Prime Minister’s Office spokesperson Dr Mahdi Amin on Saturday said the opposition is creating obstacles to the country’s development initiatives instead of cooperating with the government’s ongoing reform and development activities.
“We thought that in this short period, (the opposition) would extend overall cooperation with the positive steps taken by the government under the leadership and guidance of the Prime Minister,” Mahdi said, at a press conference held at the PMO to mark the completion of the first two months of the BNP government. “But we have seen that instead of doing that, they chose alternative paths, including creating ruckus in Parliament, threatening protests on the streets, and spreading rumors and propaganda, which are obstacles to the country's progress."
Mahdi, also an adviser to the Prime Minister, said such activities were undermining the government’s efforts to implement its development agenda.
He also highlighted the government’s initiatives, including various welfare programmes, economic measures, and administrative reforms, taken over the last two months.
Mahdi said it was a matter of “great pride” that the Prime Minister and "people’s leader" Tarique Rahman has been included in TIME magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world this year.
He said the recognition reflects the prime minister's “visionary leadership, courage, and contribution towards restoring democracy,” and brings international recognition to his role.
He said the government has begun implementing its election manifesto within two months of assuming office, outlining a wide range of policy actions aimed at economic stability, social protection and administrative reform.
Mahdi also presented a list of 60 key initiatives taken over the last two months under what he described as the government’s 180-day action plan.
He said the government, led by the Prime Minister, had moved at “fast pace” to begin delivering on electoral commitments across multiple sectors.
Among the major measures highlighted were the rollout of a pilot “family card” programme aimed at women’s financial support, under which 37,567 families have already received monthly cash assistance of Tk 2,500. He said the initiative is intended to strengthen household-level economic security.
The adviser also mentioned the introduction of a “farmer card” scheme, which has started in 10 districts covering over 22,000 small and marginal farmers, including those involved in fisheries and livestock. He added that interest on loans for around 12 lakh small farmers up to Tk 10,000 has been waived.
In the agriculture and water sector, he said the government has taken up a plan to dredge and re-excavate around 20,000 kilometres of rivers, canals and water bodies, with work already started in 54 districts.
The adviser also said the government has continued to keep fuel prices stable despite global energy pressures, while increasing subsidies and strengthening international procurement efforts.
In the energy sector, he noted that 35 megawatts of electricity have been added to the national grid through rooftop solar and net metering initiatives, with a target of producing 10,000 megawatts of renewable energy by 2030. A pilot fuel card system has also been launched.
On food and market stability, the adviser said inflation and commodity prices have been kept relatively stable through imports and supply management during Ramadan and beyond.
Mahdi Amin said the overall goal of the government is to build a more stable, inclusive and growth-oriented economy, with a long-term target of transforming Bangladesh into a trillion-dollar economy by 2034.