Awami League to form relief committee at every ward
Ruling Awami League president Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday asked her party leaders and activists to form relief committees at the ward level across the country to make lists of the needy people amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Hasina, also the prime minister, gave the instruction to the party’s central leaders through a videoconference she attended from Ganabhaban with other leaders at her Dhanmondi political office, said a press release.
In the hour-long videoconference, she asked all the upazila units to make the relief committees at every ward as soon as possible and send the names of the committees to the district committees of the party.
The relief committees would make the list of needy without considering their party identities and the members would help the administration in relief activities, she instructed.
The committees would ensure relief for every poor house, she said.
In another videoconference from her residence, Sheikh Hasina said her government announced various stimulus packages worth around Tk 1 lakh crore to save the people and the economy from the crisis arising out of the coronavirus pandemic, state news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha reported.
‘We have declared various financial stimulus packages of around Tk 1 lakh crore for not only overcoming the crisis of today, but also for the next three years so that all can run their businesses and industries properly following the bad time they are now facing after the coronavirus outbreak,’ she said while joining a donation handover ceremony through videoconferencing.
PM’s principal secretary Ahmad Kaikaus received the donations in cheques on behalf of the premier at the Prime Minister’s Office in Tejgaon.
She told the party leaders that 50,000 people from ultra-poor, poor, helpless and unemployed were now brought under ration facility while more 50,000 would be facilitated for the coronavirus pandemic.
Alongside helping the administration in the relief distribution work, the local committees of the party will also continue giving relief from its own fund, she said.
According to the local government division, there were a total of 41,139 wards in 4,571 unions in the country while City Corporation and municipal areas also have a good number of wards.
The prime minister said she had declared the stimulus packages of around Tk 1 lakh crore, which is 3.3 per cent of the GDP, for all the people ranging from the farmers, day labourers, rickshaw pullers and small traders to the industrialists to save the people and country’s commerce and industry to offset the possible impact of the coronavirus breakout on the country’s economy.
Extending her heartiest greetings to the organisations and individuals for giving donations to her relief and welfare fund, she said, ‘You [businessmen] should perform at your best so that the country’s economy is not hampered due to the coronavirus outbreak,’ according to the BSS report.
She asked the affluent people to distribute relief materials in coordination with the government agencies instead of giving those separately to ensure that each needy poor was reached.
The premier reiterated her stance on taking tougher actions against the relief goods plunderers, irrespective of their political ideology.
Mnetioning that measures had been taken in case of any irregularity regarding relief distribution, she said such problems were seen in five to seven places although there were over 4,500 unions across the country.
The government agencies that made the donations are the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the Ministry of Housing and Public Works, Local Government Division, Rural Development and Co-operatives Division, Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit Company Limited.
The educational institutes that gave contributions to the prime minister’s relief fund are Dhaka University, Bangladesh University of Professionals, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Maritime University, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Aviation and Aerospace University, and Shiddeshwari Girls’ High School.
The private organisations that provided donations are Saif Powertec Limited, Uttara Group, Dhaka Club, BSRM Group, Texcotech, Kashem Trust, Hamdard Foundation, Gaan Bangla, Xiaomi Technologies Bangladesh Pvt Limited, Ispahani Tea Limited, Amin Mohammad Foundation, Olila Glass Industries Ltd, Chattogram Chamber of Commerce and Bangladesh Jewellery Samity.
Other organisations that gave donations are Bangladesh Foreign Service Association, BCS Taxation Association, Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh, Institution of Diploma Engineers, Bangladesh, and EED Diploma Engineers Association.
News Courtesy: www.newagebd,net
