Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today (March 25) urged all to make collective efforts to march Bangladesh's advancement further towards prosperity confronting all the hurdles.
She also alerted the people about the conspiracy against the country's independence, sovereignty and economic emancipation.
The premier was addressing the nation in a televised address to the nation on the eve of the Independence and National Day 2024.
She said: "Let's make collective efforts on the 54th Independence Day to further Bangladesh's development and advancement overcoming all the ill tactics and conspiracies."
The speech was aired by different TV channels, radio stations and online platforms, including Bangladesh Television and Bangladesh Betar simultaneously at 07:30pm.
In her over 17-minute speech, the Prime Minister said in the last 15 years, her government has transformed Bangladesh into a country of "Rising Economy" by attaining unprecedented and visible development in the socio-economic sectors that include agriculture, health, education, industry, poverty alleviation, infrastructural development, women empowerment and decrease in the child and maternal mortality rates.
"So, once a poverty-ridden country, Bangladesh now emerges as a rising economy.... Bangladesh has now become the country of 35th largest economy (in the world)," she said.
Mentioning that Bangladesh has been branded as a role model of development on the global stage due to timely measures taken by the Awami League government, she hoped that the country will finally become a developing nation by 2026 as it has already fulfilled all the requirements for that.
The journey of Bangladesh towards prosperity in the last 15 years was not a bed of roses as there were both the man-made and natural disasters as well as local and foreign conspiracies, she said.
Bangladesh's economy faced difficulties time and again due to several devastating floods and cyclones, Covid-19 pandemic, Russia-Ukraine war, sanctions and counter sanctions and the recent Israeli attack on Gaza, she said.
Sheikh Hasina said that the production and transportation of the essential goods have been facing difficulties that contributed to abnormal increases in prices of essentials globally.
Briefly describing the government measures to contain the price hike of essential commodities during the month of Ramadan, she said the government has stockpiled several goods such as sugar, chickpea, pulse, and edible oil alongside giving permission to import 50,000 metric tonnes of onion and almost the same amount of potatoes.
Apart from these, fish, meat, egg and milk are being sold at affordable prices from 25 points in the capital city from the beginning of the Ramadan for the marginalised people, she said.
"We have been trying our best to expedite the country's advancement after facing all the internal and international impediments," she said.
The Prime Minister alerted the countrymen that the conspiracies against the country's development and prosperity are to stop.
"This is undesired but true that the conspiracy to foil the country's independence and sovereignty is to stop," she said.
BDST: 2038 HRS, MAR 25, 2024
MSK/SMS
