Food security remains secured despite int’l crisis: PM

Prime Minister  Sheikh Hasina today told the Parliament that despite the  ongoing international crisis the country’s food security
remains secured.

“Bangladesh has overcome Covid-19 pandemic successfully, while the food security remains secured in  the country amid the current international crisis as well,”  she said while replying to a question from Awami League  lawmaker Md Shahiduzzaman Sarkar elected from
Naogaon-2 constituency.

At the outset of the sitting, Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin  Chaudhury tabled the Scheduled question-answer  session of the Prime Minister.

Mentioning that Bangladesh has already attained food  autarky, Sheikh Hasina said “the government has been  working intensively to maintain our (food) Self- sufficiency.”

The Covid-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war has  triggered the crisis in the global supply chain of different  commodities including foods, she said, adding, in this
situation, the government has regularly been taking  various steps on national and international levels to  ensure food security to face  this crisis.

Leader of the House said that Bangladesh has  successfully attained the food autarky due to agricultural  research, extension, continuous materials support  and policy support in the agriculture sector “Bangladesh  has now become a role model on the global stage in
terms  of food security,” she added.

She said the country’s food grain production was 328.96  lakh metric tons in fiscal year 2008-09, which went up to  477.68 lakh metric tons in fiscal year 2022-23.

854km highways made four-lane, 1,131 bridges  constructed since 2009 Some 854 kilometers of highways have been upgraded to  four-lane ones, while 11,434 kilometers of highways
have been developed and construction of 1,131 bridges  (123,254 meters) has been completed through 431  projects under the Department of Roads And Highways  during the three tenures of the present government from  2009 to 2023, said the Prime Minister replying to a  question of Jatiya Party lawmaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed  (Thakurgaon-3).

In the current financial year, she said the works are  underway to upgrade some 574km of highways to 4-lane  ones, develop 4,634km of highway and construct 750  bridges (64,844 meters) under 131 projects.

Sheikh Hasina said the highway development projects  completed during her three consecutive tenures from   2009 to June 2023 includes up -gradation of Dhaka-
Chattogram National Highway to 4-lane (Daudkandi-  Chattogram Section) project, Joydebpur-Mymensingh   Highway Development Project, Joydevpur-Chandra-  Tangail-Elenga Highway Project with service lanes on   both sides; Jatrabari Intersection-Mawa section of   Dhaka- Khulna (N-8) Highway (including Ekuria-  Babubazar link road).

Among the bridges constructed in the three terms of the   government were 2nd Kanchpur Bridge, Meghna Bridge,   Gomti Bridge, Payra Bridge (Lebukhali Setu) over Payra
River on Barisal-Patuakhali highway and Madhumati   Bridge constructed over Madhumati River under Cross-  Border Road Network Improvement Project  (Bangladesh), she added.

Proposed investment in economic zones rose to US$ 26 billion  Answering to a question from AL lawmaker Md.

Mamunur Rashid Kiron (Noakhali-3), the Leader of the  House said that the overall proposed investment in the  economic zone has now reached $26 billion.

Besides, 41 companies have started commercial  production and 50 industries are under construction in  different zones, she said, adding that these industries  have produced products worth $14.8 billion and  exported products worth $ 291 million, creating 50,000
jobs in these industries.

Mentioning that a one stop service portal has been set  up to provide all investment related services from a  single platform, she said that the one-stop service aims
to provide 150 investment offers online from 39  companies through the portal.

Already 63 services of 23 companies including BIDA have  been included in online one stop service of BIDA, she  added.

Sheikh Hasina said that the importance of proper  development of power and energy sector for economic  development has been considered and development  activities are being implemented accordingly.

In this connection, a master plan titled “Power System  Master Plan (PSMP)-2016” has been formulated with the  objective of ensuring quality and uninterrupted power  supply at a reasonable cost to all through integrated  development of power generation, transmission and  distribution, she added.

The premier said that the government is working to  achieve the target of generating 40,000 megawatts  electricity by 2030 and 60,000 megawatts by 2041.

Addressing the existing problem of power generation  through gas-based power plants, she said, the  government is implementing new plans for coal-diesel- furnace oil, nuclear power and renewable energy-based  power generation.

At present, the power generation capacity (including  captive and renewable) in the country is 28,134 MW, she  said, adding that the Government considering future  energy security has taken steps to develop renewable  energy.

In the eighth five-year plan, she said, various plans are   being adopted by setting a target of 10 percent of the  total electricity generation from renewable energy by
2025.

Efforts to continue for recognition of 1971 genocide  In reply to another question from Awami League  lawmaker Anwer Hossain Khan (Laxmipur-1), the Prime  Minister said many countries demanded the recognition of genocide committed in their respective countries as
International Genocide Day.

Later, the United Nations General Assembly on   September 11, 2015 adopted a resolution through  discussion to observe December 9 as the International  Day for the Prevention of Genocide.

“Since then December 9 has been observed as the  International Day for the Prevention of Genocide, the  proposal to observe another International Day on the  same issue would not be rational,” she said.

She, however, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the  Ministry of Liberation War Affairs and the Liberation War  Museum and some members of the martyrs’ families are
making efforts to achieve international recognition of the  genocide that took place in Bangladesh in 1971.

The head of the government said individuals and  organizations working on genocide are also working to  attain the recognition of the genocide.

She said international recognition of the 1971 genocide  that took place in Bangladesh is as complex and time- consuming as any other genocide in the world.

However, it would be easy to get international  recognition of genocide by creating the global public  opinion in favour of recognizing the genocide committed  in Bangladesh. “Efforts will continue on the part of the
government in this regard,” she said. (BSS)