We have to work to improve the life of grassroot people: HPM Sheikh Hasina

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has directed all concerned including ministers to uphold the dignity of the people’s confidence and trust that they reposed in the Awami League through the December 30 elections.

“The people of the country have reposed confidence and trust in us as well given a great responsibility through the December 30 polls … we’ve to uphold the dignity of their trust by improving their living standard,” she said in her introductory speech at the maiden meeting of the ECNEC at the Planning Commission at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar on Tuesday morning.

“We want the lot of the people living up to the grassroots level to be changed and we’ll have to work giving attention to that end,” she added.

The first meeting of the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) was held today, two weeks after the formation of the new Awami League government on January 7 following the AL-led Grand Alliance’s landslide victory in the 11th parliamentary elections on December 30.

The prime minister said her government is taking all plans and programmes with a goal of changing the fate of the grassroots people of the villages. “Bangladesh will be established as a poverty-free country at the fastest possible time through it,” she said.

In this connection, Sheikh Hasina put emphasis on increasing surveillance on the ongoing development projects to speed up their pace and quality.

“We’ve passed many projects speedily at the end of our previous tenure. We want to start and complete the works of those schemes fast,” she said.

The premier said surveillance on the work of the projects will have to be raised to accelerate the pace and improve their quality. “As much as the vigilance on the work will raise, the pace and quality of the work will enhance to that extent”,she said.

The prime minister said her government has been able to bring down the poverty rate to 21 percent. “We’ve to cut the rate further and we’ve to keep it in mind,” she said.

Sheikh Hasina laid stress on increasing the GDP growth rate and said that “I know it is difficult to raise the rate further when it goes up at a certain level. But I believe that we can do it.”

She added: “We’re working together and we will build a teamwork so that we could reach to our desired goal … we will build a hunger-and-poverty-free ‘Sonar Bangla’ as dreamt by Bangabandhu Insha Allah.”

The prime minister said Bangladesh has graduated to a developing country thanks to various pragmatic steps of her government. “We’ve been able to raise GDP to 7:86 percent and we’ve to retain this achievement,” she said.

The premier said Bangladesh will have to advance further, asking all concerned to undertake and implement the projects keeping it in mind.

She said Bangladesh is now a developing country and on the way to become a middle income country. “We’ll want to build it as a developed and prosperous country by 2041 by retaining this success … We’ve to take forward our all activities keeping this in mind.”

The prime minister sought cooperation of all to build Bangladesh as a developed and prosperous country being imbued with the spirit of the liberation war.

“We got responsibility from the people for running the country for another five years. So I seek support of all so that we could establish Bangladesh as a developed and prosperous country in the spirit of the liberation war by completing our work,” she said.

Expressing heartfelt gratitude to the countrymen for reelecting her government through a huge mandate, Sheikh Hasina said she reorganised the cabinet freshly so that her government could achieve its goal.