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Distribution of wealth

5 March 2005, 18:00 PM
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
By Tapader Md. Khalilur Rahman Mirpur, Dhaka-1216
5 March 2005, 18:00 PM
Bangladesh has got a population of 140 million. Fifty per cent of the total population live below poverty line. Almost every year people of Gaibandha and Kurigram districts are hit by Monga. No programme is taken up to create new jobs. The late president Shahid Ziaur Rahman took some bold steps to create jobs for the rural people. His government, for the first time, instructed commercial banks to lend Tk 100 crore in agricultural loans. At the beginning, the commercial banks did not take it very easy. They were reluctant to go to the agri-sector to disburse small loans. But ultimately the NCBs were compelled to give agri-loans. These created so many self-employment opportunities.

Now the agri-loan sector has been proved to be a large area of investment for the NCBs The government also took other steps. They ordered opening of bank branches at upazila and union levels. This opened avenues for mobilising small savings and creating investment opportunities and jobs.

But unfortunately people have witnessed closure of so many branches of the NCBs. These were losing branches. But reasonable time was not allowed to these branches to make efforts and endeavors to earn profit. All branches of a heavy fruit-bearing tree do not bear fruits in the same proportion. But if the non-fruit bearing branches are cut down, the tree will grow weaker and ultimately may die down. If NCBs and other state owned enterprises earn a profit of Tk 14 crore, the earning of each man or woman will go up by Tk 1.00. But if a few individuals earn Tk 14 crore, the whole population will have no share of it. State owned enterprises serve so many purposes. These enterprises keep control over the prices of goods and services produced by the privately owned enterprises. The government owned enterprises help in equitable distribution of wealth, and, on the other hand, privately owned enterprises help in accumulation of wealth in a few hands.

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Money plays a very important role in almost every sphere of social life. Therefore mass accumulation of wealth brings prosperity to the country as a whole and accumulation of money in the hands of a "class" is always a threat.

Therefore, every opportunity to allow distribution of wealth should be exploited for the greater good of the country.