State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives Mir Shahe Alam on Tuesday said the government has already started working at the field level to implement its election manifesto, noting that it is committed to fulfilling every pledge within the next four years.
He made the remarks while addressing a citizens’ dialogue titled “People’s Mandate: Citizen Dialogue on Manifesto to Action” held at the Senate Bhaban of Dhaka University.
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During the second session of the programme, detailed discussions were held on “Challenges and Prospects of Manifesto Implementation: Urban Development and Climate Resilience,” where the state minister said the government had already initiated several important and welfare-oriented activities within the first three months of taking office.
He said one of the key agendas in the government’s election manifesto was the Family Card programme. “To empower women economically, the government has already started distributing the cards at the grassroots level.”
At the same time, Shahe Alam said, excavation of canals across the country is being intensified to strengthen the rural economy further.
He asserted that the commitments announced in the BNP election manifesto are being implemented fully.
Referring to administrative complexities and development challenges in the capital, the state minister said the city corporation and the Local Government Division are usually blamed whenever any problem arises in Dhaka.
“But in reality, all responsibilities of the capital do not fall solely under the jurisdiction of the local government,” he said, adding that the powers of local government institutions need to be expanded further to accelerate civic services.
Shahe Alam also stressed the need to move away from conventional systems and introduce modern city governance in line with present-day demands.
He said every household will now be required to install its own septic tank to keep rivers, canals and water bodies in urban areas free from pollution, noting that discussions with the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha regarding the matter have already been finalised.
At the same time, the state minister said the government is continuing bilateral discussions with China to modernise Dhaka’s waste management system scientifically and comprehensively, overcoming the limitations of past projects.
The citizens’ dialogue was jointly organised by APE, Sachetan Foundation, BRAC C3ER and several environmental organisations.