People’s fate will change if AL remains in power: PM

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today said that the fate of the country’s people will change only if the Bangladesh Awami League remains in power.

“People’s fate will change only if there is Awami League (in power),” she said while delivering her address as the chair at a discussion meeting organized by the AL on the occasion of its 74th founding anniversary in the city’s Bangabandhu International Conference Center.

Sheikh Hasina, also the President of ruling party AL, said, “AL was founded by the people, for the people and to serve the people -it is the motto of AL.”

It is a proven fact that the people get benefit when AL remains in government, and then the people’s fate also changes, she said, adding: “As people have voted for the boat, changes (of fate) of people have been possible today.”

Reiterating her stance to let no one to play ducks and drakes with Bangladesh, she said: “I know there are many plots, conspiracies.”

AL general secretary and road transport and bridges minister Obaidul Quader, party’s advisory council member Tofail Ahmed, presidium members Jahangir Kabir Nanak and Abdur Rahman, joint general secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif, organizing secretaries Advocate Afzal Hossain and Shafiul Alam Nadel, health and family welfare secretary Dr Rokeya Sultana, central working committee member Begum Akhter Jahan, Dhaka south city unit President Abu Ahmed Mannafi and Dhaka north city unit President Bazlur Rahman, also spoke.

AL publicity and publication secretary Abdus Sobhan Golap and his deputy Syed Abdul Awal Shameem moderated the discussion.

Bangladesh Awami League was formed on this day in 1949, which later transformed into the biggest political party of the country to lead struggles for freedom, the War of Liberation and all democratic movements.

Sheikh Hasina said Awami League (AL) was established to achieve economic, political, social and cultural emancipation of the people of the country. “Change would never have happened if AL didn’t come to power. If there is AL in power, people’s fate will change only,” she said.

The Prime Minister renewed her vows to provide a house to each homeless person, saying that “no one will be landless in Bangladesh, no one will be homeless.”

In this regard, she also said that her government is providing 30 types of free medicines through community clinics, even free insulin has now been started. “That means, we are fulfilling each basic need of people such as food, clothing, shelter and education. We are implementing the dream of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.”

The head of government laid emphasis on continuation of boosting production, saying, “We need to increase our capacity economically side by side with continuation of increasing the literacy enrollment rates.”

Referring to the changed global situation rendered by the Covid-19, Ukraine-Russia war and sanction-counter sanction, she said, “(people of the country) are going through a tough time, I know it. We’re trying hard to alleviate sufferings of the people.”

Sheikh Hasina urged the country’s rich people to look after those who are a little poor around them.

“None shall live unhealthily. We will provide everyone with a beautiful home and a beautiful life,” she said, adding that this will be their promise on the founding anniversary of AL.

“We’ve come a long way in realizing the dream of Father of the Nation and we will realize it,” referring to the status of a developing nation that is expected to be fully implemented by 2026.

Highlighting the progress in various fields, the Prime Minister said that “we’ve brought a big change in Bangladesh. In today’s Bangladesh, people want meat-rice instead of salt-rice. At least, we have been able to bring this improvement.”

She said AL started making a planned development of Bangladesh, assuming office in 2009.

Focusing her government achievements in the country’s different sectors and social indexes, she drew a comparison between the fag end of BNP regime and AL present regime.

Sheikh Hasina said the size of budget is Tk 761,785 crore in FY 2023-24 which was only Tk 61,000 crore in 2006, the size of GDP is Tk 50.31 lakh crore now which was only Tk 4.15 lakh crore earlier, the economic growth rate is now 7.25 percent (average 6pc) which was 5.40 percent in 2006, the size of ADP is now Tk 274,674 crore which was TK 21,500 crore earlier.

The Prime Minister said the nominal per capita income has increased to US$ 2,825 from only US$ 543 in 2006, though it now has dropped to US$ 2,765, while the reserve of foreign currencies was US$ 48 billion once during the Covid-19 period from only US$ 0.74 billion during the BNP regime. Still there is a reserve of US$ 30.83 billion now, she said.

The volume of export earnings is now US$ 52.97 billion which was only US$ 10.05 billion in 2006, the annual remittance inflow is now US$ 24.03 billion which was only US$ 4.8 billion during the BNP period, the revenue collection is now over Tk 500,000 crore which was Tk 37,870 crore earlier, she said.

The premier said the poverty rate declined to 18.7 percent now from 41.51 percent in BNP regime, while the extreme poverty rate to 5.6 percent from 25.1 percent, the child mortality rate to 21/1000 live births from 84/ 1000 live births, the maternal mortality rate to 161/100,000 now from 370/100,000 in 2006 and the dropout rate in primary education to 13 percent from 49 percent.

She said the average life expectancy increased to 73 years from 59 years, the electricity generation to 25,227 megawatt from 3,078 megawatt, the beneficiaries under the electricity coverage to 100 percent of the population from only 28 percent in 2006, the sanitary latrine coverage to 97.32 percent from 43.28 percent, the access to drinking water to 98.8 percent from 55 percent, the allocation for social safely programmes to Tk 126,272 crore (16.58pc of the budget) from Tk 2,105 crore (4pc) and the number of beneficiaries under the social safety net to 1,8,123,554 from 21,49,357 during the BNP regime.

The literacy rate rose to 75 percent from 45 percent, the number of primary schools to 118,891 from 65,672, food production to 9.80 crore metric tons from 2.61 crore metric tons, food grains production to 4.92 crore metric tons from 1.80 crore metric tons, she said.

The users of internet rose to 73.5 percent from 0.23 percent of the people, the number of mobile SIM subscription to 183 million from only 19 million, the number of freelancers to 670,000 from only 200, the number of digital services to 2,180 from a handful one, the number of government websites to 51,678 from only 98 ones, she added.

Sheikh Hasina said the rural road was increased to 89,874 km from 3,133km in the BNP regime. “That’s means we’ve brought a massive change in Bangladesh,” she said.