Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday said the only aim of her government is to establish a welfare-oriented local government for the betterment of the people.

“We want to establish a public welfare-oriented local government. That’s our sole objective,” the premier said while speaking at the oath taking ceremony of the newly elected Chairmen and members of the 59 Zila Parishads of the country.

Sheikh Hasina administered the oath to the newly elected 59 Chairmen of the Zila Parishods at a ceremony at Bangabandhu International Conference Center (BICC) in Dhaka.

On the other hand, LGRD Minister Md Tajul Islam administered the oath to the newly elected 623 members of the Zila Parishads.

The PM asked the Zila Parishad chairmen and members to identify the problems of their respective areas and solve those.

“You have to think about the ways and process to improve the fate of the people of the country,” she said.

She said although the elected representatives belong to different political parties, they  must all work for the entire population of their constituencies. The elections have been held in a free and fair manner, she said.  

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“You are the elected representatives and you are not for enjoyment and resort to luxury. You are here to serve the people,” she said.

She said that if the elected representatives can win the hearts of the people only through dedicated service to them.

If the public representatives, she said, prefer plundering people’s wealth to serving them “that will be the end of their political career,” she warned.  

The prime minister said that she wants to see the elected representatives to pay back the trust their voters reposed on them through selfless service.  

She also asked them to take special care in keeping their areas clean to prevent spread of dengue, the mosquito-borne disease now on the rise in the country.

Recalling the steps taken by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman for decentralisation of state power, the PM said the great leader had upgraded all the subdivisions to districts.

In light of the initiatives of Bangabandhu, she said, the government has been working to fulfill all the basic needs of the people, including healthcare, education, housing, food and clothes.

She mentioned that steps have been taken to ensure food security for all and the government is working to provide housing for every single homeless person.

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She directed the chairmen, members and representatives of other local government bodies to find out whether anyone left homeless in their localities and come forward to help them get houses.

Hasina said the Awami League government has created scopes for all the elected representatives, irrespective of their political affiliation, to work for the development of their respective areas.

She said that her government has been working to reach the cherished goal of building a hunger-and-poverty-free 'Sonar Bangla' dreamt by Bangabandhu.

She said the elected officials have now greater responsibilities in serving the people who have chosen them through ballots.