Saying that his government’s main responsibility is to protect the interests of people and resolve their problems, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Saturday urged citizens of all strata to stand by his government to help take Bangladesh forward and place it alongside developed nations.
“This government is your government. You elected it and brought it to power. Its number one duty is to protect the interests of people and solve their problems,” he said while addressing a gathering after inaugurating the re-excavation of the Basia River at Kashipur Union in Sylhet.
Tarique sought support from people of all walks of life to carry forward development plans and address the challenges facing the country.
“If you stand by us, we will be able to move Bangladesh forward and make it capable of standing alongside developed nations—if we all work together,” he said.
The Prime Minister said the people of Bangladesh voted in the election on the 12th February to install a government that will work for them. “Our only accountability is to the people of this country. That is why we want to carry out programmes and take actions that truly benefit the people.”
He said local leaders told him that there are not enough mills and factories in Sylhet, leaving many young people unemployed.
“We promised before the election that if BNP formed the government, we would reopen closed factories. Here with you is your own representative, Muktadir (Khandaker Abdul Muktadir), who is the Industries Minister. Soon after the election, within five to seven days, I sat down with him to review where factories are closed. Insha’Allah, we will reopen them gradually,” Tarique said.
He also said the government is working to create employment opportunities for young people abroad.
The Prime Minister said, “Less talk, more work. Now is the time to build the country.”
Commerce Minister Khandaker Abdul Muktadir, Water Resources Minister Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Anee, State Minister Farhad Hossain Azad and Prime Minister’s adviser Humayun Kabir were present at the programme.
The Basia River, which connects the Surma River and the Kushiyara River, has long suffered from loss of navigability and remained nearly defunct. The re-excavation initiative has been undertaken by the Ministry of Water Resources following demands from local residents.
The Prime Minister earlier inaugurated the re-excavation work of the Basia River canal at Kashipur Union around 1:20pm by cutting soil with a spade.
Addressing local residents, Tarique said the canal was originally excavated in 1977 by former president Ziaur Rahman but has since become silted up and nearly unusable.
“We want to re-excavate this canal because around 80,000 farmers will benefit directly, while another 150,000 will benefit indirectly,” he said.
Tarique, also the Chairman of BNP, said the project is expected to increase crop production by nearly 7,000 metric tonnes in nearby areas.
The Prime Minister said similar canal re-excavation projects will be carried out across the country to support farmers.
Highlighting the government’s pro-farmer approach, he said the distribution of farmers’ card has already begun in Tangail and will gradually reach farmers nationwide.
“Through the farmers’ card, we will provide benefits such as access to loans, fertiliser, seeds and pesticides,” Tarique said adding that each farmer will receive Tk 2,500 annually to support their farming needs.
He also said loans of up to Tk 10,000 for farmers have been waived.
Tarique said canal excavation work has already started in around 60 places across the country and that the 23-kilometre stretch of the Basia canal will be completed over two dry seasons.
Work will resume in November after the monsoon, with efforts to complete the project next year, he added.
The Prime Minister also announced plans to plant around 50,000 trees along both sides of the canal to protect it and benefit local communities.