President Mohammed Shahabuddin today urged the Scouts to come forward to prevent the rise of youth gangs in cities and suburbs apart from traditional scouting activities.

The President, who is also Chief Scout, made the call while speaking as the chief guest at the opening ceremony of the 52nd annual (triennial) general meeting of the National Council of Bangladesh Scouts.

Saying that selfishness, envy, greed and moral decay destroy good virtues, he said that negative influence of “satellite culture”, drug addiction, misuse of information technology are having a serious impact on teenagers.

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He also said that the emergence of teen gangs in cities and suburbs is a manifestation of all these.

"When you open the pages of newspapers, you can see news of terrorist activities of these gangs. This often makes the lives of ordinary citizens miserable," he added.

Saying that scouting can play a positive and effective role in guiding the youth in the right direction, the president said all scouts will have to come forward to solve various social problems and shape public opinion in welfare activities apart from the traditional scouting activities.

He also put emphasis on encouraging the young generation to acquire practical skills in information technology, international languages, and knowledge to keep up with the rapidly changing world.

Scout training activities can serve as a suitable platform to fulfill the target, he added.

Shahabuddin said scout training can play an effective role in making the boys and girls smart citizens. 

"You have to be more active so that they can be guided in the right direction in their childhood, adolescence and youth, become good citizens and come forward in the work of building a smart Bangladesh free from drugs, terrorism and corruption," he also said. 

He said scouts are working on tree plantation, sanitation, health education, EPI programme, encouraging energy efficiency and environmental awareness from city to village level. 

The people of the country will also benefit if the service of the scouts is extended to the grassroots level, he added.

The President said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced 'Vision 2041' to make Bangladesh a developed, prosperous and smart country by 2041.

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To achieve this goal, the youth of the country should be developed as smart citizens with the spirit of the great Liberation War and proper values, he added.

"Scout movement can make a positive contribution in this regard," said President Shahabuddin.

Bangladesh Scouts President Md Abul Kalam Azad and Chief National Commissioner Md Mozammel Haque Khan also took part in the event there.