Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday said the Ministry of Health showed its enough efficiency in checking the Covid-19 pandemic in the country by properly taking necessary measures in time.
“I think the Health Ministry has shown enough efficiency. We’ve been able to keep this Covid-19 under control as instant measures, which were necessary at that time, had been taken properly,” she said.
The Prime Minister was speaking at the signing ceremony of the Annual Performance Agreements (APAs) with ministries and divisions for 2020-21 fiscal year.
The APA and Integrity Awards were also distributed at the virtual function held at the Conference Room of the Public Administration Ministry. The Prime Minister joined the function from her official residence Ganobhaban through a videoconference.
Sheikh Hasina said many doctors, nurses and other health workers died going to serve patients risking their lives. “Our health workers don’t sit idle,” she said.
Referring to huge criticisms of the Health Ministry, Hasina said many people say many things against the ministry. “There’s a section of people who have the habit of criticizing [govt], but they themselves do nothing.”
Sheikh Hasina said her government has given permission to many private televisions and built the country as Digital Bangladesh. There is also electricity to run air conditioners, she added.
The Prime Minister said they once criticised it (govt’s move to make Digital Bangladesh), but now they keep spreading propaganda taking advantage of Digital Bangladesh. “I think it depends on self-confidence whether we’re on the right path, no matter who says what.”
The Prime Minister asked the government officials to work with self-confidence not paying attention to who says what.
“When you all do your own work, do that with self-confidence. You won’t be able to work if you pay heed to who says what or who does what. You’ll have trust in yourself. You’ll have to keep trust on whether you’re doing the right jobs. If you have this trust, the people of the country will be benefited from your works,” she said.
Hasina asked the public servants to stand beside the people of the country as it is their duty to serve them. “It’s your duty to be there with people…. You, who are in the government services, are pledge-bound to serve people. So, it’s your duty to serve people.”
Sheikh Hasina said they came to power with people’s mandate and that is why they are pledge-bound to people. “So, it’s the duty of all of us to serve people.”
The Prime Minister promised to build a corruption-free administration asking all the ministries to take their own plans over integrity and implement those properly.
She said the government has adopted the integrity strategy to ensure transparency and accountability in the administration.
“We want to establish a corruption-free administration. Every ministry will have to take its own plan over integrity…. such plans should also be there up to the lowest tier of the administration. These (plans over integrity) will have to be executed properly. If you execute these, you’ll be rewarded,” she added.
A total of 17,075 government offices -- 51 ministries and divisions, 344 offices or agencies, 16,635 field-level offices and 45 public universities--- signs the APAs, which result in ensuring accountability at every tier of the administration, she added.
Senior secretaries and secretaries to the ministries and divisions signed the APAs on behalf of their respective agencies.
At the function, Agriculture Minister Dr Muhammad Abdur Razzaque, on behalf of the Prime Minister, handed over crests and certificates to them for their outstanding performances in implementing APAs and exercising integrity.
The Power Division was recognised with a crest and citation as the best performer in implementing APA in the 2019-2020 fiscal year while the Agriculture Ministry and the Energy and Mineral Resources Division as the second best and third best performers respectively.
Besides, seven other ministries and divisions received certificates in recognition of their outstanding performance in implementation of APAs. The ministries and divisions are Water Resources Ministry, ICT Division, Information Ministry, Rural Development and Cooperative Division, Fisheries and Livestock Ministry, Finance Division and Economic Relations Division.
Senior Secretary of Internal Resources Division Abu Hena Md. Rahmatul Muneem received the integrity award for exercising integrity as the senior secretary of Energy and Mineral Resources Division during the 2019-20 fiscal year.
The Public Administration Ministry was recognised as the best in implementing the national integrity strategy successfully, while the Industries Ministry and the Labour and Employment Ministry as the second best and the Railway Ministry as the third best performers in the 2018-19 fiscal year.
State Minister for Public Administration Farhad Hossain also spoke at the function conducted by Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam.
The secretaries concerned received the crests and certificates on behalf of their respective ministries and divisions.
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