Job for more youths of northern region

Cabinet okays national service programme

3 October 2011, 18:00 PM

Staff Correspondent

The government yesterday expanded the national service programme to eight upazilas of seven districts in Rangpur division to provide temporary jobs to unemployed youths. According to the national service policy, male and female youths having at least Secondary School Certificate are eligible to get jobs under the programme. A weekly cabinet meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair took the decision after amending the national service programme policy, prime minister's Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad told reporters after the meeting. The new upazilas are Pirganj and Kawnia of Rangpur, Dimla of Nilphamari, Khanshama of Dinajpur, Panchagarh sadar of Panchagarh, Hatibandha of Lalmonirhat, Haripur of Thakurgaon, and Fulchari of Gaibandha districts. The national service programmes were primarily introduced as a pilot project in Gopalganj, Kurigram and Barguna districts. The cabinet also decided that last Thursday of every March of the year will be observed as National Disaster Preparedness Day. It also approved Somobai Gocharanbhumi policy in a bid to increase milk production in the country. Welcoming the newly appointed secretaries including the cabinet and principal secretaries, the premier directed them to work more sincerely to gear up government development activities. The government on Sunday appointed cabinet secretary and the Prime Minister's Office principal secretary and changed portfolios of five other senior secretaries. The ministers, state ministers and secretaries concerned greeted the premier for achieving the South-South Award and placing a six-point world peace model at the UN General Assembly during her recent US visit. In response, the PM said the people of Bangladesh deserve the award.