The industrial estate of Bangladesh Small andCottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) in Rajshahi has created jobopportunities for 1,505 people in various trades in the last 2019-2020 fiscalyear that showing the progress of 114 percent, reports BSS.
The people got the jobs in various fields like enterprise development,skill development and training, industry ownership transfer and establishmentof new industries.
Employment for around 6,500 people is expected to be generated in the nextfive years, said JaforBayazid, deputy general manager of BSCIC.
He said 197 people were imparted entrepreneurship and skill developmenttraining, while 380 others trained on computer, food processing, cutting andsewing, mobile phone repairing, electrical and house wearing and motordriving.
Meanwhile, the Rajshahi BSCIC has been manufacturing various personalprotective gears including disinfectants to fight against the novelcoronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. JaforBayazid said 76 industrial estates across the country have beenproducing a wide range of essential medicines and medical supplies, includingdisinfectant hand sanitizer since the outbreak of Covid-19 in the country.
In line with this, Rajshahi Industrial Estate is leading in the productionof disinfectant hand sanitizer.
In addition to manufacturing of hand sanitizers, personal protectiveequipment (PPEs) and masks, successful marketing of those were arranged. The estate has, so far, produced and marketed around 2.50 lakh bottles ofhand sanitizers, 3,000 PPEs and 6.60 lakh surgical face masks contributing alot to meeting up the gradually mounting demands of those everywhere in thesociety to cope with the present crisis situation. Twelve rice mills are producing 450 tonnes of rice, three mills producing250 tonnes of pulse and an automatic mill producing 450 tonnes of flour dailyon an average playing a vital role towards food security besides job creationfor many unemployed people.
Besides, the estate is producing different life saving medicines, essentialcommodities and medical supplies, including 1,200 liters of hand sanitizerdaily.
Tim Pharmaceutical Limited of the industrial city has already produced12,000 to 15,000 bottles of hand sanitizer. The hand sanitizers are beingsupplied to different districts, upazilas and even union levels across thecountry.
Besides, the company has produced 10,000 packets of various life-savingdrugs with a market value of around Taka 50 lakh. The productive activities
have generated fresh job opportunities for 250 people both male and femalethrough maintaining health directives.
Moreover, three more companies — Asoka Laboratories, Hawks Pharma andShahi Laboratories — are producing Unani or Ayurvedic medicines by followingthe hygiene rules.
Among the industrial units in the industrial estate, there are 46 food itemproducing factories. The factories are producing different items, includingrice, pulse, flour, semai (vermicelli), chanachur, biscuits, cakes, bread,mustard oil, ice cream and pure drinking water.
Among the factories, Nova Asia Agro Industries is exporting 100 percent ofits food products to the United States and Canada.
The 325-plot BSCIC industrial estate, established in 1961 on 95.71 acres ofland on the city’s outskirts, has been providing electricity, water supply,security, road and drainage facilities to the entrepreneurs for running theirbusiness.
Several silk-clothes manufacturing units earned reputation for theirquality products. They expect that there would be no more sick industry inthe estate, the official said.
Terming the BSCIC industrial area viable for any small and medium industry,Liakat Ali, president of Bangladesh Silk Industries Owners Association, saidthe entrepreneurs are making a profit and demanding uninterrupted power andgas supply to the BSCIC for reducing production costs.
