Generating employment more important than boosting GDP growth: Dr Wahiduddin Mahmud

Putting utmost priority on generating more employment and stabilizing the economy, Adviser to the interim government on the Ministries of Planning and Education Dr Wahiduddin Mahmud on Monday said that generating more employment is now more important than boosting the GDP growth.

"Massive problem now exists centering the GDP and it won't work only with increasing the GDP growth. The qualitative standard was not ensured over the years and our priority is now to generate more employment and stabilize the economy," he said.

The Planning Adviser was talking to reporters after holding a view-exchange meeting with the concerned officials of the Ministry of Planning and its subordinate bodies and divisions held at the NEC Conference Room in the city's Sher-e-Bangla Nagar area, reports BSS.

He said that it is important to save fund from the additional expenses of the development projects and thus utilize those for generating more employment.

"To me, it's much more important to generate more employment than increasing the GDP growth. But, these two are also interconnected," he added.

The eminent economist alleged that the previous government had tried to implement many infrastructural projects without considering the liabilities of their funding either from local and foreign sources. Besides, some of those projects were also undertaken without considering the priority as well as considering the interests of the vested quarter.

He informed that the projects which are ongoing and at the primary stage would be reconsidered.

Highlighting the importance of grooming human resources, Dr Wahiduddin said that no country can prosper only with the help of infrastructural development, rather human resources development is very much necessary.

"Without human resources, infrastructures are like skeletons," the Adviser said that in his current capacity as in-charge of both the Ministries of Planning and Education, it would be possible for him to ensure human resources development.

Asked about the current state and plans for the mega projects, he said the government would not pursue any single policy rather additional expenses usually occur if there is a delay or revision of such projects time and again.

The Adviser said many development projects including big projects had to be even four to five times and suggested the Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) prepare a report so that such mistakes could not reoccur in the future.

"We'll try to find out why those mistakes were committed. Those flaws at the initial stage will be amended," he added.

Replying to another question, Dr Wahiduddin said that although the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) deals with publishing statistics on inflation, GDP, and other social indices, but there were doubts over the credibility of those data.

"I'll try to look after those...whether there were errors due to lack of skills or intentional faults," he added.

Replying to another question, the Adviser informed that top officials of over 40 public universities are yet to rejoin their work since they are traceless following the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the wake of a recent student led mass uprising.

It is also a big challenge to resume the operations of those universities, he said adding that such condition is also now prevailing in the education sector and the administration.