DHAKA: Don’t be an obstacle in the procedural of businessman! Help in being the entrepreneurs! Don't concern them about hurdles! Ease them in their journey!
Ruhi Akhtar, director of Belson Pharmaceutical Limited, said these words to Abul Kasem, Deputy Governor of Bangladesh Bank in an occasion held for the entrepreneurs of cottage industry in Bangladesh.
As stated to Banglanews by Ruhi Akhtar, "Day after day women entrepreneurs get harassed in getting loans. Bankers make delay the process mentioning document problems, and others.”
Not only the bankers demand bribe, but also goes further. Because of all this, many businesswomen are forced to leave the work. And many take loans from NGOs.
For nation's development, the government is providing training to the small and medium level businesswomen via foundations.
In spite of strict order of providing loans easily, complaints coming up regarding the harassment.
Shapla Akhtar, Baridhara DOHS of lady entrepreneur said, "The bankers delayed my loan sanction giving various reasons. And even did not give me exact amount of money."
Sajeda Akhtar, Editor of Co-operative Society For The Women, By The Women's said, "We are being harassed a lot in getting loans. The bankers demand bribes, and many other things too."
Ayesha Parvin of Arched Enterprise said, "The supporting pillars for the lady entrepreneurs are their families, and banks. If the bankers only create hurdles in our way, where are we supposed to go? We do not get a chance to get established."
Tahmina Akhtar, Women Rights and Gender Equity Manager of Action Aids said, "Nobody wants to tell about the harassment they face in getting loans, because the families would not support them then."
Nurul Alam, Deputy General Manager of Small and Medium Entrepreneurs (SME) accepting the harassment fact said that, many small cottage industry businesswomen claim during their training period that they face many hurdles. Mainly harassment regarding bank loans- Bankers delay their transactions giving excuses about many things, and not only demand for bribes, but also ask for unethical commitments.
Masum Patwari, General Manager (SME) of Bangladesh Bank stated that, "In their initial business stage the small entrepreneurs were issued with a help of 111,499,300,000 Taka this year. Whereas, the small and medium entrepreneurs were handed with only 51% of the total amount, i.e 95,540 lady entrepreneurs in number.
It is a fact that all the bankers, and loan givers are not the same,
and only few are claimed to be such. If they are named, actions will be taken against the alleged."
Mousumi Islam, Secretary of Bangladesh Women Initiators Association said that, the biggest obstacle in the way of small lady entrepreneurs is the harassment regarding loans. Many step back because of the delay in sanction which is reasoned by faults in documents, and others.
Deputy Governor of Bangladesh Bank, Abul Kashem told that the banks get strict orders regarding business loans, and are set with a target amount. If they do not provide loans, and harass the businesswomen they won't achieve the target. And, will be fined!
BDST: 1408 HRS, JUL 21, 2014
