He also called for promoting the cooperatives among the poor to make the movement a success. The low-income group can raise their earnings through cooperatives, he added.

Speaking at a discussion on 'Cooperatives in employment and alleviating poverty', the minister asked the officials to work sincerely to expand the cooperatives activities.

He also warned those who are responsible for anomalies in the cooperatives sector.

Bhuiyan also asked the dishonest cooperatives organisers to quit for the sake of greater interest.

State Minister for LGRD and Cooperatives Ziaul Haq Zia blamed the bureaucratic tangle for hampering cooperatives activities across the country.

He urged the unemployed youths to establish cooperatives to be self-reliant.

Khandakar Mizanur Rahman, registrar, Directorate of Cooperatives, presented a paper on the role of cooperatives in employment and reducing poverty.

At present, 1,41,000 cooperatives societies are operating in the country, he said, adding that over 13,000 of them have been registered in the two year of the present government.

Later, the LGRD minister gave away prizes among the winners of essay and painting competitions.

Hedayatul Islam Chowdhury, acting secretary of Rural government and Cooperatives Division, Prof. Dr Tofael Ahmed of Chittagong University, Hasanat Abdul Hye, former secretary, Abdul Hye Mridha, president of Bangladesh Jatiya Samabaya Union, Sabbir Ahmed, president of Kingshuk Samabaya Samity and Kazi Siraj, acting editor of Daily Dinkal, also spoke.