Commerce adviser Sheikh Bashir Uddin said that the prices of daily essentials are now on a downward trend from being stable and are expected to decline further, reports UNB.
He highlighted this update while speaking at a gathering of imams and khatibs after Iftar at the Jamia Madania Baridhara auditorium, organized by Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh Dhaka Metropolitan on Wednesday evening.
The adviser said that wealth inequality was a major factor behind the July uprising. "We must address inequality through our actions and policymaking. The roles of Qardh al-hasan (interest-free lending) and Zakat are crucial in eliminating this wealth disparity," he added.
Zakat is an effective Islamic model for wealth distribution, he explained. It is the responsibility of the individual, not a form of charity. Imams and khatibs can inspire people to pay Zakat, ensuring a balanced distribution of wealth and reducing poverty. Sheikh Bashir Uddin also emphasized that Zakat helps discourage hoarding.
The Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) conducts activities worth Tk12,000 crore annually, with the government's subsidy amounting to Tk4,500 crore.
He noted that serious corruption has plagued all sectors of the economy, social policy, and politics in the past, highlighting that corruption within TCB's activities for marginalized populations has reached an extreme level.
In seeking the involvement of religious leaders in TCB's activities, he urged, "I appeal to leaders of all religions, not just Islam, to help in properly selecting the one crore marginalized families of TCB. Through your support, I aim to establish justice in society."
The commerce adviser also mentioned that the government is taking steps to preserve rawhide and ensure fair pricing.
"This time, the government will provide salt to madrasas and orphanages to preserve the skin of sacrificial animals. Your responsibility will be to clean and preserve the skin with salt, rather than selling it immediately on the day of sacrifice.”
“If you sell it after seven days, you will get a fair price,” he added.
He referred to leather as a national asset and a major source of income for madrasas and orphanages.
He said that the ministries of industries and commerce are taking necessary steps to develop the leather industry.
Regarding leather supply, he pointed out that when leather from districts outside Dhaka enters the capital after Qurbani, the supply increases, causing prices to drop. He assured that measures will be taken to prevent this from happening this time.
Bd-Pratidin English/ AM
