Govt puts all energies for uplift in faster pace: PM

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said her government is making all out efforts to develop the country in a faster pace.

"The main aim of our government is to develop the country in a faster pace. So we put all our energies to achieve the goal," she told Brazilian Ambassador Wanja Campos Da Nobrega who paid a farewell call on the premier at her office here yesterday morning.

After the meeting, PM's Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim briefed reporters.

Recalling the long struggle of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman for ensuring the just rights of the country's people, Sheikh Hasina said that Bangabandhu had to spend most of the time of his life in jail.

She said based on the ideals and dreams of the Father of the Nation, her government has been making all out strides to build Bangladesh as a hunger and poverty-free country.

About the power sector development of the country, the prime minister said that the power generation capacity now stood at 16,726 MW due to various steps of the government.

In this regard, she said that the country's power generation capacity declined to 3,200 MW from 4,300 MW due to unbridled corruption and mismanagement of the BNP-Jamaat government.

Sheikh Hasina pointed out that her government has given emphasis to women empowerment as the expected development of the country is not possible leaving the womenfolk who constitutes 50 percent of total population out of development process.

Elaborating her government's various steps for the development of the womenfolk, the premier said her government has ensured women participation in all spheres of the state.

She mentioned that the country's women are now in very high positions in all sectors like administration, judiciary, education as well as in the armed forces and law-enforcement agencies.

She said 30 percent seats in the local government bodies like Union, Upazila, Municipality and City Corporations have been kept reserved for the women.

"As many as 45,000 women contested for 12000 posts in the last elections to the Union Parishad, the lowest tier of the local government body," she said.

Sheikh Hasina extended her thanks to the outgoing Brazilian ambassador for further strengthening the bilateral relations of the two countries during her stay in Bangladesh.

Lauding highly the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for her efforts towards country's development, Wanja Campos said Bangladesh has gained tremendous success in many areas. "I am impressed to see the women empowerment in Bangladesh," she said.

The Brazilian envoy mentioned that she visited Islampur upazila in Jamalpur and was overwhelmed to see the school feeding programme successfully operating there.

While talking about bilateral relations in trade and commerce, the ambassador said Bangladesh has a very potential market of ceramics and pharmaceuticals apart from the RMG in Brazil.

"The bilateral trade volume between the two countries has already crossed $ one billion," he mentioned.

Wanja Campos also put emphasis on strengthening cooperation between the two countries in the agriculture sector.

In response, the prime minister said that economic and trade cooperation could be expanded in many areas.

Regarding the holding of the Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU)'s next conference in April in Dhaka, the ambassador said that Brazil will send a big delegation to the conference.

The Brazilian ambassador also expressed her deep shock at the death of Bangladesh Ambassador to Brazil Mohamed Mijarul Quayes.

PM's Principal Secretary Dr Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury was present on the occasion.

Source: BSS