Think first about people's welfare: PM

The prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, on Wednesday directed all concerned to think first about the welfare of the countrymen and adopt a long-term plan to achieve sustainable development goals.

‘I would like to tell everybody to think first about the welfare of the people, how much we could deliver to them, how much we made the country prosperous and where we raised the dignity of the country,’ she said.

The prime minister said this while delivering her introductory speech at the fourth meeting of the National Skills Development Council at her office in Dhaka this morning.

Sheikh Hasina, also the chairperson of the NSDC, said all concerned will have to move with specific target and long-term plan to achieve the SDGs.

‘There is a need for long-term plan side by side with a short-term one to achieve the SDGs ... sustainable and permanent development is not possible without a long-term plan,’ she said.

In this connection, Sheikh Hasina said her party has such a thinking, plan and policy. ‘We always keep ready it to serve the people ... the power is not for enjoyment and changing own fortune. Our specific goal is to change the lot of the people and we are achieving success as we are working with the aim,’ she said.

The prime minister said the every moment thinking of her government is how much the people stay well. ‘We could not have done anything for the people had we thought about our own ... we are always thinking about who remains hungry, and arrangement for employment, education and healthcare for everybody.’

Describing today's globe as a competitive one, the prime minister asked the authorities concerned including various ministries to work with utmost efficiency and maintain quality of the work to keep pace with the competitiveness.

‘We will have to keep in mind that we will have to advance with competition at international level . . . every ministry and workplace will have to keep pace with competitive world and maintain quality of the work to achieve desired goal,’ she said.

Stressing the need for rapid development of the country as well as human resources development, Sheikh Hasina said her government wants to make all the people well educated so that it could accomplish every work beautifully.

Referring to her government's success in implementing the MDGs, the prime minister said Bangladesh has highly been acclaimed by the international community for its tremendous achievements in the MDGs.

Sheikh Hasina recalled that being Bangladesh's premier she was present during the adoption of the MDGs in 2000 as well as SDGs in 2015 and there were some important inputs from Bangladesh in those agenda.

Keeping all these in mind, she said, it is very important for Bangladesh to undertake various development programmes to ensure sustainable development of the country and thereby implement SDGs.

She also underscored the need for earning more efficiency in the implementation of various projects and said her government has taken steps to establish 100 economic zones in the country where not only foreign investors but also local investors could invest there to expedite industrialisation.

In this regard, she said, the issue of attaining efficiency is very important in every field including economic zones and it would play an important role in building a technology-based educated nation.

Sheikh Hasina mentioned that Bangladesh's image abroad has been brightened further due to various pragmatic steps and great achievements of her government.

Recalling the farsighted plan of the country’s founding president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman who wanted to build Bangladesh as a poverty and hunger-free country, she said her government and party have been working with specific plans to materialise his dream.

The prime minister said Bangalees are a victorious nation as they won independence through a blood spattered Liberation War and said her government has now been able to develop self confidence among the people for which they are changing their fates using talents.

Putting emphasis on exporting skilled manpower, the premier said once manpower was exported from Bangladesh by picking people from here and there. ‘But the situation has now changed significantly,’ she said.

Education minister Nurul Islam Nahid, expatriates’ welfare and overseas employment minister Nurul Islam, and state minister for labour and employment Mujibul Haque Chunnu attended the meeting.

Cabinet secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam, principal secretary Md Abul Kalam Azad, PMO secretary Suraiya Begum, press secretary Ihsanul Karim, and secretaries concerned were present.

Labour and employment secretary and NSDC member secretary Michail Shipar conducted the meeting.

 

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