State Minister for Planning Shamsul Alam on Thursday called for setting up a separate ministry or a separate division under the Ministry of Science and Technology to ensure proper use of the blue economy through resource exploration and resource exploitation.
He was addressing the hybrid seminar "Blue Economy and Maritime Security: Bangladesh Perspective" organised by the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS).
The state minister emphasised the contribution of the blue economy to Bangladesh's future sustainable development efforts. He also highlighted the importance of knowledge mobilisation and conducting research on the area.
Major General Mohammad Maksudur Rahman, director general of BIISS, emphasised creating a blue economy belt to use the huge untapped resources of the vast area of the sea.
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Rear Admiral Md Khurshed Alam (retired), secretary at the Maritime Affairs Unit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, attended the seminar as a special guest.
Ambassador Kazi Imtiaz Hossain, chairman of BIISS, chaired the inaugural session.
Dhaka University Professor Delwar Hossain, Jahangirnagar University Professor Abul Kalam Azad, BIISS Research Director Mahfuz Kabir, and Research Fellow Moutusi Islam also spoke at the seminar.
