DHAKA: The much-talked-about meeting of the National Productivity Council (NPC) took place Wednesday with the presence of only two government secretaries out of nine—and ended up without transacting any productive business.

The meeting was held after a dead pause for five years that saw a total of 26 members present among the 37 members of the NPC of the National Productivity Organisation (NPO).

As per rule, the NPC is to sit once a year for a review and remedial measures for enhancing productivity in national economic activities.

The last meeting was held on July 20 in 2005.

There were nine issues to be discussed on the agenda of the 8th meeting Wednesday, but the meeting did not take any decision, sources said.

Established in 1982, the NPO aims at increasing the productivity of the public and private industries and factories under the auspices of the Industries Ministry.         

The NPC helps and advises NPO’s functions. The council includes representatives of government and private industries, representatives of labour organizations, educationist and technologists apart from secretaries of nine ministries.

Sources said among the secretaries, only Dewan Jakir Hossain, Secretary of the Ministry of Industries, and Ashraful Mokbul, Secretary, the Ministry of Jute and Textiles, attended the meeting.

Seven other secretaries - secretary for planning, secretary for agriculture, secretary for commerce, secretary for roads and highways division, secretary for energy & mineral division, secretary for labour and secretary for information--were conspicuous by their absence from the meeting.

Among them, five secretaries sent their representatives, but there were no representatives from the Ministry of Labour and the roads and highways division, sources said.

“The secretaries should have been here in the meeting if not busy for emergency,” Nazrul Islam Khan, President of Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal, the labour wing of the opposition BNP, said after taking part in the meeting.             

Another member of the NPC, Abdul Matin Master, president of Jatiya Sramik League, said, “It is unfortunate that they were not present.”

“We have invited all the members of NPC, including the secretaries. Maybe, they could not come due to their otherwise engagement, but some of them have sent their representatives,” Dr Nazrul Islam, Director of NPO, told banglanews24.com.bd.

Meeting sources said the NPC discussed 9 agenda items, including 7 taken from the last meeting held on 2005. These are holding a national conference, observing National Productivity Day, survey for productivity, introducing a National Productivity Award.

BDST: 2140 HRS, JULY 14, 2010