CA asks all ministries to implement at least one recommendation from task force during his tenure
Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus has directed each ministry to start implementing at least one short-term, feasible recommendation from the task force during the interim government's tenure.
He gave the directive during a prior meeting of the Advisory Council when the task force's report was presented, in order to establish the foundation for a fair, sustainable, and dynamic economy, Planning Adviser Wahiduddin Mahmud said today (3 February) during a press conference at the NEC conference room at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar.
Take a small step and follow through: Task force on economic reforms
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Wahiduddin, also the education adviser, on Thursday (30 January) handed over the report of a task force to Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus.
A post by the chief adviser on his Facebook profile this evening mentioned a key recommendation of the taskforce on redefining economic strategies.
Task force lays out 5 recommendations to embrace digital economy
"Transitioning to a Single-Operator Bus Franchise: The current model of public transport in Dhaka, characterised by multiple ownership of bus services, has led to significant confusion and chaos on the roads, directly impacting public safety and convenience.
"To remedy this, a transition to a single-owner bus service franchise that brings all the fragmented owners together as one provider, has been recommended as a way to end urban bus transport chaos. This should be marked by a move to put drivers on a fixed salary rather than on a commission. This will enhance public transport efficiency, increase ridership, and create a reliable, user-friendly public transport system that better meets the needs of the urban population," reads the post.
It further outlined replacing multiple operators with a single-owner franchise to end confusion and chaos, shifting drivers to fixed salaries instead of commission-based pay, and boosting ridership and reliability for a better urban travel experience.
The report called "Re-strategising the Economy and Mobilising Resources for Equitable and Sustainable Development" was handed over at the Chief Adviser's Office in Tejgaon, Dhaka, said the CA's Press Wing.
At the press conference today, the adviser provided an example, saying that the task force's recommendation to make Biman Bangladesh Airlines commercially profitable will be implemented by the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism.
"One of the recommendations from the task force is to create another organisation to make Biman profitable, with the management responsibility assigned to a foreign company. Biman Bangladesh has become a financially struggling institution, and despite the potential for profitability, it has been incurring losses year after year. If there are two separate entities, it will be clear why Biman has not been profitable," he said.
Similarly, each ministry will select one recommendation from the task force to begin implementation.
However, the respective ministry will decide which recommendation to prioritise for implementation, said Wahiduddin Mahmud.
Wahiduddin also mentioned that the country's economy was headed in a direction where sustainability seemed unlikely. Therefore, there was a need for a change in the economy's trajectory.
The 12-member task force was formed on 10 September to reframe the development strategies, find out leakages in the financial system and restore discipline in project implementation.
"The task force was formed by the Ministry of Planning to address what kind of changes are needed in the economy, how funding can be secured, and how to ensure good governance.
"The main goal of the task force was to recommend short-term reforms or action to put the economy on the right track. Once implementation begins, there will be no turning back. We have to move forward," said the adviser.
