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Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has reiterated that despite the Covid-19 fallout and the Russia-Ukraine war, Bangladesh economy continues to be in robust shape and that her government is exercising due diligence when taking any loan.
In an interview with Indian news agency ANI, Prime Minister Hasina ruled out concerns that Bangladesh could go the Sri Lanka way.
She said that currently the world as a whole was facing challenges, not just Bangladesh.
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“Our economy is still going strong… We faced the Covid-19 pandemic, and now the Russia-Ukraine war. That has its effects here. But Bangladesh always makes debt payments timely. So, our debt rate is low. Our economic trajectory and development are (planned) calculatedly,” said the prime minister.
Hasina, however, acknowledged that the war in Ukraine has posed some challenges for Bangladesh. “It has negative effects, no doubt, especially in terms of import,” she said.
Hasina asserted that because of measured approach, Bangladesh was secure on the economic front. Bangladesh did not take any loan unless it was sure that it would benefit from the project undertaken, she said.
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“I think the whole world is facing economic problems, we are too… But yes, there are people who raise this issue. ‘Oh, Bangladesh will be Sri Lanka!’ This and that. But I can assure you, no, that will not happen. Because we... all our development plans, what we prepare and we implement, we always consider what the returns would be… how people would be benefitted… Otherwise, we don’t initiate any project just to spend money,” she said.
“… The moment Covid-19 pandemic started, I called upon our people, and we provided all kinds of support and inputs, up to the village level, and also encouraged our people to grow more food items. I always supported them,” PM Hasina said during interview with ANI.