Women entrepreneurs for separate industrial zone

Women entrepreneurs at a discussion Wednesday placed a set of proposals for development of women entrepreneurship, including setting up separate industrial zone, providing collateral-free loans with single-digit interest rate, and ensuring proper training.
They also called upon the government to double the present  allocation for women entrepreneurs in the upcoming budget, set up training centres, provide incentives, establish specialised markets for their products, allocate division-wise gender budget for creating new women entrepreneurs, and prepare a database for them.  
They also urged the governemnt to preapre the upcoming budget in such a way that it becomes more friendly to women entrepreneurs.  
Their opinions came at a roundtable titled "Upcoming National Budget 2014-15: Expectations of Women Entrepreneurs". The Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) organised the programme at its conference room.
FBCCI first vice-president Monowara Hakim Ali moderated the discussion, where representatives of different women entrepreneurs' associations took part.  
FBCCI president Kazi Akram Uddin Ahmed in his speech stressed on ensuring proper training for women entrepreneurs.  He called upon the National Board of Revenue (NBR) for considering their recommendations.
He assured that his bank will provide collateral-free loan up to Tk 1.0 million to each genuine women entrepreneurs.
FBCCI vice-president Md Helal Uddin urges NBR to provide tax and vat exemption facility to new women entrepreneurs, so that their businesses can flourish.
NBR member (customs policy) Md Farid Uddin assured the women entrepreneurs of putting forward their recommendations to the Ministry of Finance (MoF) for consideration.   
Former caretaker government adviser Rasheda K Choudhury said women entrepreneurs have been moving forward gradually by facing different challenges.
Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs deputy secretary Md Khalilur Rahman said the ministry has taken different projects for development of the women entrepreneurs.     
Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) Foundation general manager Shaheen Anwar, FBCCI director Bazlul Rahman, Bangladesh Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry director Nasreen Chowdhury, Bangladesh Grassroots Women Entrepreneurs Association president Moushumi Islam, and Ivi Hasan of Chittagong Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry, among others, were present in the programme.