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Govt urged to support CSR activities

Star Business Report
The government should support activities under corporate social responsibility (CSR) to build a positive image of Bangladesh in the global market and help alleviate poverty in the country, speakers said at a seminaryesterday.
CSR activities of companies can help the country become more competitive in the world market, as no one is ready to buy products made under hazardous environment, they said.
In Bangladesh CSR is relatively a new idea and hardly incorporated in many segments of industry. But from the perspective of international buyers, the idea is becoming more crucial, considering environment and other issues.
CSR includes proper working conditions for the
employees, strong human resource policy, ensuring product and service quality, sustainability, accountability, transparency, combating corruption, protecting human rights and environment, and abolishing child labour.
"CSR is very sensitive in sustainable economic growth," said Anisul Islam Mahmud, chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on expatriates' welfare ministry. He said the government is trying to bring CSR under a regular practice.
There have been CSR practices in multinational and local private companies. But the public sector should be more active, he said while speaking as chief guest at the seminar on 'CSR and Economic Growth through Sustainable Approaches' at Sonargaon
hotel in Dhaka.
Danish embassy, Save the Children Sweden-Denmark and CSR Centre organised the discussion.
Many companies apparently carry a common mis-conception that CSR involvement has a negative impact on their bottom line.
"This might be true initially in some instances. I am convinced that in the medium and long term, the outcome of a well-prepared CSR strategy will however always be positive," said Jan Moller Hansen, deputy head of mission of the embassy in Dhaka.
He said a good CSR policy will attract more internationalbuyers.
"As I see it, compliance with existing regulation is one of the main challenges in Bangladesh at the moment," Hansen said, adding that the laws on
human and workers' rights and environmental standards are to some extent and in many cases'very fine'.
"If anyone practises CSR, it brings benefits," said Rokia Afzal Rahman, presi-dent of Bangladesh Employers' Federation.
She said the government should give tax benefits to them who practise CSR.
Rokia Afzal also said: "CSR is a tool to fight against poverty."
Farooq Sobhan, chairman of CSR Centre Trust, said CSR is important for the country's reputation. "The government should be proactive to introduce the practice at all levels," he said.
Niels Bentzen Peterson, country representative of Save the Children Sweden-Denmark, and Arne Haug, deputy head of mission of Norwegian embassy, wer^ also present at the seminar.