National Productivity Day today

The National Productivity Day will observe today across the country aiming to create mass awareness to raise productivity in all fields, including industrial, agriculture and service sectors, reports BSS.

The theme of the day this year is “‘Productivity for Global Competitiveness’.

President M Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina gave separate messages on the eve of the day stressing the need for increasing productivity, economic stability and ensuring sustainable development and growth.

President M Abdul Hamid said productivity is an essential part of national economy. It accelerates overall economic activities of a country and plays an important role to increase production, savings, investment and employment opportunities, he added.

He said Bangladesh is considered the role model of development as the government has given all-out efforts for ensuring sustainable economic and social development.

“To sustain our development activities, we need to be more competitive. The theme of the year ‘Productivity for global competitiveness’ is very time worthy in this regard,” he added.

Abdul Hamid said Bangladesh is moving forward on the highway of development. “Despite manifold adversities, the rate of economic growth of the country is increasing steadily. The government is determined to achieve Vision-2021 and United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) by 2030.

Besides, we set our target to be developed country by 2041,” he added.

In this competitive world, he said, it is important to ensure optimum quality of goods and services for sustainable development. “To do this there is no alternative to increase productivity in every economic sector,” he added.

He urged the National Productivity Organisation (NPO) as well as all public and private industries or service organizations to come forward to increase national productivity.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in her message said, productivity is important because it has been found to be the main factor that drives growth and income levels. “Countries which can produce the high quality of goods at a lower cost will attain the advancement more easily. So there is no

alternative other than increasing productivity,” she added.

She said Bangladesh has already graduated to a lower middle income

country. “We are very close to implementing Vision-2021. We have already set our new overarching vision to be a developed and prosperous country by 2041,” she added.

At the same time, the premier said, the government is committed to achieve the SDGs, declared by the United Nations, by 2030. To achieve this goal, she said, it is imperative to improve productivity in all sectors and for this, awareness on productivity among the mass people is very essential.

To mark the programme, the Ministry of Industries has chalked out elaborate programmes, including bringing out colourful rally, seminar and discussion.

Officials and employees of the different ministries and private organizations will take part in the rally from the Osmani Memorial Auditorium at 8 am today, said a press release.

A seminar will be held at the Centre on Integrated Rural Development for Asia and the Pacific (CIRDAP) auditorium in the city at 11am where Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun and State Minister for Industries Kamal Ahmed Mojumder are expected to be present.

Besides, Bangladesh Television will air a talk show and newspapers will publish supplements highlighting the significance of the day.

As part of the nationwide campaign, the mobile phone operators will send SMSs and voice mails on the day to create awareness among the people on the day.