Awami League has pledged to undertake new projects to accelerate the pace of the country's economy. The manifesto with the slogan ““Smart Bangladesh: Visible Development, Increased Employment” was announced by Awami League President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today at the Pan Pacific Hotel Sonargaon in Dhaka ahead of the 12th National Parliamentary Election slated for January 7, 2024. The manifesto of Awami League states that mega projects are crucial for achieving high growth rates. The biggest obstacles in the path of the country's development were the lack of necessary infrastructure in various economic sectors, including roads, electricity and energy, and ports. With this goal in mind, under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the Awami League government has undertaken and implemented several major projects (mega projects) in three terms. It is hoped that these projects, including the Padma Bridge – a symbol of national pride and glory – will inject the expected momentum into development. The manifesto mentions that during the tenure of the Awami League government, many significant projects have been initiated. On June 25, 2022, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the Padma Multipurpose Bridge, the country's largest bridge, funded by own resources. The Padma Bridge has created a safe, reliable, sustainable, and integrated system for unhindered communication across the country. This bridge will be part of the Asian Highway, opening new horizons for communication among South Asian countries. It is stated that the inauguration of the railway linked to the Padma Multipurpose Bridge on October 10, 2023, has brought many districts of the southern region under rail connectivity with Dhaka. PM Hasina unveils AL election manifesto promising dev, peace, prosperity The manifesto also says that the Dhaka Metro Rail is a step towards building a smart Bangladesh. It will not only free the citizens of Dhaka from unbearable traffic congestion but also reduce air and noise pollution in the capital. The ease of the transportation system will increase economic dynamism, and the metro rail will save working hours for people. It is mentioned that the construction of a 3.32 km tunnel under the Karnaphuli River in Chattogram, connecting Patenga with Anwara, has transformed the Port City into a “One Way, Two Town” model. The manifesto notes that the inauguration of the Third Terminal of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka on October 7, 2023, has opened a new horizon in air communication. On September 2, 2023, with the inauguration of the Kawla-Farmgate section of the Dhaka Elevated Expressway, Bangladesh entered the world of elevated expressways. On November 11, 2023, the channel of the Matarbari deep-sea port and the foundation stone of the first terminal were inaugurated. Once operational, this port will allow both container and cargo ships to dock simultaneously. Voter turnout will be satisfactory despite intimidation: Quader The manifesto states that on November 11, 2023, the much-awaited 102 km railway line from Dohazari in Chattogram to Cox's Bazar was inaugurated. This railway line will connect Bangladesh with the Trans-Asian Railway corridor and transform Cox's Bazar into a smart city. It was mentioned that on October 10, 2021, and October 18, 2022, the first and second units' nuclear reactor pressure vessels at the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant were inaugurated, earning Bangladesh the honor of becoming the 33rd member of the nuclear club. The manifesto notes that on September 6, 2022, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi jointly inaugurated the Rampal coal-based power plant, which has a production capacity of 1,320 megawatts. In August 2018, Bangladesh began supplying gas to the national grid from the country's first LNG terminal, followed by the commencement of the second LNG terminal in April 2019. Each terminal at Maheshkhali's LNG floating storage has a daily regasification capacity of 50 crore cubic feet. The manifesto states that Payra Seaport, the country's third port, has been established in Patuakhali. Due to infrastructural development, the first container ship anchored at the port on August 13, 2016. The Awami League's manifesto promises that, considering financial management, some expensive projects have been suspended, which will be reconsidered and implemented as appropriate. The consideration and adoption of economically feasible new projects will continue. Food for All: AL Manifesto Emphasizes Agricultural Development for a Hunger-Free Bangladesh

A ten-member media delegation representing leading Indian media outlets will visit Bangladesh June 7-12 to see and report about the country’s development success stories under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The media delegation will visit a number of places in Dhaka and elsewhere in the country including the Padma Bridge, an independently funded mega project, which is set to be inaugurated on June 25. The people of the country are waiting to see mega celebration and be a part of the achievement that Bangladesh has seen. Also read: Bangladesh, India enjoy excellent relations: Information Minister The media delegation members will also visit Rohingya camps and travel though the Marine Drive in the beach town Cox’s Bazar, Shaban Mahmood, Minister (Press) at Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi, told UNB on Sunday.  He, however, did not disclose the names of the journalists. Senior journalists from a number of prominent media outlets including The Hindu, The Times of India, Indian Express and NDTV are part of the delegation who will arrive Dhaka on June 7, said sources familiar with the preparation of the visit.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Sunday alleged that thousands of crores of taka are being plundered from mega projects in the country and siphoned off abroad. “Taral gas-e garal hisab (anomalies in LNG) is the headline in a newspaper today (Sunday).  If you read the report, you will be shocked to learn how so many thousands of crores of taka are being taken out. Already Tk11,610 crores have gone from Maheshkhali’s floating LNG terminal,” he said. Speaking at a cover unveiling ceremony of a reprinted book of Maulana Bhasani titled “Mao Zedong er Deshe” at the Jatiya Press Club, the BNP leader said there is now nothing in Bangladesh, except plundering and exploitation in every sector. “ “If you investigate all these (mega) projects, you’ll find that thousands of crores of taka are being taken away. Such a terrible situation is now there in the country," he observed. Also read: Govt must be ousted to end enforced disappearance, repression: Fakhrul The BNP leader said the nation must find a way to get rid of the current dreadful situation in the country. “First of all, we have to establish our rights. As a liberal democratic party, we believe in elections. A free and fair and neutral election must be held in the country.” "Dr Akbar Ali Khan does not do the politics of BNP. He yesterday (Saturday) said the election would not be fair without a caretaker government. It's not just his opinion as many people think like that,” he observed. Fakhrul said it is now necessary to forge unity  to create a mass upsurge for establishing all the lost rights and ensuring the fall of the current regime. He said the people of Bangladesh are now going through immense suffering due to the misrule of the Awami League government. “People want to get rid of this pain.” The BNP secretary general questioned why Awami League does not recognise the role of Maulana Bhasani in the country and the party. “Maulana Bhasani was the founding president of Awami League. But they (AL leaders) do not recognise him even once.” Stating that Maulana Bhasani dedicated his entire life to the welfare of the poor, helpless and hardworking people of Bangladesh, he proposed setting up a Maulana Bhasani Foundation to commemorate the contributions of the great national leader. Also read: BNP won’t join next polls on foreigners’ advice: Mosharraf Fakhrul bemoaned that there is no other name, except one person, in the textbook for school children. “It means no one, except one person, has the contributions to the independence, the struggles and the changes in people’s lives in the country.“

State-run cellphone operator Teletalk, which is still lagging behind compared to its private sector rivals in providing services, has taken  a mega project involving around Tk 3,000 crore, aiming to expand its network and improve services.   The project planned to bring hundred percent areas of the country under Teletalk’s network by 2024.   A recent meeting of the Post and Telecommunication Division took some decisions, including expansion of its network. Post and Telecommunication Minister Mustafa Jabbar and Prime Minister's Information and Communication Technology Affairs Adviser Sajeeb Wazed Joy were, among others, present.   Talking to UNB, Mustafa Jabbar said the government has taken all the necessary steps to address the shortcomings of the state-owned company and help it catch up with the private operators.  “A mega project has been taken to bring the whole country under Teletalk network,” he added.   Sahab Uddin, Managing Director of Teletalk Bangladesh Ltd, said the project titled ‘Expansion of Teletalk 4G Network and Providing 5G Network Services in Rural Areas’ aims to bring the whole country under Teletalk network.   The project has already been approved by the Planning Commission, and it now awaits the Finance Ministry’s vetting. If it gets approval of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec), the work will start by June 2020, he added.   A second project will be taken before completion of the first one, said Sahab Uddin adding that the government will take a decision in this regard later as many foreign investors have expressed their interest to invest.   Now Telatalk has 47 lakh subscribers and the company has a target to increase its customer base to 70 lakh by 2020, 1 crore by 2021, 1.5 crore by 2022 and 2 crore by 2024, he added.   Sahab Uddin also expects that people in rural areas will enjoy 4G network services by 2024.   As per the network expansion plan, the Teletalk chief said they will set up 5,850 Base Transceiver Stations (BTS) in 2019-20, 9,510 BTS in 2020-21, while 12,510 BTS in 2021-22, 13,310 BTS in 2022-2023 and 15,510 BTS in 2023-24.   The Teletalk authorities expect to earn Tk 1,001 crore in 2019-20 fiscal year against their last year’s revenue earnings of Tk 640 crore.   Telatalk has fixed a target to earn Tk 1,324 crore in revenue in 2020-21, Tk 1,778 crore in 2021-22, Tk 2,389 crore in 2022-23, and Tk 3,734 crore in the fiscal year 2023-24.   He also said women and students are going to enjoy special offer packages on the occasion of Bangabandhu’s birth centenary with internet data facilities at a rate less than other mobile operators.   Oporajita package was launched for women and almost 15 lakh people have so far subscribed the package, he said adding that their target is to provide 23 lakh SIM cards under the package.   Teletalk started its venture in 2005 with a capital of Tk 643 crore and it was later renamed as Teletalk Bangladesh Ltd in 2008.   With the G2G Chinese finance, Teletak expanded its 2G/3G network upto zila and upazila levels in 2013-15 with the investment of Tk 1,700 crore.   Now Teletalk is targeting government and corporate officials, students, youths, and female customers to expand its business and provide them with modern digital services , he said adding that it is also planning to increase D-Education, Health, MFS, IOT, and AI-based services.   According to Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), there were 75.619 million Grameen Phone subscribers, 47.760 Robi subscribers, 34.817 million Banglalink subscribers and 7.387 are Teletalk subscribers in the country as of August, 2019.

Dhaka, Oct 25 (UNB) - The power distribution system in greater Mymensingh region is expected to see a marked improvement by the end of 2021 as a major move is underway to install a number of new substations, upgrade the existing ones and also expand some of their capacities.