Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has described the cooperatives as a tested strategy for economic development of a country.
“Cooperative is a philosophy. It’s a tested strategy for socio-economic development. Cooperative-based development process decreases discrimination as well as ensures balanced and sustainable development,” the Prime Minister said.
She also laid importance on strengthening cooperative movement across the country, reports BSS.
The Prime Minister came up with the remarks while inaugurating the programmes of the 47th National Cooperative Day and distributing National Cooperative Award 2016 and 2017 at Bangabandhu International Convention Centre in Dhaka on Sunday
Sheikh Hasina said in the Article 13 of the constitution Bangabandhu had incorporated the cooperative system as the secondary way of ownership.
Bangabandhu had initiated agricultural cooperatives, fishery cooperatives, weavers’ cooperatives and industrial cooperatives for socio-economic development of the people of those occupations.
Sheikh Hasina said her government, in its development process, is giving utmost importance to rural development and cooperatives.
Reduction of urban migration by creating more employment opportunities in the rural areas is also one of the main objectives of her government’s rural development priority, she said.
The government has distributed more than Taka 1.03 billion through the Department of Cooperatives for carrying out different income generating activities, she said.
Based on cooperative philosophy of poverty alleviation, ‘One-House One Farm’ project is being implemented at a cost of Tk 81.27 billion.
Under this project, 82, 395 village development societies have been formed in 87 thousand villages, she added.
Sheikh Hasina underlined importance of more involvement of womenfolk with the cooperatives to expedite country’s economic progress as well as empowerment of women.
"Women consist only 18 per cent of the total members of the cooperatives in the country. So their number in the cooperatives movement must be increased," she said.
She wanted all out cooperation of everybody to achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs) by 2030 saying SDGs would be the foundation of building Bangladesh as a self-respecting developed country by 2041.
A total of 20 cooperative societies in different categories received the National Cooperative Award from the Prime Minister on the occasion held under the auspices of the Department of Cooperatives under the Ministry of LGRD and Cooperatives.
LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Khandakar Mosharraf Hossain, State Minister Moshiur Rahman Ranga attended the function as special guests while secretary of rural development and cooperatives Md. Kamal Uddin Talukder was in the chair.
President of Bangladesh Cooperative Union Sheikh Nadir Hossain Lipu spoke, among others, on the occasion while registrar of cooperatives and director general of department of cooperatives Md. Abdul Mazid gave the welcome address.
Earlier, the Prime Minister visited different stalls set up by cooperative societies on the occasion.
In the morning, a rally led by LGRD secretary was brought out from Sher-e- Bangla Nagar in the city.
