It is have vast, Complicated and confusing issue As a human being. I have some & special type of social responsibility, as a individual of the family, I have some other special type of responsibilities. Ever as a social being, element of the state and part of the world we have separate responsibilities.
On the other hand as a producer, purchaser and consumer we have other type social responsibilities. Every body will produce some product of same quality and ingredient. I am not in favor of that. What producer are producing, what are the ingredients, standard of the product, process of production, Who are engaged in the production process, is their any hazardous impact on health, environment-air, water, flore-fowna, etc. In addition to those the price of the products are subject of social responsibility.
If producers disclose those elements the purchaser and the consumers, What ever they do, do it knowing fully. But that is not enough, the purchasers & consumers are not aware about the ingredients, Standards, process etc. as such, they can be mislead easily. By that way producers, ever sellers earn make more profile.
For example, fishes are persevered, consumers do not know the effects, sellers know that it will not be rotten, So if it is not sold today as because of lower price, can be sold tomorrow with higher profit.
Let have another example, dying industries releases dangerous gas and polluted water in the water bodies to make their products competitive. Even producer dose not know that he also in taking those and endangering his life.
State mechanize is also confused dose not know what would be effect of such situation in future. State and producers have to take ever more Social responsibility. For example, a Computer Company producers Standard Computers without hazards, without effecting the environment. But offer 3-5 years use it is an e-wast. Purchasers do not know how to deal with this type e-wast Producers should take those e-wast management activities. Legal & policy framework should also include issues so that those would be holistic.
To combat those the policy makers, the Producers, the people need to be sensitized first. Secondly Policy makers capable need to be developed so that I bay are capable to develop a holistic policy framework acts, rules, regulations, instructions etc. Thirdly those things need to be published for every bodies consumption.
Fourthly institutional Mechanism need to be developed to monitor implementation of those developed. Results of monitoring should be supported with reward and punishments. So rewarding and penalizing position should have to be created in the legal framework.
The producer should have the mechanism to perform the social responsibility and also profit. With arranging those the produces will continuing to produce hazardous products for health and environment. The Consumers will Consumer to Consumer what ever the producers will produce.
Those are the realities of Bangladesh. Some initiatives need to be undertaken by some one. Social Responsibility (SR) Asia. Bangladesh chapter come forward to undertake some initiatives to address those issues. A workshop was conducted on 27th of April 2012, jointly organized by SR-Asia in Dhaka, Bangladesh Ministry of Industries specially the National productivity Organization (NPO). I was privileged as chief guest on the occasion.
Keynote paper presenter highlighted some issues which were not talked before in Bangladesh. Some ex-government high officials, producers, consumers community representatives, and representatives from Ministry of Industries talked about Social Responsibilities in the Seminar. They opined the talks as eye opening and time worthy for Bangladesh. Within the hardship it was well organized by the organizer.
The initiative was limited in respect of time and representation. But as a beginning, It was quite good. More such initiatives are needed in this respect to sensitive the Ps. SR-Bangladesh Could be the pioneer. I wish its all success.
Md. Rafiqul Islam PhD
Secretary
Ministry of ICT