Wheels of country’s economy are revolving: Mannan

Planning Minister MA Mannan said today that the wheels of the country’s economy are revolving towards prosperity and the per capita income of the country’s people is also increasing fast, reports BSS.

“We’ll receive loans if necessary and will also repay those in time. Because we want to say ‘white’ as ‘white’.” he said.

The planning minister was addressing a regional conference on the role of the microfinance institutions towards attaining the SDGs held at the Chattogram Officers Club.

Mentioning that multilateral and bilateral lending agencies like the World Bank, ADB, IMF, JICA, and China want to lend billions of dollars credit to Bangladesh, he said the government would take loans if there is any necessity. “But, using the word ‘donor’ is disrespectful for us and we don’t like this,” he added.

Noting that thousands of people are now roaming around the capital with their briefcases to lend credit to Bangladesh, Mannan said only one percent capital of the microcredit institutions come from the donor fund. “So, why there are many talks on this? Even if the fund becomes insufficient, there is nothing to worry,” he added.

Asserting that Bangladesh would never accept the lordship of anyone, the planning minister said Bangladesh used to get a lot of donations from abroad in the early 70s. “We gratefully accepted those...but time has now changed. If anyone extends his or her hands of cooperation, then we’ll reciprocate the same gesture”.

Chaired by BRAC senior adviser and former Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister M Abdul Karim, Bangladesh Bank former governor Dr Atiur Rahman, Microcredit Regulatory Authority (MRA) executive vice-chairman Amolendu Mukherjee, chief executive of Mamata Rafique Ahamad, chief adviser of Antar Society for Development Emranul Haque Chowdhury, YPSA chief executive Arifur Rahman and PAGE Development Center executive director Lokman Hakim, spoke, among others on the occasion.

Inclusive Finance and Development (InM) executive director Dr. Mustafa Kamal Mujeri presented the key-note paper.