Country will achieve development goals if bureaucrats work properly: HPM Sheikh Hasina

"We can achieve the goal of taking forward the country if you act properly and serve the people as their servant," she said at a function in her office here marking the signing of the Annual Performance Agreement (APA) of the ministries and subordinate bodies.

The Prime Minister said the APA makes the officials responsible up to grassroots level which helps complete the development works in a specific timeframe and people will enjoy its benefit.

The APA is an internal mechanism of the civil administration from top to grassroots level to ensure accountability of the government officials aimed at evaluating their yearly performance and making them accountable to their responsibilities.

The government, for the fourth year, has signed the Annual Performance Agreement (APA) with the ministries and their subordinate bodies which also included divisional, district and upazila level offices of the government.

She thanked the secretaries for signing the Annual Performance Agreement soon after passing the budget in the parliament saying it will help to implement the development projects taking more time.

She urged the officials to complete the paper works for implementation of the projects during rainy season in next two months and start physical work soon after monsoon.

Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith and minister for Public Administration Syed Ashraful Islam, Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Safiul Alam, PM's Principal Secretary Dr Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury, addressed the function, among others.

Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs (security services division) Farid Uddin Ahmed Chowdhury and Secretary of the Cabinet Division (coordination and reforms) N M Ziaul Alam gave welcome address. Cabinet members, parliament members, heads of different government organizations and senior officials were present.

The senior secretaries and secretaries in charge of various ministries and divisions handed over a copy of their respective Annual Performance Agreement to the Prime Minister.

Under the agreement the ministries ascertain vision, mission and strategic goals in consistence with the development priorities of the government, undertake short and long term plans according to budgetary allocation.

Urging the government officials to work sincerely to implement the works under APA, the Prime Minister said Bangladesh would certainly be able to achieve its cherished economic goal by 2021 and 2041 if everybody works hard a little bit with devotion.

APA would help improve the efficiency and accountability of the government offices and expedite the implementation of government policies and programmes under an intensive monitoring system, she hoped.

Sheikh Hasina said Bangladesh was born under the leadership of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman with a vision to become a prosperous nation. An independent nation must ascertain its duties to achieve prosperity, she said.

During the short tenure of Bangabandhu, she said, Bangladesh had started its expedition towards progress. But, unfortunately the journey was halted through brutal killing of Bangabandhu in 1975," she said.

The country entered into a dark age in 1975 which ended in 1996 after Awami League came to power. Every night from the day of the killing Bangabandhu up to 1986 the country was ruled under curfew.

The Prime Minister said the country's development got momentum when the Awami League government assumed in office in 1996. But, the process could not sustain as next BNP-Jamaat came to power in 2001 and halted most of the development works.

Laying importance on continuation of a pro-people government the Prime Minister said it was possible to sustain the pace of development due to continuation of the government in 2014.

Sheikh Hasina said her party is moving forward the country with a specific and well-thought out short and long term plan, which her party had given shape in consultation at different level of the party for many years.

The Prime Minister said the Awami League has amended its economic policies in public interest and people are now enjoying its benefit. As a people-oriented political party, she said Awami League is accountable to the people. Awami League always remembers its commitment which it gives to the people, she added.

Sheikh Hasina said people are getting the benefit of those plans which helped Bangladesh to set its position as a role model of development in the world. Civil servants have remarkable role to achieve the recognition, she said.

Laying importance on containing corruption the Prime Minister said the government has enhanced salaries of the government employees to allow them to have a decent life.

In this regard she quoted Bangabandu saying it's not common people, but educated section who indulge in corruption. So everybody has to work to contain corruption, she added.

Photo: Saiful Islam Kallol