Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday said that her government's key target during the current tenure will be to cut down the extreme poverty rate to zero level.

The prime minister said this while non-resident ambassadors and high commissioners of 12 countries paid courtesy call on her at the latter's official residence Ganabhaban.

Prime Minister Deputy Press Secretary MM Emrul Kayas briefed the reporters after the meeting.

He said the premier told the envoys concurrently acredited to Bangladesh that her government has prioritised ensuring the development at the grassroots level across the country.

“If they (people of grassroots level) are included in the development, the whole country will be developed, and the people will get its benefit,” said Kayas quoting the prime minister as saying.

The poverty rate in Bangladesh has declined to 18.7 percent and the extreme poverty rate stood at 5.6 per cent, according to the latest data from the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS). The poverty rate was more than 42 percent earlier.

Regarding women empowerment, Hasina said that women are directly participating in the parliament election and other local government body’s elections alongside in the reserved seats.

About the healthcare facilities, she said women and children are receiving treatment from the community clinics, which is entirely the brainchild of her government, and maternal and child mortality rates have declined significantly for this endeavour.

The premier also mentioned her government’s social safety net scheme for the destitute women, especially widows and those left by husbands.

PM Hasina called upon the envoys to come up with investments as there are 100 special economic zones in Bangladesh.

She told them that the government is also working to ensure a business-friendly atmosphere and communication here for the foreign investors.

At the outset of the call on, the non-resident ambassadors and high commissioners of Botswana, Cambodia, Gambia, Hungary, Jamaica, Macedonia, Mongolia, Luxemburg, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Peru and Venezuela congratulated Sheikh Hasina on her reelection as prime minister of Bangladesh for fourth consecutive term and the fifth overall.

The envoys said that they were overwhelmed and inspired after seeing the development and progress of Bangladesh, and it has been possible due the far-sighted leadership of PM Hasina.

Ambassador-at-large M Ziauddin, PM's Principal Secretary M Tofazzel Hossain Miah and Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen were present.