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Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s government is making significant progress in running the country under his “far-sighted, dynamic and people-friendly leadership”, Prime Minister’s Office spokesperson and adviser Mahdi Amin said on Wednesday.
He said the prime minister’s plans to break away from traditional governance, take public services to people’s doorsteps and ensure transparency and accountability at every level of the state were earning international appreciation.
Mahdi Amin made the remarks at a press conference held at the Prime Minister’s Office in Tejgaon, Dhaka, on Wednesday afternoon. The briefing was organised to highlight the government’s various welfare-oriented initiatives and achievements over the past month.
He divided the government’s achievements into seven major areas, including youth empowerment, the economy, education, healthcare, expatriate welfare and ensuring justice for those killed during the July uprising.
Economic relief and international recognition
Mahdi Amin said international credit rating agency Moody’s had upgraded Bangladesh’s outlook from negative to stable after a long period, which he said would help increase foreign investment.
He also said inflation had declined compared with the previous year and supplies of essential food items remained adequate. Bangladesh currently has the lowest diesel prices among neighbouring countries, he claimed.
He said the government had also taken swift measures to restore normal gas supplies to industries.
Youth empowerment and employment
A Tk500 million startup fund has been established under Bangladesh Bank for young entrepreneurs, Mahdi Amin said. The fund will provide collateral-free loans to 5,000 young people every year, he added.
The government is also working to reduce smartphone prices by Tk2,000-Tk3,000 to make them more affordable for ordinary people.
He said IT parks and a master plan had been adopted for freelancers. A uniform age limit and pay structure for government employees across all grades had also been approved, with salaries ranging from Tk20,000 to Tk156,000.
Education reforms
Highlighting education-sector reforms, Mahdi Amin said technical education had been made compulsory at university and college levels.
The government has decided to provide full scholarships to the top 5% of meritorious students in higher education and free laptops to top-performing students in SSC examinations.
A plan has also been prepared to provide free balanced meals to students of Qawmi and Alia madrasas to ensure adequate nutrition.
The government is additionally planning to award Tk100,000 each to the country’s 100 best teachers on the occasion of Teachers’ Day.
Justice and compensation for July uprising victims
Paying tribute to those killed during the July uprising, Mahdi Amin said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman had handed appointment letters for government jobs to family members of 74 martyrs of the uprising.
He also said courts had sentenced seven people who had worked as alleged collaborators of the “fascist government” to death and ordered the confiscation of 50% of their movable and immovable assets for the July Foundation.
Expatriate welfare and foreign relations
Despite the global economic crisis, remittances sent by Bangladeshis abroad increased by 13.1% over the past six months to around $18.94 billion, Mahdi Amin said.
He said the government had taken an initiative to send 10,000 Bangladeshi workers to Malaysia at no cost.
Bangladesh has also taken steps towards trade agreements with the UK and other countries and provided $1 million in humanitarian assistance to flood-hit Nepal, he said.
Governance and other initiatives
Mahdi Amin said the government was taking a firm stance against excessive VIP protocol culture.
A decision has been taken to stop using terms such as “His Excellency” and “Honourable” in official government correspondence, he said.
Other initiatives include the “One Citizen, One ID” project, measures to stop extortion in the transport sector, cashless toll collection on expressways and the expansion of solar power, including adding 200 megawatts to the national grid.
“We want to build a prosperous, self-reliant and discrimination-free Bangladesh together, rising above party, opinion, ideology and differences,” Mahdi Amin said.
He added that the government was committed to ensuring the genuine welfare of the people through its specific action plans.
Other senior officials of the Prime Minister’s Press Wing were present at the press conference.
