DHAKA-Bangladesh Bank (BB) Governor Dr Atiur Rahman has remembered the memories of those workers and rescuers who lost their lives in Rana Plaza collapse and prayed for peace of their soulsm, reports AP.
“Let’s all of us work together to avoid such a tragedy,” the governor said in a statement today on the first anniversary of Rana Plaza tragedy.
“Bangladesh Bank expects banks and all other financial institutions and the affluent of the country to extend their helping hands in national crises and the civil society to create awareness among the mass people to avoid such untold miseries of Rana Plaza victims,” he added.
The statement said the governor has always emphasized deepening and broadening of social responsibility in corporate ethos and objectives of the scheduled banks and non bank financial institutions of the country visioning a humane central bank.
The financial sector was sufficiently enthused with this motivation and came forward to standby the victims of the Rana Plaza tragedy.
One year ago, on this day of April 24, “The Rana Plaza” housing five apparel factories on the outskirts of Dhaka collapsed, killing around 1,130 people mostly women, it said, adding that the RMG sector which is the lifeline of Bangladesh economy was badly affected by this and suffered a huge reputational loss.
The governor asked all financial institutions to play a due role in any crisis period and his call led to a donation of nearly Tk 90 crore possible on behalf of the banks to the Prime Minister’s Relief and Welfare Fund for the victims.
The donation comprised Tk 80 crore from Bangladesh Association of Banks (BAB), Tk 4 crore from Association of Bankers Bangladesh (ABB), Tk 3 crore from 28 non-bank financial institutions (NBFIs), Tk 31 lakh from 1 day salary of officials of NBFIs and nearly Tk. 30 lakh from one day salary of officials of Bangladesh Bank.
In addition, bankers working in Savar area and BB medical officials rushed to the spot with medical aids.
On November 9, 2013, BB honored 135 rescuers of Rana Plaza victims for their heroic contribution to the rescue of 2438 workers from the debris with certificates, prize bonds of Tk 5000 to each rescuer. The governor also asked managing directors of commercial banks to create jobs for rescuers based on their merit.
The central bank has asked all banks to open accounts for apparel workers with an initial balance of Tk 100 and all commercial banks to spend 5 percent of their operating profit on corporate social responsibility to help develop the apparel sector.
Moreover, BB itself has created a fund of Tk 100 crore with the assistance of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to improve safety standards in the sector to help factory owners receive loan from commercial banks at a maximum of 10 percent interest for rebuilding and relocating factories and equipment purchase.
In addition, BB has provided Tk 10 million from its own CSR fund to Fire Services and Civil Defense to enhance its capacity to conduct such rescue operations.