Big disaster averted due to PM Sheikh Hasina's timely intervention: Speakers at AL's webinar

Speakers at a webinar have said Bangladesh has been able to avert a big disaster by coronavirus due to the timely intervention of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Shah Ali Farhad, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister, conducted the webinar titled ‘Encountering Coronavirus situation in Bangladesh under the leadership of premier Sheikh Hasina’ arranged by Awami League on Monday night.

Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni said Bangladesh has, to this date, demonstrated an incredible instance of success in dealing with the Coronavirus spell.

"While different countries are still counting the accelerating death toll, Bangladesh has navigated itself from the Corona storm towards a fairly safe ground. While many countries have their economy rolling downward, the economy of Bangladesh, like before, is going forward. All these owe to the timely decision of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina,” she said.

Dipu Moni said nearly 1 crore families received reliefs distributed by Bangladesh Awami League and its associate organizations under the guidance of Sheikh Hasina.

The way Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina harnessed the state machine to fight Corona, she also best engaged her party Bangladesh Awami League to that end, she said.

"We lost many central leaders and grassroots-level leaders and activists who were out to the service of people in this storm that claimed their lives.”

Health Minister Zahid Malik said at the directive of the PM 2000 doctors and 5000 nurses were appointed within 15 days, a feat that usually takes us more than a year.

"When you have a prudent leader at the helm, you can deal with any disaster . We are equally equipped with the possible second wave of Corona," he said.

The Health Minister said they sent letters to the district committee to make people aware and took all steps that could be taken.

Public Administration Minister Farhad Hossain said, “Our administration was active on the field to keep people in the home since the beginning of the lockdown. Studying carefully what is happening across the world, the PM directed, through video conferences, what should be done."

Even when the Corona spell was accompanied by a natural storm, food and financial assistance were reached out to people for 66 days in participation with public administration and local leaders, he said.

"It is due to the farsightedness of the prime minister and the participation of everyone, we could ensure the issues of skill and adeptness.”

Enamur Rahman, State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief, said even Upazila health complexes have also been equipped to treat Corona patients.

On March 22, the prime minister directed distributing food among poor, helpless, and jobless people, he said.

"Then we made a database of 1 crore and 25 lac people and reached out to them with food," he said.

Some 2 lac 11 thousand and 17 metric tons of rice and 95 crore 83 lac 72 thousand crore Taka have been disbursed by the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief.

"We also allocated 27 crore 14 lac Taka children’s food,” he added.

Awami League’s finance and planning secretary Waseqa Ayesha Khan said almost every day Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, through video conference, inquired about the activities regarding Coronavirus going on in different parts of the country.

Waseqa Ayesha also said, "“Never did we hear any news that someone died of hunger when the country is led by Sheikh Hasina, a daughter of Bangabandhu. Her knowledge, wisdom, and vision helped us fight Corona."

Even during this Corona disaster, she said, Bangladesh earned Tk 1, 66, 616 crore in last months, an amount outperforming the previous year by 26 percent.