Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) has created employment scopes of more than 12,572 people in various trades in Rajshahi.
The industrial estate created jobs in various fields like enterprise development, skill development and training, industry ownership transfer and establishment of new industries in last nine years.
The BSCIC officials say they are going to create jobs for more 11,913 people in next five years, reports BSS.
Sazedur Rahman, Deputy General Manager of BSCIC, said, in last nine years, 3,045 peopled were imparted entrepreneurship development and skill development training for entrepreneurship development and employment generation.
"We have extended support to 1,185 entrepreneurs in getting industrial loan worth around Tk 768.60 million," Rahman said.
He said that they have given registration to 261 industries. Investment worth around Tk 265.50 million was done in 41 industries through ownership transfer.
Meanwhile, the BSCIC industrial estate has started making profit with investment by some of the country's big companies.
Companies like Abul Khair Group, Pran Agro Limited and Nitol Group have launched industries. The sick and laid off industries are gradually being replaced with new viable ones.
"The sick industry owners will either restart their businesses or transfer possession of their units," said Sazedur Rahman adding that creation of new estates became necessary to meet the local demand.
Most of the industrial units have become profitable over the last couple of years as the local entrepreneurs have been showing keen interest in restarting the sick industries and operating their business successfully after transferring ownership.
The 325-plot BSCIC industrial estate, established in 1961 on 95.71 acres on the city's outskirts, has been providing electricity, water supply, security, road and drainage facilities to the entrepreneurs for running their business.
Several silk-clothes manufacturing units earned reputation for their quality products. They expect that there would be no more sick industry in the estate, the officials said.
Terming the BSCIC industrial area viable for any small and medium industry, Liakat Ali, President of Bangladesh Silk Industries Owners Association, said the entrepreneurs are making profit and demanding uninterrupted power and gas supply to the BSCIC to reduce production costs.
He stressed the need for taking necessary steps to formulate a separate industrial friendly policy for the country's northwestern region, checking smuggling of Indian goods, providing gas connection to the industrial units and bank loans at low interest rates for making these industries more profitable.