Government to build well-equipped modern army: PM

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday said her government had been working to transform Bangladesh Army into a time-befitting, technologically well-equipped and modern force.

‘We always want Bangladesh Army to be time-befitting, modern and technologically well-equipped and we are working to attain the target,’ she said.

The prime minister said after assuming office her government established newer military units including new infantry divisions, brigade unit and training institutes for overall development of the army.

She said this while addressing a ceremony as the chief guest at the parade ground of the Bangladesh Military Academy at Bhatiary in Chattogram marking the President Parade 2019 of the passing out cadets of the 77th BMA Long Course.

The prime minister earlier distributed various prizes among 265 young officers who were stepping out of the academy and entering into army career after successful completion of the course.

Of them, 234 were from Bangladesh including 27 women, 29 from Saudi Arabia, one each from Palestine and Sri Lanka.

Battalion senior under officer of the 77th BMA Long Course Sabir Nawaz Shaon had been awarded the Sword of Honour as the best all round cadet.

Besides, company senior under officer Md Barkat Hossain got the Army Chief Gold Medal award for his best performance in the military subjects.

The cadets also took formal oath on the occasion.

Bangladesh Army arranged a parade marking the occasion which the prime minister inspected from an open jeep and took salute.

She also joined an epaulette wearing ceremony and joined a photo session with the new army officers.

Cabinet members, chiefs of the three services, lawmakers, diplomats of foreign missions in Dhaka, political leaders, distinguished personalities, and high civil and military officials were present on the occasion.

Earlier on her arrival at the academy, the prime minister was received by chief of army staff General Aziz Ahmed.

The prime minister said Bangladesh Army should always be well-trained and equipped with modern knowledge, adding, ‘We are taking measures keeping this in mind.’

She also said that her government had ensured inclusion of women in Bangladesh Army.

The prime minister asked the cadets to obey the seniors and take special care of their subordinates following the order of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the oath they were taking.

In this context, the prime minister quoted some portion of the speech of Sheikh Mujib delivered to the passing out cadets at the Bangladesh Military Academy in 1975, ‘I, as the Father of the Nation, order you to stay on the way of honesty and love the country. Stand beside justice, obey the guardians, keep up discipline, and thus you will be human being.’

The prime minister told the cadets that they would always have to remain alert while discharging duties.

She said, ‘Our armed forces have been working at various missions of the United Nations with due competence and it is applauded wherever it goes.’

Sheikh Hasina further said that the trainees from Bangladesh as well as friendly countries such as Saudi Arabia, Palestine and Sri Lanka were going to be commissioned on that day as lieutenants after completing the three-year 77th BMA Long Course.

Greeting the cadets of the Bangladesh Military Academy, the prime minister said, ‘The necessity of army for an independent and sovereign country is immensely needed and is inevitable.’

Therefore, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman inaugurated the Bangladesh Military Academy at Cumilla Cantonment in 1974 in a war ravaged country aimed at developing Bangladesh Army as a trained, strong and efficient force.

She said the present military academy was like the outcome of the dream of Sheikh Mujib, adding that the world now praises the academy and the armed forces officers are taking training there.

The prime minister said, ‘We have adopted the Forces Goal 2030 in accordance with the Defence Policy adopted by the Father of the Nation.’

In light of the policy, she said, the Awami League government had been taking necessary measures, including setting up of a new infantry division.

She mentioned that the present Bangladesh Army was much more developed, self-reliant, efficient and professional in terms of infrastructure, strategy and technology in comparison to any time in the past.

The prime minister said that her government had been working for turning Bangladesh Military Academy into an ultra-modern and international standard institution while the Bangabandhu Complex had been built with all kinds of modern facilities in the academy.

She said that four-year honours and engineering degree on various subjects had been introduced in the academy whereas the duration for cadets to be commissioned had also been increased to three years from two years.

The prime minister called upon all to accomplish their respective duties sincerely to make Bangladesh a developed and prosperous country.

‘Our economy is strong enough. So, we want to build our country by ourselves and it is the duty of all to work from their respective positions with sincerity to build the country as a developed and prosperous one,’ she said.

The poverty rate had been brought down to 21 per cent from 82 per cent while the GDP growth rate increased to 8.15 while the per capita income had also increased.

To materialise the dream of Sheikh Mujib to build a hunger and poverty-free Sonar Bangla, the prime minister said her government had taken 100-year-long programme like Delta Plan-2100 so that generation after generation would get a prosperous and developed country.

She added that Bangladesh was set to celebrate the birth centenary of Sheikh Mujib in 2020 and the golden jubilee of Bangladesh’s independence in 2021 and 2020-2021 has been declared as ‘Mujib Borsho.’

‘Insha Allah, Bangladesh will definitely be prosperous and free from poverty and hunger as dreamt by the Father of the Nation,’ she added.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net