Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina expressed her desire for inclusive housing development in Bangladesh, emphasizing that not only the wealthy should live in flats but also rickshaw pullers, daily labourers, and ordinary working people.  She shared these views today (11 May, 2024) while speaking at the 61st convention of the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh (IEB) held at its premises in Dhaka. The Prime Minister highlighted ongoing government initiatives aimed at providing flats for slum dwellers and low-income groups, including those traditionally marginalized such as sweepers, Harijans, and Dalits.  She mentioned that construction projects had already commenced to enable these communities to live healthy, dignified lives affordably. None can isolate me from people: PM Hasina tells JS Highlighting construction of houses for the landless and homeless under the Ashrayan project, the Prime Minister said that 334 upazilas of 21 districts have been declared free of landless and homeless families.  “Not even a single family in Bangladesh will be landless or homeless, that is our goal,” she said. The Prime Minister also spoke about leveraging the intellectual power of the people to build the nation and underscored the importance of embracing modern technologies, such as satellites and nuclear power, to avoid being left behind.  “It doesn't matter what this or that group says. My concern is whether people of my country are doing well, whether they are improving, whether their fate is changing,” the PM said. Prices have increased, but rural people are in better shape: PM Hasina In her speech, Sheikh Hasina reflected on the development achievements of her administration over the past 15 years, including significant increases in per capita income and the purchasing power of grassroots populations.  The Prime Minister affirmed her government's continued dedication to improving the lives of all Bangladeshis and advancing the country’s development agenda.

The High Court on Sunday issued a rule asking the government to explain as to why the two daily wagers of Khagrachhari district, who were sentenced to five-day jail through a mobile court, should not be provided Tk 10 lakh as compensation. The HC bench of Justice Zafar Ahmed and Justice Md Akhtaruzzaman issued the rule following a petition. The court also issued another rule asking the government to explain as to why the punishment provided to the two daily wagers—Abul Kalam and Ruhul Amin—should not be declared illegal. The court also asked the Ramgarh Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) of Khagrachhari district, Khandaker Ikhtier Uddin Arafat to refrain from conducting mobile court drive for punishing the two daily wagers until the disposition of the rule. Read more: CTTC files DSA case against Pinaki Bhattacharya for ‘tarnishing image of the state’ Secretary to the Public Administration Ministry and Khagrachhari Deputy Commissioner have been asked to implement the order. Barrister Hasan SM Azim stood for the writ petitioner while Assistant Attorney General AMG Sarwar Payel represented the state. On October 23, a writ petition was filed seeking its directives to not to allow Khagrachhari Ramgarh UNO Ikhtier to conduct any mobile court drive by sitting at this office though there is a provision that UNO should punish people after visiting the spot through mobile court. On August 5, a report was published at a daily vernacular saying that Khargachhari Ramgarh Local Administration and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) had a dispute over a piece of land in the upazila. On August 1, UNO Ikhtier sentenced two day labourers to five-day jail while they were engaged in erecting fence on the disputed land.