Sheikh Hasina
Ashrayan Project: Govt thoroughly scrutinizing “irregularities”
The government is examining on a case-by-case basis the alleged irregularities and flaws in building houses under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s dream Asrayan Project of providing free homes to the landless and homeless people.“We will attend each and every case properly, nothing will leave unattended,” project director M Mahbub Hossain told journalists after on-the-spot inspection of a project site at Burigari Khanpur of Sherpur upazila under Bogura district on Saturday.
He said that there might be unintentional flaws while implementing any project.“We are looking into the matter, the allegations that came in the media …. whether those were intentional or unintentional,” he said.
Also read: No laxity in costruction of Ashrayan houses to be tolerated: Project Director
Noting that the landless and homeless families are getting free houses and lands under the Ashrayan-2 project, he said it is Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s “model for inclusive development.”He said that the upazila administration and public representatives worked together for this gigantic task to provide 118,380 houses (to landless and homeless families) during this corona period.The PMO has initiated the inspection as some newly constructed houses were damaged with the advent of monsoon and news of alleged irregularities in some places surfaced.In two phases the government this year has provided some 118,380 two-room tin-shed pucca houses to the landless and homeless families as gifts of the prime minister marking the Mujib Year.It also has a plan to provide one lakh more houses to homeless families under the Ashrayan-3 project that is run by the PMO in the Mujib Year.
Also read: ‘Massive corruption’ in building houses as PM’s gift: BNPResponding to a question, he said that already five teams are out to inspect the alleged irregularities or flaws in different parts of the country.“We are finding out the problems and taking steps accordingly,” he said.The project director mentioned that from the Prime Minister Office directives have already been given to form technical committees in respective District Administration and Upazila Administration.“Through these committees every damaged house will be inspected for immediate repair,” he added.Regarding the partially-damaged seven houses in Burigari Khanpur, Mahbub Hossain said that 22 houses were built here beside a canal and of them toilets and kitchens of seven houses were damaged due to a landslide in heavy rain.In this regard he said that there were RCC pillars, but those could not sustain.He also mentioned that the government is placing GO bags for avoiding further landslides while there will be a drainage system for quick outflow of rain water.Replying to a question about selecting the spot for Asrayan Project he said that the instruction was to select Khash land which remained dry during 1988 floods.“All houses of the Ashrayan Project were built on khash land. Some of the sites are not above the flat agricultural lands. Some of the sites are at the same level of the agricultural lands,” he said.As a result, he mentioned that in some places there had been waterlogging due to heavy rain.“Local administration has taken steps to remove the water and renovate the houses,” he said.Five teams of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) on Friday started their visits to inspect the quality and design of Ashrayan houses in different parts of the country.Despite of Covid-19 lockdown, the PMO teams will conduct their grassroots visits for the next few days to inspect the houses that have already been constructed or are under construction under the Ashrayan-2 Project.The visiting teams will have to prepare reports with the use of pictures following their inspection.
PM expresses grief at loss of lives in Rupganj fire
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday expressed profound shock at the loss of lives in a factory fire at Rupganj in Narayanganj.
The Prime Minister prayed for the salvation of the departed souls and conveyed deep sympathy to the bereaved families, said PM’s Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim.
READ: PM expresses condolences at passing of Monzur E Mawla
A massive fire swept through a seven-storey building housing a juice factory of Hashem Food Ltd at Bhulta Karnagop in Rupganj.
So far, the death toll from the fire reached 52 that broke out at 5pm on Thursday.
But the death toll might go up as the search operation still continues on the fifth and sixth floors of the building.
READ: PM expresses condolences at death of Talukder
Help achieve green recovery of CVF-V20 countries: Hasina to developed nations
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday placed a five-point proposal, including the green recovery of climate vulnerable countries with support from the developed nations, as the climate change has brought them to a threshold.
“Developed nations should facilitate the green recovery of the CVF-V20 countries. Dedicated support is required for reducing the cost of capital and encouraging private sector participation,” she said while placing her proposals in the first V20 Climate Vulnerable Finance Summit.
Sheikh Hasina, also the President of Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF), opened the Summit organised by Finance Ministers of the Vulnerable Twenty (V-20), joining it virtually from her official residence Ganobhaban.
“Every country must pursue an ambitious target to curb Greenhouse gas emissions to keep the global temperature-rise below 1.5ºC,” she said.
“Fund flow must be predictable, balanced, innovative and incremental. Development partners and international financial institutions should adopt a user-friendly process of fund allocation and disbursement. There must be synergies among various climate funds,” she said in the third proposal.
“Rich nations must help CVF-V20 countries by closing the existing financial gaps in protecting climate-induced disasters. Financial support is needed to introduce smart insurance premium subsidies and capitalization of insurance products for CVF countries,” said Hasina, placing the fourth proposal.
“Finally, every vulnerable country may actively consider adopting a 'climate prosperity plan' like our 'Mujib Climate Prosperity Plan.' I request the international community to provide all-out support to realize our plans,” she said, putting forward the fifth proposal.
The Prime Minister said Earth is in a dire state. “We must be sensible in our actions. Let’s work together to build a strong climate resilience world.”
Also read: Hasina suggests 6 points for framing post-Covid global recovery plan
She urged the finance ministers, development partners, international financial institutions, and multilateral development banks to find innovative financing solutions for climate prosperity.
Hasina said the disastrous impacts of climate change mainly caused by GreenHouse Gas emissions are loudly visible around the world. “We must reverse these for our survival and survival of our future generations,” she added.
Hasina’s care packages of sweet mango reach Indian President, PM
India’s leading media have widely carried stories on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's gifts of sweet Haribhanga mango that she sent to Indian President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other political leaders in India.
Some of the media outlets in India described the gift as a “mango diplomacy” while Dhaka says it is just sharing happiness with friends and neighbours in this historic year.
READ: Sheikh Hasina gifts 2,600kg mangoes to PM Modi, Mamata Banerjee
Prime Minister Hasina on Sunday sent 2,600 kgs of mango as a gift for Indian President Ram Nath Kovind, her counterpart Narendra Modi, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and other Indian political leaders in India.
The mango packages reached Kolkata on Sunday via Benapole Petrapol land border and were later transported to Delhi via train.
Sheikh Hasina gifts 2,600kg mangoes to PM Modi, Mamata Banerjee
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Sunday sent 2,600kg of mangoes as a gift for her counterpart Narendra Modi and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
Indian President Ram Nath Kovind and other political leaders will also receive the mangoes.
The mangoes were sent through Jashore's Benapole land port.
The shipment arrived at the Benapole-Petrapole check post in the afternoon.
Also read: Humanity will overcome pandemic soon: Modi writes to Hasina
After the completion of customs and port formalities, the Bangladeshi trucks carrying 260 cartons of mangoes crossed the border.
BNP hits back at PM over her remarks on Zia, Khaleda
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Sunday termed ‘unexpected, indecent and devoid of political etiquettes’ the Prime Minister's statements in parliament about Ziaur Rahman, Khaleda Zia and BNP.
“Sheikh Hasina’s statements as the Leader of the House were nothing but tasteless and cooked-up ones,” he said at a virtual press conference.
Fakhrul alleged that the Prime Minister tried to demean BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia with her ‘imaginary’ remarks in parliament on Saturday.
“The nation doesn’t expect such statements from the Leader of the Parliament. We think she’s set a bad example as the Leader of the House. We strongly condemn and protest her statements,” he observed.
The BNP leader said their party standing committee at a virtual meeting on Saturday condemned Law Minister Anisul Haq’s remark in parliament that Khaleda Zia has to first confess to her corruption offences and then applied to the President seeking clemency to go abroad for her treatment. “His comment is audacious and indecorous.”
Read: Khaleda temporarily released after over 25 months
“The meeting thinks Khaleda Zia has been convicted and sent to jail in false and fabricated cases out of political vengeance. She’s not even granted bail, though almost all the other accused of such charges got bail,” he said.
Fakhrul said Khaleda was temporarily shifted to her Gulshan residence from jail in March last year through an administrative directive following an application by her family. “There’s nothing mentioned in the laws that the government cannot allow her (Khaleda) to go abroad for treatment.”
He said it can never be acceptable that a three-time former prime minister cannot be allowed to go abroad for treatment on humanitarian grounds.
The BNP leader said there is a scope for the government to permit the BNP chief to go abroad under Section 401 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) if it wants. “In fact, they (govt) are curtailing their own power to show a hostile attitude towards Khaleda Zia.”
He said their standing committee hopes the government will allow the BNP chief to receive treatment abroad coming out of its negative attitude towards her.
Sought his comment on Awami League General Secretary Obadiah Quaver’s statement that many BNP leaders are trying to join the ruling party, Fakhrul said the government never succeeded in its effort to split and weaken BNP.
He also said BNP will not be affected much even if some of its leaders leave the party since it enjoys popularity.
Read: Khaleda subjected to “state repression”: BNP
Earlier, speaking at a virtual discussion, Fakhrul wondered as the health minister is not resigning from the Cabinet in the face of huge criticisms by MPs in parliament.
“What a shameless person this health minister is! MPs from his party and from the opposition have raised voices against him in parliament, but he’s not stepping down. It seems he has no sense of shame,” he observed.
Pro-BNP faction of the Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ) arranged the virtual discussion on press freedom.
Fakhrul said the government is trying to regulate press freedom by ‘abusing’ the Digital Security ACT (DSA).
He said journalists are being repressed and harassed by implicating them in cases under the DSA if they criticise the government or write anything against it.
Opposition MPs call Health Minister “shameless” over health sector “failures”
Terming Health Minister Zahid Maleque a "shameless man" for his “failure, widespread corruption in the health sector and mismanagement in coronavirus treatment, opposition MPs of Jatiya Party and BNP on Saturday demanded his immediate resignation.
They sharply criticized the health minister in Parliament for his failure to ensure oxygen in different hospitals for Covid-19 patients as many died in Satkhira and Bogura districts.
The health minister was not there in the House but Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was present at the time.
BNP MP Gulam Mohammad Siraj from Bogura-6 first launched the blistering attack on the health minister while speaking on a point of order.
He alleged that around 24 Covid-19 patients died in the last two days in Bogura for lack of oxygen.
The BP MP said Mohammad Ali Hospital in Bogra is a dedicated hospital to Covid-19 treatment but there are only eight ICU beds there and only two high-flow nasal cannula oxygen facilities. “As a result, the rest of the ICU beds are useless.”
Also read: Corruption in health sector widespread: GM Quader
He also said 450 beds in 3 hospitals in Bogra are overwhelmed with Covid-19 patients leaving no scope for the hospitalization of new patients.
Gulam Mohammad demanded immediate supply of 20 high-flow oxygen to every hospital.
Jatiya Party Chairman and Deputy Leader of the Opposition in parliament GM Quader, in his winding-up speech, pointed out widespread mismanagement in the health sector, including the health ministry.
He said the health ministry is still there where it was a year ago. “There has been no improvement.”
Vaccines start arriving in fulfilment of prime minister’s commitment, says Quader
Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader on Saturday said that corona vaccines have started arriving in the country as promised by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
"Already 2.5 million doses of vaccine have reached the country, more vaccines will come in a few days," he said during his regular briefing from his official residence.
Read: Obaidul Quader pleased by 'development-friendly' budget
Quader, also road transport and bridges minister, urged the people to adhere to corona health rules and stay home to prevent high rates of infection during the ongoing lockdown.
Turning to BNP, the AL leader said that the opposition party’s only job is to dispute the government’s achievements. This has become their ploy to divert people’s attention from their failures, he said.
He alleged that BNP has continued to spread lies to confuse people about corona pandemic and government’s sincere efforts to handle the situation.
Read: Obaidul Quader: Covid vaccines to be collected, no matter what
Meanwile, Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Friday night received the first consignment of 2.5 million doses of Moderna vaccine under the COVAX framework.
This consignment is part of the US government's recent allocation of 25 million vaccine doses for countries in Asia through COVAX.
Can’t put lives of students in danger: PM about school, college closure
Admitting the losses Bangladesh’s education sector has suffered for the prolonged closure of educational institutions, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday said the government cannot put the lives of students at stake knowing it clearly that Covid-19 will infect them as well.
“Children are also getting infected by coronavirus. [This is good] they’ll learn but the question is whether we should force them to the verge of death knowing this virus will infect them, too,” Sheikh Hasina said.
The Prime Minister said this while delivering her winding-up speech at the budget session in Parliament as a number of opposition MPs, including deputy leader of the opposition GM Quader, criticised the government for keeping educational institutions shut for an indefinite period.
Also read: Schools, colleges to reopen on June 13: Dipu Moni
Sheikh Hasina, also the leader of the house, said the government will open the educational institutions after vaccinating students.
She mentioned that the parents of students are also not interested in sending their children to educational institutions. “Those who’re most vocal about it have no children who are students or their children have already completed their education.”
Hasina said the government has already vaccinated the teachers and will provide vaccines for the students following the instructions of the World Health Organisation (WHO). “We’ve to follow WHO. Keeping that point in mind, we’ve started our job regarding vaccination of the students.”
Talking about the problem of getting coronavirus vaccines, the Prime Minister said the government has procured vaccines from India with cash. “But the sudden spike in coronavirus infections in India forced the country to impose a ban on vaccine export. We’ve faced problems for some days,” she admitted.
Hasina informed the House that a good number of doses of Pfizer, Moderna and Sinopharm vaccines have already arrived in the country. “We’re also communicating with the countries where the vaccines of coronavirus are available. We’ll procure more vaccines; we’ll buy, no matter what the price is. For that, we’ve allocated separate funds.”
The Prime Minister said the government is communicating with China, Russia, the USA, Japan and Australia to collect vaccines, and the government will provide free vaccines to up to 80 percent of people. “We’ve made the Covid-19 test free as the number of infected people has surged at the district level in recent times,” she added.
Also read: Ecnec rejects Tk 17,290-cr primary school meal project
Vaccine funds
The Prime Minister said the government has been allocated Tk 32,236 crore for vaccine procurement while an additional amount of Tk 10,000 crore has been kept aside for emergency purposes.
Talking about the lockdown, she said the government will look after the food security issue of people and called on all to keep themselves safe from coronavirus and other health hazards. “Please follow the health guidelines, let no coronavirus spread further,” she appealed.
Hasina also mentioned that before the Eid-ul-Fitr she had requested people repeatedly not to move from the places where they were. “But many did not pay heed to that, they rushed (to their village homes). What’s the result of that now-- the spread of the virus! If everyone had listened to our call this spread might not have occurred!” she said.
Economy
Hasina said the government has been able to maintain the pace of the economy during the pandemic. “That’s why inflation is under control while the growth is maintained properly.”
“Although we couldn’t achieve the growth that we had wanted, we have attained the highest growth in South Asia,” she said.
The Prime Minister said the aim of this year’s budget was to face the coronavirus and revive the economy that suffered heavily due to this deadly virus, bring the marginal people under the coverage of social safety net and give topmost priority to health services.
Also read: 170,000 schools to be connected with high speed internet by 2030: Palak
She also briefly described the various measures of the government, including the stimulus packages given by the government, to offset the impacts of the pandemic.
Drug abuse
Talking about drug abuse, the Prime Minister said it is now a problem for the whole world, including Bangladesh. “We’re taking action against it, but this cannot be controlled,” she said.
Hasina requested parents and guardians to look after their children. Guardians and teachers have to give good lessons to the children so that they do not go down any wrong path, she added.
China is a trusted partner in Bangladesh’s socio-economic development: Hasina
Describing China as a trusted partner in socio-economic development of Bangladesh, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina stressed the need for exploring more avenues to take the strategic partnership between the two countries to a new height.
“We would like to explore more avenues to take the Bangladesh-China strategic partnership to new heights and also work together to address the regional and global issues for peace, security, stability and development,” she said.
The Prime Minister said this in her prerecorded message shared on Thursday afternoon at a function arranged, marking 100 years of founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC).