BIDS to carry out 30 research projects
FE Report | Friday, 21 August 2015
Planning minister AHM Mustafa Kamal Thursday said the government considers research as an investment as it could identify areas of the country's capacity through it.
He, however, said the country is far behind in conducting research on tourism sector.
"The government considers research expenditure as an investment. But the research areas should be fixed in line with our economic demands through which areas of our competence can be identified," said Mr Kamal.
He was speaking at the 97th meeting of the Trustee Board of the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS).
In the meeting, the activities of BIDS were fixed. It was informed that the research organisation will carry out 30 research projects during FY 2015-16. For this, the government will give additional Tk 152.60 million which was Tk 20 million earlier.
The minister, also chairman of the Trustee Board said the volume of total annual global trade is Tk 88 trillion but Bangladesh hardly knows about these trades.
"If we do not know the details of these trades how will we know what our capacity is," he asked.
Specifically referring to tourism sector, Mr Kamal said the country is far behind in tourism research. The BIDS should have its own research on it. Besides, detailed research should be on areas from where the government can increase its revenue income.
He asked the BIDS to come up with project proposals which will help the research activities uninterrupted.
Terming the increased allocation for research 'positive', Trustee Board member and noted economist Professor Rehman Sobhan said the process of making the BIDS a centre of excellence has been started with the step. The BIDS has to move forward along with local and foreign researchers by which the country will progress fast in the socio-economic sector.
Bangladesh Bank (BB) governor Atiur Rahman said the process to take BIDS forward will ultimately benefit the common people.
The meeting was informed that the Institute will start one-year master's course on development studies and financial management.
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