The state-owned Palli Sanchay Bank (PSB) has taken an initiative to produce skilled drivers in a bid to curb road accidents as well as create employment for them, officials said.
Chairman of the bank Dr Mihir Kanti Majumder submitted a draft project proposal in this regard along with a letter to the finance ministry, asking for necessary steps to this end.
According to the draft proposal, the three-year project will be implemented in joint venture with the Department of Youth Development.
The project will create 38400 fresh drivers every year, totalling 115,200 drivers in three years.
Contacted, Dr Mihir Kanti Majumder said, "Our main goal is to improve the livelihoods of the poor through employment generation. We will provide loans to these drivers if they want to buy vehicles or want to go abroad for jobs after their training on driving."
Such projects are not out of the purview of the banking activities, he added.
"The number of boys and girls in primary, medium and higher level classes are nearly equal. Many skilled drivers will be created among women if training on driving can be arranged at the field level for them," the bank's chairman said in the letter.
"Some 0.12 million and 0.122 million women went to Middle East and Hong Kong as housemaids through government initiatives in 2016 and 2017 respectively. Self-dignity, employment and wages of women will get a boost abroad, if they acquire skills in driving," he added.
"Presently, there are 3.8 million families under the 'Ekti Bari, Ekti Khamar' project across the country. And 2.2 million more families will come under the project. In this context, the PSB is interested to create skilled male and female drivers at the grassroots level and also create employment opportunities," he mentioned in the letter.
He also stated that rural young people mostly do not have access to driving training facility in urban areas.
Besides, the number of accidents is increasing across the county, as helpers of the drivers often drive in the absence of drivers, he added.
The paid-up capital of Palli Sanchay Bank is Tk 2.0 billion. Of the amount, Tk 1.20 billion and Tk 980 million were provided by the government and members of the bank respectively, said the chairman of the bank.
"We have a capital of more than Tk 30 billion at this moment," Mr Majumder said.
The main goal of the bank is to eradicate poverty from the country. The poor rural people who will deposit money with the bank will be able to become entrepreneurs, he said.
