In encountering the COVID-19, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has recently declared a stimulus package of 77,750 crore taka to face the adverse economic and social crisis in Bangladesh that has had emerged due to recent coronavirus pandemic. Being very sympathetic to the people especially for the poorer sections, she adopted this policy-incentive which will help rebound the national economy as it had been facing a direct crisis due to recent shutdown of many export-oriented enterprises with an intention to cover up the effectual loss that will incur to them.
This was done more intentionally to incentivize the local productions and also simultaneously to rejuvenate the export sector for retaining their global competition. Similarly, an amount of taka 20 thousand crore has been also allotted for the small and medium scale industries (SMEs) where the interest rate is 9 percent; of which, 5 percent will be paid by the Government and the recipient will have to pay the remaining 4 percent.
Since all these steps are designed to protect the SMEs, it is logically expected that big enterprises do not take the privilege in having the advantage of such incentive package. In the case of local production, it would have been better if we could also integrate the petty businessmen and farmers in this program by making a sincere search to find out such people from various parts of the country. The peasants of the country have been overjoyed seeing the Prime Minister subsequently declaring a new incentive package for the agricultural sector amounting Taka 5000 crore which includes the small and medium farmers availing this opportunity with an interest rate of 5 percent.
Malaysia has such a program in the title of ‘Ikhtiar Financing Scheme’ popularly known as AIM meant for the petty businessmen and vendors having a system of repayment through installments. The success of such incentive loan however, absolutely depends on identifying the real needy enterprises otherwise, it might allow many previous corrupted bank defaulters or influential persons stealthily entering to avail these opportunities once again enlisting their names as stakeholders.
For that reason, we suggest that the Finance Minister forms a committee comprising of a few prominent economists of the country mostly coming from the universities and research institutions along with some honest celebrities which will make the financial distribution logical. We may recollect here that during Bangabandhu’s time, our great leader recruited many veteran economists of the country as Members of Planning Commission and among them if we could recollect clearly, Prof. Rehman Sobhan, Prof. Mosharaf Hossain and Prof. Anisur Rahman are such intellectuals.
All we understand is that the Prime Minister very honestly from a heartfelt feeling has taken all these steps to save the production sector along with its working class people who are in a bewildering situation facing a severe crisis. She had asked all the industrial owners to clear up the salary of the working people prior to their departure from Dhaka and also reminded them not to lay off any worker from his job.
We have to applause such an ‘economic stimulus package’ of the Prime Minster which is comparatively much higher than that of the incentive programmes declared by other South Asian countries. While listening to Prime Minister’s deliverance on the television almost two three weeks ago, we observed that she was consistently reminding about the logical distribution of the fund seemingly being worried about the proper utilization of it. Much of our funds in the past were allotted but these were misused and spent lavishly without properly going to the earmarked people for whom it was meant. Our Honorable Prime Minister has to overcome such problems; otherwise, the main desire of helping the needy people will be thwarted.
To face this catastrophe, the Relief and Rehabilitation Ministry has already sanctioned 48,117 tons of rice for distribution among the poor and homeless people. Another 16 crores taka as cash money has also been granted to hand over to the needy and hardcore poor. An amount of taka 680 crores has been kept for distribution among the targeted beneficiaries numbering approximately thirty to forty lacs people in the country.
The Food Ministry has already started selling OMS rice at the rate of taka 10 per kg making it available for the jobless people and this programme has been expanded up to Upazila levels including Dhaka. But at this stage, OMS programme has been postponed with an apprehension that big gathering for such ventures might instigate spreading the coronavirus infection at the mass level.
Side by side, there are some anomalies in the distribution system where a few dishonest local level leaders got involved in the thieving process of relief materials which is simply inhuman. In this context, the decision of suspending 12 UP chairmen and members over aid embezzlement is a right step and with further proceedings if they are found guilty, they should be put to imprisonment.
In refreshing our memories, we remember that while Bangabandhu was alive and he was passing a very hectic time in rebuilding the devastated and war-wreckage country, a few such thieves gave him tough time stealing things. In Bangabandhu’s Bangladesh, once again we should raise the voice reminding those thieves and corrupted persons saying that ‘you have only one identity that you are thieves’ who should be dealt with severe punishment.
Similarly, the house owners who recently started making a plea that medical professional will not be allowed to stay and rent houses because of their attachment to this profession which is also a similar type of criminality where they should be brought under exemplary punishment. Since the doctors and nurses are working for the nation, any such person found not renting houses to them should be treated very seriously.
As the Coronavirus situation is worsening day by day in Bangladesh, we have to be further cautious in implementing strict social norms and state rules to challenge the pandemic situation ensuring that everybody follows the rules very seriously. Any sort of gathering whether it is religious or non-religious should be strictly restricted at this time, and brought under severe law.
Recent funeral prayer organized by Khelafat Majlish ignoring the lockdown at Sarail is a serious violation of Government Order; it is risking the whole nation. Such defiance often is an indication of showing up the existence of a state within the state; we should take note of these. In implementing such prohibitions, the Government should deploy armed forces consistently to work with the police.
All people in the community must work united to make the people aware of wearing masks, maintaining social distance while they are trying to procure government assistance, avoid making any gathering, queuing up properly whenever they are buying anything from the grocery shops or making transaction in the banks. Furthermore, all of us will have to remain at home being locked down as ordered by the Government; any violation of such rules will make our integrated effort fully unsuccessful.
God forbids, if the people at large are infected in Bangladesh, it will be a great massacre for the whole nation. Medical professionals, Police personnel and people from the Defense Services appreciatively are striving hard to control the public to follow rules accordingly; but more strictness is required. Meanwhile, special incentives for the medical professionals have also been announced on the New Year’s Day and the Prime Minister assured all professional support to them.
The Prime Minister expressed her gratitude to all staffs working in the medical sector and mentioned that they will be taken into ‘special insurance coverage’ as they are working with COVID-19 situation. We believe that if the medical professionals are supported in this way and if they are provided with all essential equipments requiring for treating the patients, they will confidently and more enthusiastically devote to their professions with all dedications which eventually will help people to be united under the leadership of our Prime Minister fighting this evil coronavirus disease in the country.
Finally, we suggest that there should be a Medical Advisory Committee at the national level under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina which will monitor all aspects of the ‘COVID-19 Pandemic and other Diseases’ and time to time, take decisions on the changing circumstances in the country. In the meantime, we may fix up a day and time to appreciate the performances of the medical professionals through a ‘nationwide clapping for five/ten minutes’ under the leadership of our Prime Minister.
Professor Dr AHM Zehadul Karim, a former Vice Chancellor of a public university, now teaches at Jagannath University
