Closed factories will be reopened soon: PM Tarique Rahman

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has announced that factories which were shut down in recent years will be gradually reopened to restore employment and boost the economy.

“We have already taken initiatives to restart industrial units that were closed over the past years,” he said while addressing a May Day workers’ rally in front of the BNP central office in Nayapaltan on Friday.

The rally was organised by the Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal, the BNP’s labour wing, with its president Anwar Hossain in the chair. BNP Secretary General and Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir attended as a special guest.

The prime minister said he had already held meetings with relevant stakeholders and issued directives to identify factories that could be reopened quickly.

“Just a month ago, I directed officials to assess how quickly closed factories can be brought back into operation so that workers who lost their jobs can be reinstated. Another meeting on this issue has been scheduled this week,” he said.

He alleged that the previous authoritarian government had deprived people of their rights and turned the economy into import dependence, while damaging key sectors including health and education.

“As a result of such destruction, people united in 2024 and removed that regime,” he said.

Tarique Rahman also said the government was working to increase foreign investment to create jobs for the unemployed and expand employment opportunities both at home and abroad. He added that discussions with foreign investors were ongoing.

He further said that the government would not only evict street hawkers but also ensure their rehabilitation and employment. “All commitments made to different professional groups will be implemented gradually,” he said, calling for unity among farmers, workers and teachers to improve livelihoods.

He warned that certain quarters were attempting to tarnish Bangladesh’s image internationally and urged vigilance against such efforts.

“Whenever Bangladesh moves towards democracy, some groups do not like it. They do not want the country to progress or improve people’s lives. They are again conspiring to isolate Bangladesh globally,” he said.

He called for resistance against such elements, saying they must be “defeated like authoritarian forces”.

“We must now focus on building the country with both men and women,” he added.

The prime minister also said that members of the Cabinet, including himself, would be included under the category of workers, and urged everyone to prepare themselves as “workers of nation-building” to realise the vision of a prosperous Bangladesh.