Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's private industry and investment advisor, Salman F Rahman, yesterday urged the state-owned enterprises to enhance their efficiency and quality to mitigate losses to the state exchequer. He made this statement while attending the inaugural ceremony of a workshop on disseminating the best practices of state-owned corporations and companies and expanding the field of mutual cooperation. It was organised by the Governance Innovation Unit (GIU) of the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).

Salman F Rahman also said that to take up the challenge of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the relevant sectors of the government should adopt artificial intelligence, robotics and quantum computing. Salman F Rahman said, “We need the public sector, and it would be better if we continue to coordinate with the private sector. Many people feel that there is no need for the public sector. They just think that if there is the private sector then the government will meet their needs only by applying their demands. I, however, disagree with that. In many cases, the public sector is needed. Wherever we have national interest, we need the public sector.”

He went on, “The public sector will serve as a guarantee to us. Because when we don’t get enough services from the private sector, we need the public sector for our betterment.” He cited the example of Indian Oil in neighbouring India, which is activating the public sector. He pointed out: “We have a considerable amount of manpower but the quality is not efficient.” He emphasised the importance of enhancing efficiency.

He told the secretaries that “your contribution is very much behind the progress made during the time of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. He said that the Prime Minister relied more on you than the political leaders. So you need to be more active and work effectively”. He mentioned the meetings of the public sector, saying, “We should work on both types of sectors, then there will be more progress”.

The workshop was organised to spread the good practices of state institutions and enhance cooperation by identifying areas of mutual cooperation.

Later, in the second session of the workshop, Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal said, “We have to adapt to change. We need to change mentally to make Bangladesh a developed country by 2041. And quality must be monitored during this change. If anyone has anything to do with my ministry, tell me—I hope nobody does.”

He added, “No company in the world is destroyed for money; it is destroyed by a lack of good management. This is our best time and the best opportunity to make it better.”

In order to expand the field of cooperation, the industry ministry, the Department of Financial Institutions and the Department of Power outlined their activities.

Nasrul Hamid, state minister for power, energy and mineral resources, described the bureaucracy as a major problem in various government institutions and ministries. He said the companies affiliated to various government-owned enterprises have to do this once in the ministry before getting the final look at any decision. “This is a waste of time and money,” he asserted. In the light of his experience, he emphasised the need for only the companies to take decisions.

“The people here are just trying to get behind of the digital world. They want to stay analogue. They are less interested in what is going on around the world,” he added. He mentioned the use of smartcards in various fields of electricity and fuel consumption. In this case, he emphasised the need to make the billing system easier.

Md. Abul Kalam Azad, the coordinator of Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) in the PMO, delivered the keynote address at the workshop. He urged those concerned to come out of the idea that state-owned institutions would only mean loss-making institutions. Mobarakganj Sugar Mills Limited, Karnaphuli Gas Distribution Company and Bangladesh Forest Industries Development Corporation made presentations on pure practice and action strategies.

Md. Nojibur Rahman, the principal secretary of the PMO, and Sajjadul Hasan, the secretary of the PMO, were present, among others.