Budget Implementation
PM asks for engineers' cooperation
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday sought cooperation of the engineers to implement the huge budget of the next fiscal, as, she said, her government did not believe in the development of any specific person but all.
"The engineers are involved in execution of projects at field level, so their cooperation is a must to help the country to rise to its desired goal," she told the newly-elected office-bearers
of Bangabandhu Prokaushali Parishad, who called on her at the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).
After the meeting, Press Secretary to the Prime Minister Abul Kalam Azad briefed the reporters.
Sheikh Hasina said her government had placed a budget of over Tk 1,91,000 crore for the next fiscal for socio-economic development of the country and change the lot of the people.
She urged the engineers to highlight the present government's successes in different fields before the people.
"The country witnessed tremendous successes in the fields of agriculture, education, health, electricity, food security, social safety net and women empowerment. So you have the responsibility to highlight these successes before the people."
The premier said her government always inherited a devastated country and had to start work afresh for the country's development.
The country would have witnessed more success, she said, if the world had not undergone a recession and skyrocketing of fuel prices. Despite global economic meltdown, the country clocked over 6 percent growth in the last couple of years, she added.
The prime minister said her government had increased the power generation to 5,300MW by 2011 in accordance with the party's election manifesto. "We have also decided to set up seven special economic zones in the country for rapid industrialisation of the country."
She said her government had laid emphasis on research and enacted a law to set up 12 science and technology universities across the country for further development of science education.
"Poverty rate has been reduced by 10 percent for expansion of the social safety net programmes, while 68 lakh jobs, including 4.50 lakh in the public sector, have been created during the last three and a half years," she said.
The prime minister said her government had undertaken many long-term programmes for further development of the country.
"We prepared many plans before formation of the government after discussing with all stakeholders through seminars and symposiums," she said.
In this connection, Hasina alleged, the BNP-Jamaat government took the country many years back by committing unbridled corruption and patronising terrorism and militancy.
"The country was turned into a sanctuary of terrorists, militants and corrupts in the past due to patronisation of these social menaces by the four-party alliance government."
The prime minister said 22,000 Awami League leaders and workers were killed by the cadres of BNP-Jamaat. "But after assuming power, the present government did not take any revenge on them. Rather it has applied all its strength for the development of the country."
She also mentioned that Sabekunnahr Sony, a student of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet), was killed in an intra-party gunfight of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, the student wing of BNP, during the rule of the past BNP-Jamaat alliance government.
Principal Secretary Sheikh Md Wahid Uz Zaman, PMO Secretary Molla Waheeduzzman, Institution of Engineers Bangladesh President Engineer Nurul Huda, and General Secretary Engineer Abdus Sabur were also present on the occasion, among others.
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