Patriotism is the major prerequisite of a civil servant: PM Sheikh Hasina

"You must have love for the people and know the country first," she said adding "rule of law must be established and steps should be taken for quick execution of the projects taken for expediting country's economic development."

"Moreover, you have to earn confidence of the people, and take firm action against corruption," she said.

The Prime Minister said this while addressing Certificate Award Ceremony among the participants of 60th Foundation Training Course of Bangladesh Public Administration Training Centre (BPATC) at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) here on Thursday evening.

Urging the civil service refreshers to always keep in mind the section 21(2) of the constitution the prime minister said it's the responsibility of each and every civil servant to make stride always to render service to the people.

Sheikh Hasina said the civil servants must be careful about social security of every people. And they have to work with the motto- 'I will not indulge myself in any corruption or allow anybody to do the same.'

The Prime Minister also urged them to remain careful so that the development project are implemented with due standard. "Benefit of the people should get first priority at stage of formulation and implementation of a project," she said urging them to look into the environment protection and conservation of motherly nature.

Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith, Minister for Public Administration Syed Ashraful Islam and State Minister Ismat Ara Sadique attended the function as special guests.

Secretary of the Ministry of Public Administration Dr Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury and Rector of BAPTC ALM Abdur Rahman addressed the function while Hia Paul and Syed Ashrafuzzaman spoke on behalf of the participants.

Under the programme, BPATC and nine training organizations provided six month training to 725 officials from different cadre services.

Recalling the participation of the Bangalee civil servants in the War of Liberation, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said many civil servants had taken part in the war and embraced martyrdom to liberate the country. "Civil service has also immense contribution in rebuilding the war ravaged country," she said.

Sheikh Hasina said Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman has taken initiative for decentralization of the power soon after independence side by side taken steps to put in place administrative system befitting to an independent country.

But all those pro-people initiatives were shattered by the next rulers following his brutal killing which benefitted only a handful of people, widened disparity among people and pushed the country to backward, creating an elite group, the Prime Minister said.

The whole administrative system after killing of Bangabandhu was guided according to the whim of the military rulers to detract the country from its fundamental principle of becoming self dependent. "They wanted to keep Bangladesh under poverty so that they can beg from other counties to make their own fortune," she said.

Sheikh Hasina said her government is striving to pro-people administration to expedite the implementation of various programmes and projects related to economic development.

Highlighting various steps of her government for the welfare of the public servants Sheikh Hasina said the retirement age has already been raised while the new pay scale has been implemented with maximum 123 percent salary hike.

"I don't know whether any country or any government could increase the salaries and allowances of public servants to such extent," she said hoping that the salary hike will give the civil servants job satisfaction, bring solvency in their families and moreover keep them away from corruption.

"New pay scale would not only work to strongly raise voice against corruption, rather there is a need to take proper steps to curbing corruption," she hoped.

Putting importance on imparting training to gain excellence in work, the Prime Minister said scopes have been created for gaining higher education for civil servants abroad while emphasis was given on local and foreign training for civil servants.

She asked the new government officials to keep them abreast with the flourishing science and technology hoping that they would carry forward the task of building a digital Bangladesh.

She said since 2009, some 113 Secretaries, 609 Additional Secretaries, 1411 Joint Secretaries and 1434 Deputy Secretaries got promoted which has never happened in the history of the country.

The Prime Minister lamented at the infrastructural lacking of BPATC to arrange proper global standard training for civil servants and asked the Ministry of Public Administration to come up with a project proposal for its Centre's development.