BANGLADESH NEWS
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday alleged that the opposition leader wants to take Bangladesh backwards as she had promised to make the country a middle income one by 2030 against the Awami League-led Grand Alliance government’s timeframe of 2021.
“In our previous term (1996-2001), we gained success in various fields including in power, literacy and food production. But, after that we (nation) had moved backwards in all fields when the BNP assumed power,” she said while inaugurating the three-month-long tree plantation programme at a function at her official Gono Bhaban residence.
In her speech, the premier iterated that imbued with the spirit of war of liberation, her government has been working tirelessly to make the country a middle income one by 2021 when Bangladesh will be observing its golden jubilee of independence.
“Everyone will have to work with determination to make Bangladesh prosperous by 2021,” she said, and expressed her strong resolve to rid Bangladesh of hunger and poverty as dreamt by father of the nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Organised by Bangladesh Krishak League, the function was also addressed by Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury, Food and Disaster Management Minister Dr M Abdur Razzaque, Environment and Forests Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud, Adv Rahmat Ali MP, AL joint general secretary Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif, Krishibid Institution-Bangladesh secretary general AFM Bahabuddin Nasim and Bangladesh Krishak League general secretary Motahar Hossain Molla. The function was chaired by Krishak League president Dr Mirza Jalil.
Sheikh Hasina also urged the Bangladesh Krishak League leaders and activists and others to motivate all especially the authorities of schools, colleges and hospitals to plant saplings to protect the environment and biodiversity.
“Everyone should plant at least three saplings - one of fruit, one of herbal and other of timber - and nurture those to contribute to the efforts of protecting environment,” she said.
She also asked them for social afforestation by planting coconut, palm and tamarisk (jhao) trees on the lands reclaimed through river dredging to protect the country from various natural disasters like cyclone and tidal surge.
The prime minister said Bangladesh Krishok League has been conducting the tree plantation campaign every year since 1985 and her government, during its previous term, planted huge number of saplings across the country.
She mentioned that her government during its previous term first started to give the share of money of the social afforestation programme to the local people. Now some people are getting maximum Tk 9 lakh per head as their share of the social afforestation programme from the government, she said.
Accusing the BNP-Jamaat alliance government of felling trees indiscriminately, Hasina said: “Trees could not be protected from their (BNP) monstrous hunger. We planted trees, but they had cut those…”
She alleged that BNP-Jamaat is not at all friendly to workers and farmers; rather, it is in their character to commit murder and engage in extremism and terrorism.
“But, our (Awami League’s) goal is to ensure healthcare services to all with everybody educated and having sound health,” she said.
The Prime Minister recalled that father of the nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman gave directives to create ‘Jhao’ forest at Cox’s Bazar for which the coastal areas could be protected from different natural calamities.
She also listed different development programmes taken by her government for the country’s agriculture sector including facilitating the farmers with opening of bank account with only Tk 10 as well as providing agri input cards.
Later, the Prime Minister distributed saplings among the leaders and workers of Krishak League, and herself planted a sapling at the Gono Bhaban premises.
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