he added.
"But the major allocation for the women entrepreneurs remains unused," the BB Governor said.
Tk 1.20 billion (Tk 120 crore) which is only 42 per cent of the total loan of Tk 4.92 billion under 668 projects from the funds of BB, IDA and ADB has been distributed among the women entrepreneurs, he explained.
BB had already given directions to all the banks and financial institutions to set up desks for woman entrepreneurs and special help and service centres to ensure service-friendly attitude towards them.
He also suggested that all banks introduce cluster-based steps for distributing loans among the women entrepreneurs of the country.
Industries Minister Dilip Barua said the government will provide all possible assistance to create a women-friendly investment and industrial environment to encourage women entrepreneurs to invest their capital.
He called upon the women entrepreneurs to invest in building a prosperous country with a self-reliant economy.
He was addressing the inaugural session of the National Women Entrepreneurs Conference 2010 at a city hotel Tuesday.
Small and Medium Enterprise Sector Development Programme (SMESDP) project with the industries ministry organised the day-long conference.
The government wants to create skilled and trained women entrepreneurs as poverty alleviation is not possible until women -- constituting half of the population -- are left out of the development process, Mr Barua said.
The Women Entrepreneurs Forum has already been formed and the forum will work as a 'focal point' for the woman entrepreneurs, he said adding the SME Foundation has organised training programmes for woman entrepreneurs across the country.
The government has directed the banks to provide a minimum of 10 per cent of their total loan as SME loans for the women entrepreneurs, the minister said stressing the need for greater participation of women in the sustainable development of the country.
"Bangladesh Bank (BB) has undertaken a special scheme to distribute loans on easy terms for the women entrepreneurs," Atiur Rahman, Governor of Bangladesh Bank, said.
"A women can receive Tk 2.5 million loan at 10 per cent interest against her individual security," he added.
"But the major allocation for the women entrepreneurs remains unused," the BB Governor said.
Tk 1.20 billion (Tk 120 crore) which is only 42 per cent of the total loan of Tk 4.92 billion under 668 projects from the funds of BB, IDA and ADB has been distributed among the women entrepreneurs, he explained.
BB had already given directions to all the banks and financial institutions to set up desks for woman entrepreneurs and special help and service centres to ensure service-friendly attitude towards them.
He also suggested that all banks introduce cluster-based steps for distributing loans among the women entrepreneurs of the country.