Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today said Bangladesh has witnessed incredible progress solely because of the continuation of democratic trends and elected governments.
“Bangladesh couldn’t have achieved this level of development without continued democratic trends,” she said while inaugurating 11 newly-completed projects under the Housing and Public Works Ministry.
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The premier joined a programme at Ramna Batamul (Ramna Park) through a virtual platform from her official residence Ganabhaban.
The projects were implemented in the 2021-2022 fiscal year by the Public Works Department, the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) and the National Housing Authority.
Sheikh Hasina said her government took Bangladesh forward as per its plans and the country gained the status of a developing country by 2021. “It has been possible only because democracy remained established continuously and elected public representatives were in power since 2009,” she said.
Focusing on her government’s steps for the development of Bangladesh, the PM said, “We’ve been working for the overall development of the country and the people. It is possible (to accomplish such development work) only because today, a government elected by the people is in power.”
She said the people voted Awami League to power in the 2014 and 2018 elections as the AL government worked for development. If there is a continuation of democratic trends, people will witness development, she said.
“I hope you all notice the change Bangladesh witnessed in the last 14 years (2009-2023) and it has been possible only as AL is in power,” she added.
The premier said her government has already developed the country as "Digital Bangladesh" and now its target is to transform the country into a "Smart Bangladesh" by 2041 where everything including people, governance, economy, education and health sectors will be Smart.
“Inshallah, we’ll be able to do so (to accomplish the target of building Smart Bangladesh),” she added.
Noting that the international organisations predicted that the global economic downturn might worsen in 2023, Hasina said the government has focused on raisinh food production and already asked all not to leave a single inch of land uncultivated in a bid to protect the country from the blow of the economic recession.
She also asked the people to practice austerity in using electricity, water and other resources during the global crisis induced by the Covid-19 pandemic, Russia-Ukraine war and economic sanctions and counter-sanctions.
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The projects opened today include six from the Public Works Department, three of the National Housing Authority and two ones of Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk).
The six projects of Public Works Department are 20-storey Judges Quarters (90 flats) at Azimpur in Dhaka; nine 10-storey housing buildings (324 flats) for government officials and employees at Mirpur-6 in Dhaka; Renovation of Bangladesh Supreme Court Bar Library Bhaban, Annex Bhaban and Auditorium; Nine 10-storey housing buildings (324 flats) for government officials and employees at Noakhali Sadar; Infrastructural Development and overall beatification of Dhaka Ramna Park including Ramna Lake; and six 13-storey housing buildings (288 flats) for government officials and employees at Tejgaon in Dhaka.
Three projects of National Housing Authority are 1040 residential flats (Swapnanagar-1) for middle-income people in Mirpur-9; one 14-storey housing building (100 flats) in Mirpur-15; and Site and Services Residential Plots in Sunamganj.
Two Rajuk projects are Purbachal Water Supply Project Phase-I; and Progati High School Bhaban, Palkhan High School and Purbachal Adarsha College Bhaban in Purbachal new city project.
Chairman of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Housing and Public Works Ministry Eng. Mosharraf Hossain, State Minister for Housing and Public Works Sharif Ahmed spoke at the event, while Housing and Public Works Secretary Kazi Wasi Uddin delivered the welcome speech.