Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday told Parliament that the government will establish a top class vaccine institute in Bangladesh.

“The present government has a plan to set up an international standard vaccine institute to produce vaccines as well as formulate a vaccine guideline, aiming to tackle various viral diseases, including the coronavirus pandemic,” she said replying to a tabled question from Awami League MP Anwar Hossain Khan (Laxmipur-1).

The Prime Minister said if a vaccine institute is set up in the country, it will ensure vaccine production, related research and help strengthen the capacity of local vaccine-producing firms.

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The management of vaccine production, usage and standards will be a more time-befitting one, she said.

The establishment of an institute will ease vaccine production in the country through technology transfer of newly developed vaccine. So, vaccine will be available at a cheaper rate in Bangladesh, said Hasina.

It will open the door of attaining WHO-prequalification for the new vaccine, which will help expand foreign market for the vaccines to be produced in Bangladesh, she said.

Highway Development

In reply to another starred question from Jatiya Party MP Sayed Abu Hossain (Dhaka-4), the Prime Minister said 9330.44 km highways have been expanded, including renovation of 7320,99 km of highways, in the country from 2009 to June 2021.

During the period, he said, 357 development projects were implemented under the Roads and Highways Department.

Some 632.07 km national highways were upgraded to four-lane ones from 2009 to June 2021, while service lanes were constructed on the both sides of 1053 km national highways across the country, Hasina added.

Read: Unite for common good: Hasina to global leaders

Master Plan for Dredging

The PM said her government has made 10,000 kilometers of waterways navigable through dredging 178 dried up or almost dead rivers in the country. Besides, it collected 38 dredgers and 168 dredging auxiliary vessels, she said.

She said the government has adopted a dredging master plan aiming to ensure smooth operation of water vessels on the river routes through increasing navigability of the country’s big and small rivers.

BIWTA has taken a programme to enhance the navigability of some 10,000 km waterways dredging 178 rivers under the master plan, she added.