Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi commented that the ‘digital’ concept of ‘e-commerce’ has taken Bangladesh a long way, even amid the stagnation of COVID-19 pandemic, leaving the neighboring countries far behind.
Due to the break of COVID-19 pandemic, the expansion of e-commerce went five years ahead of time in Bangladesh. I hope that the weaving industry at Santuaria in Manikganj will be greatly appreciated in every nook and corner of Bangladesh through Digital Commerce Village- Digital Polli. People will also like woven sarees like Benarasi and Jamdani. They will be sold. Today, when I visited the stalls, 75% were sold. It is understood that how far its popularity will reach in the future. Their condition was very during the pandemic. With this venture, their fortunes are bound to return. I think people in remote areas of the country will benefit from the Digital Polli that started today.
The Commerce Minister also remarked that the Prime Minister’s vision of Digital Bangladesh was fulfilled through this project.
He said, “During the pandemic, entrepreneurs in this sector have proved that e-commerce has become a part of our lives through e-commerce services. The way women entrepreneurs use online as an alternative medium has always been an example. The Ministry of Commerce will respond to any problem and need of e-commerce in the future as it has in the past. The association of e-commerce entrepreneurs with e-CAB has strengthened the trust in the way they have served in times of crisis.”
On the other hand, Posts and Telecommunications Minister Mostafa Jabbar has warned that ‘No one can cheat in this sector’ mentioning “small entrepreneurs of e-commerce are moving forward along the digital path by destroying the conventional wastes in individual and family ventures. “.
“It simply came to our notice then. On the contrary, if you do business honestly, there will be improvement. There is no way to be defeated”, he added.
The Minister further said that we must be thankful for the initiative taken by the Ministry of Commerce to pave the way and start repaying the money when we were being slammed ‘digitally’ in the face of adversity. And the initiative to register them now will make their licensing process easier. Every village in Bangladesh will one day become a Digital Polli and digital entrepreneurs will be formed from house to house.
According to the Prime Minister’s dream, through e-commerce, children will be able to taste their mother’s hand-cooked food while sitting in the city, said Mostafa Jabbar.
The two ministers made the remarks at the inaugural function of the Digital Polli Program at the Marriott Convention Center in Dhanmondi on Sunday, May 29, 2022.
Tapan Kanti Ghosh, Senior Secretary, Ministry of Commerce also spoke on the occasion while the BPC Coordinator and Additional Secretary Abdur Rahim Khan presided over the function. He lauded the role of e-CAB in bringing order to the e-commerce sector as well as taking initiatives to implement the Digital Polli Program.
On the other hand, by spreading the country’s heritage at home and abroad and creating new jobs, this initiative will ensure the participation of marginalized people in the socio-economic development of Digital Bangladesh, said BPC Coordinator Md. Abdur Rahim Khan.
Abdul Wahed Tamal, General Secretary, e-CAB, gave a presentation on Digital Polli Activities at the event. Where an outline of how this project is being implemented was explained.
In his welcome address presented by e-CAB General Manager Jahangir Alam Shovon, e-CAB Vice President Sahab Uddin Shipon called upon the government to extend the project and expand the project across the country.
E-Commerce Association of Bangladesh (e-CAB) and Business Promotion Council (BPC) under the Ministry of Commerce jointly organized the inaugural event of the project. Entrepreneurs displayed aesthetically pleasing garments made of looms. The visitors bought almost all of them before the end of the fair.