United News of Bangladesh

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Friday urged people to stand by the helpless and underprivileged on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr, sharing the festive happiness with all sections of society. In a message on the occasion of Eid, he greeted the people of the country and expressed hope that Eid-ul-Fitr will further strengthen national unity, mutual harmony and solidarity. “On this joyous day of Eid, let us stand by the helpless, the poor, and the underprivileged, and share the happiness of the festival with everyone. Let this be our commitment,” the Prime Minister said. He urged all to be inspired by the great ideals of Eid and work together to build a humane, developed, peaceful and prosperous Bangladesh. He prayed to Almighty Allah to shower the joy, mercy and blessings of Eid-ul-Fitr upon all. The Prime Minister also prayed that Allah will guide the country and the nation towards peace, progress and prosperity, and ensure the welfare of the entire Muslim Ummah. He said the true significance of Eid lies in reflecting the lessons of Ramadan in personal, family, social and state life. “Eid calls upon people to forget all divisions of rich and poor, young and old, and to be united in bonds of love and brotherhood.” Tarique said the holy month of Ramadan teaches restraint, sacrifice, service and self-purification.  He also said the month-long fasting helps people develop self-discipline and feel the suffering of others, creating a spirit of compassion and mutual cooperation in society. Noting that Eid-ul-Fitr is one of the two biggest religious festivals for Muslims, the Prime Minister said after a month of fasting and spiritual practice, Eid-ul-Fitr brings messages of joy, peace, harmony and brotherhood to people’s lives. “On the occasion of the holy Eid-ul-Fitr, I extend my heartfelt greetings and Eid Mubarak to the people of the country and all Muslims around the world,” he said.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will continue to stay at his private residence in Gulshan instead of shifting to the official residence Jamuna. “Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will stay at his own residence in Gulshan. He is not moving into the official residence Jamuna,” said his Additional Press Secretary Atikur Rahman Rumon. He said the Prime Minister feels comfortable living in his relatively small house in Gulshan. “After returning to the country, he moved into this house, and it has been arranged accordingly,” he added. The previous Prime Minister’s residence at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar was damaged during the mass uprising on August 5, 2024, and was later turned into a museum by the interim government. During that period, Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus used the State Guest House Jamuna as his official residence. After Tarique Rahman took oath as Prime Minister, the Ministry of Housing and Public Works prepared Jamuna as the official residence for the Prime Minister. However, he has decided not to move into the residence. Rumon said the state functions of the Prime Minister will be held at Jamuna. “Two Iftar programmes hosted by the Prime Minister for diplomats and religious leaders have already been held there.” He said he Prime Minister will exchange Eid greetings with diplomats, distinguished citizens and people from all walks of life at 10am on Eid day at Jamuna.  

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman continued his official duties from his Gulshan residence on Wednesday, keeping a close watch on government activities across the country amid the Eid-ul-Fitr holidays. “The Eid holiday has begun. The Prime Minister is staying at his Gulshan Avenue residence and carrying out urgent official work from there. He is also keeping track of the situation across the country,” said his Additional Press Secretary Atikur Rahman Rumon. He said the Prime Minister is regularly seeking updates on the ongoing canal excavation programmes including whether the work is progressing as planned and is speaking with the relevant ministers to ensure proper supervision. Rumon said the Prime Minister has also contacted mayors and administrators of various city corporations, urging them to maintain cleanliness during the Eid holidays. “The Prime Minister has also taken updates on Eid travel fromministers and state ministers concerned ,” he added. Despite the public holiday on Tuesday, the Prime Minister attended office at the Secretariat, where he chaired a Cabinet meeting and a meeting of the Farmers’ Card implementation committee. The Eid holiday began on Tuesday and will continue until March 23. Eid-ul-Fitr 2026 will be celebrated on either on Friday or Saturday, depending on the moon sighting. 

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Monday inaugurated a nationwide canal excavation and re-excavation programme by cutting soil with a spade at Sahapara canal in Kaharol upazila of Dinajpur. The programme was launched at around 12:27pm at Balrampur village under Ramchandrapur union of Kaharol upazila. After reaching the canal bank, the Prime Minister first looked at a map of the canal and then moved forward to cut the soil of the canal. The Prime Minister also inaugurated the excavation of 54 canals across the country by launching the digging of the 12-kilometre Sahapara canal in the district. Later, he planted a tree sapling on the bank of Sahapara canal. The initiative brings back a programme first introduced by BNP founder and former president Ziaur Rahman who started canal excavation work across the country. After introducing the Family Card programme earlier, the Prime Minister launched the canal revival initiative to fulfil another election pledge made by the BNP ahead of the 13th parliamentary election. Accompanied by ministers and BNP leaders, Tarique Rahman personally began re-excavating the Sahapara canal cutting soil with a spade. By cutting the first soil from the canal, he formally launched the nationwide programme, marking the start of similar activities across the country. By digging the canal with his own hands, the Prime Minister evoked the memory of his father, BNP founder and former President Ziaur Rahman. Nearly five decades ago, he had taken a similar initiative by personally digging canals to improve irrigation and increase agricultural production. Several thousand local people enthusiastically watched as the head of government himself dug the canal, following in the footsteps of his late father. The Prime Minister arrived at Syedpur Airport from Dhaka by air at 10:15am. From there, he travelled by road to the Balrampur Sahapara area in Dinajpur. Leaders and activists stood along both sides of the road to greet him as his motorcade passed. This is Tarique Rahman’s first visit outside the capital since assuming office as Prime Minister on 17 February. He also addressed a public meeting near the canal at Sahapara. The programme was jointly organised by the Water Resources Ministry and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). BNP Secretary General and Local Government Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Social Welfare and Women and Children Affairs Minister Professor AZM Zahid Hossain, Water Resources Minister Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Annie, Disaster Management Minister Asadul Habib Dulu and State Minister for Water Resources Farhad Hossain, among others, spoke at the programme. The Sahapara canal is about 12.2 kilometres long and is connected with the Punarbhaba River. According to local leaders, the canal was first excavated in 1977 by then president Ziaur Rahman with the participation of local villagers and party activists. PM Tarique’s canal re-excavation drive in Dinajpur evokes memories of Zia Speaking to journalists before the inauguration, Social Welfare and Women and Children Affairs Minister and Dinajpur-6 MP Professor AZM Zahid Hossain said once the entire canal re-excavation is completed, around 31,000 farmers in the region will benefit directly while nearly 350,000 people will gain overall benefits. He said the re-excavation would help solve the area’s waterlogging problem, increase crop production and improve the local economy.

The stage is set in Kaharole upazila of Dinajpur for the inauguration of the Sahapara canal re-excavation programme by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. All preparations for the programme have been completed. A banner on the stage reads: “Public gathering marking the inauguration of the re-excavation of Sahapara canal under the nationwide programme for excavation and re-excavation of rivers, canals and water bodies.” The programme is being jointly organised by the Water Resources Ministry and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). State Minister for Water Resources Farhad Hossain Azad said the Prime Minister will first inaugurate the excavation of the Sahapara canal upon arriving at the venue. After the inauguration, he will go to the stage set up beside the canal and address the gathering. Tight security measures have been taken across Balrampur union ahead of the programme. Members of the police and other law enforcement agencies have been deployed in the area since morning. The Prime Minister left Dhaka on a flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines at around 9:30am and reached Saidpur Airport at around 10:15am before heading to the programme venue.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman reached Saidpur Airport on Monday morning on his way to Dinajpur to inaugurate a nationwide canal excavation and re-excavation programme. The Prime Minister left Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 9:30am on a domestic flight and reached Saidpur Airport around 10:15am, said his Additional Press Secretary Atikur Rahman Rumon. From the airport, Rumon said the Prime Minister will travel by road to Balrampur Sahapara area in Kaharole upazila of Dinajpur. He said Tarique Rahman will formally inaugurate the nationwide Canal Excavation and Re-excavation Programme-2026 by re-excavating the Sahapara canal, marking the start of simultaneous activities across the country. The Prime Minister is also scheduled to address a public meeting at Sahapara around 12:30pm. It is Tarique Rahman’s first visit outside the capital since assuming office as Prime Minister on February 17. After introducing the Family Card programme, the government is now launching the canal excavation programme to fulfil another election pledge of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). The Prime Minister will offer fateha at the graves of his grandfather Md Iskander Majumder, grandmother Taiba Majumder and aunt Khurshid Jahan Haque at Sheikh Farid Model Graveyard on the outskirts of Dinajpur town. In the evening, he will attend an iftar gathering and a views-exchange meeting with distinguished guests and political leaders at Dinajpur Circuit House at 5:00pm before returning to Dhaka by air at night. Security forces have taken extensive measures ahead of the Prime Minister’s visit, while the occasion has created huge enthusiasm among BNP leaders, activists, farmers and people from different walks of life in Dinajpur.

After introducing the ‘Family Card’, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman will now formally launch the government’s ‘Farmers’ Card’ pilot programme on April 14, the day of Pahela Baishakh, fulfilling his election pledge. The decision was finalised at a meeting on the ‘Farmers’ Card’ held at Secretariat on Sunday at 11am with the Prime Minister in the chair, said PM’s Additional Press Secretary Atikur Rahman Rumon. The ‘Farmers’ Card’ will initially be launched on a pilot basis under which marginal and most vulnerable farmers will receive certain benefits similar to those offered through the Family Card. The card will facilitate the delivery of subsidies, fertilisers, seeds and pesticides directly to farmerrs with a planned initial subsidy of around Tk 2,500 for eligible landless, marginal and small farmers. Agriculture Minister Aminur Rashid and State Minister for Fisheries and Livestock Sultan Salauddin Tuku were present at the meeting. Prime Minister’s Adviser on Finance and Planning Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir, Adviser on Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Rehan Asif Asad, and State Minister for Local Government, Cooperatives and Rural Development Mir Shahe Alam, among others, also attended the meeting. Before the 13th parliamentary election, BNP pledged to introduce the ‘Family Card’ aimed at empowering women by providing a monthly allowance and the ‘Farmers’ Card’ for marginalised farmers. On March 10, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman formally launched the government’s ‘Family Card’ programme for women-led households, fulfilling his election pledge to support women’s empowerment, economic inclusion and social justice. Just three weeks after the formation of the government following a massive election victory, the Prime Minister launched the Family Card at the T&T Playground, adjacent to the Korail Slum, in his constituency.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Saturday expressed his determination to build a peaceful and secure Bangladesh through united efforts of people of all religions and warned against any attempt to create division among them. “Today people of all religions are sitting together in one row here. This has been a long-standing tradition of Bangladesh. No one should be allowed to create division among us. Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and Christians—we will all work together, Inshallah, to build a peaceful Bangladesh,” he said. The Prime Minister made the remarks while inaugurating a pilot programme under the Ministry of Religious Affairs at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium to provide monthly honourariums to imams, muazzins, khatibs and other religious leaders, including priests and Buddhist monastery principals. Tarique Rahman, also the Chairman of BNP, mentioned that the people of all religions in Bangladesh have always lived together in peace. “We want to build a safe state and a secure society for everyone—something that people from all classes and professions desire. Once again, through today’s programme, we take an oath to build our beloved Bangladesh into a country where people of every religion and every profession can live in peace. Together, we will build this country. Let this be our oath and our expectation,” he said. Tarique said he believes every religion carries positive messages for building a morally enriched human society and stressed that people with religious knowledge have a crucial role in promoting religious, social and moral values in society. He said economic prosperity may bring comfort, but virtues such as patience, honesty, gratitude, respect, loyalty, solidarity, tolerance, generosity, friendship, humility, responsibility and compassion can only be cultivated through moral and social values. “Religious leaders have a vital role in fostering this moral and social consciousness.” The Prime Minister said the government’s programme to provide honorariums to khatibs, imams and muazzins has reached its first phase under a pilot scheme. A total of 4,908 mosques, 990 temples, and 144 Buddhist monarchies are covered, benefiting 16,992 religious leaders with monthly honorariums. He promised that everyone will be gradually included under this programme. Tarique said the main goal of such economic initiatives for people of all professions is to help people become financially self-reliant. At the same time, he made a humble appeal to religious leaders, saying that if they wish to participate in other economic or social activities alongside their duties at mosques or places of worship, the government is ready to support those initiatives as well. The Prime Minister said his government will make its best efforts, within the capacity of the state to ensure financial and social security for every citizen regardless of religion or background. He, however, said citizens also have responsibilities towards the state and society. “If each of us performs our duties properly from our respective positions, I hope that within the next 10 years we will see a politically and economically self-reliant Bangladesh, Inshallah.” PM Tarique launches monthly honorariums for imams, muazzins, others The Prime Minister said the government wants mosques and other religious institutions to become centres of religious, social and moral education. He said during the tenure of the BNP founder and ex-president Ziaur Rahman, the first imam training academy was launched, and in 1993, under Begum Khaleda Zia’s government, mosque-based child and adult education programmes were introduced. Tarique Rahman said the current government has not only introduced honorariums for imams, muazzins and other religious leaders, but is also planning ways to enhance their leadership skills and utilise their talents for national development. He said the Home Ministry has decided to include one imam, one khatib, or religious leaders from any other faith as a member of the law-and-order committees in every district and upazila. The Prime Minister said the government wants to reduce financial inequality and ensure peaceful coexistence by providing allowances or financial support and creating employment opportunities for economically disadvantaged group. “We made these promises to people before the national elections, and after forming the government, we began implementing them even before the ink on the ballots had dried, Alhamdulillah,” he said. Tarique said the government has already introduced the Family Card for economically disadvantaged women and gradually, it would reach the female heads of four crore families across Bangladesh. He added a pilot project for the Farmers Card will be launched on April 14, and the canal-digging programme will begin in Dinajpur on March 16. “By ensuring the political and economic empowerment of every citizen, we aim to build Bangladesh on a strong foundation, so that no fascist or anti-democratic force can deprive people of their freedom or right to speak. Religious leaders should be able to speak freely, and citizens should be politically and economically empowered to strengthen the nation,” the Prime Minister observed. During the programme, , the Prime Minister distributed cheques for the monthly among imams, muazzins, khatibs, priests and monastery principals and vice-principals from across the country. The payments were also sent directly to the recipients’ mobile accounts immediately after the Prime Minister pressed the iPass baton. Local Government Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Prime Minister’s Public Administration Adviser Ismail Zobihullah, senior religious leaders from various faiths, and officials including the Religious Secretary Munshi Alauddin Al Azad, among others, spoke at the programme with Religious Affairs Minister Kazi Shah Mofazzal Houssain (Kaikobad) in the chair.

“Let’s go to war,” Prime Minister Tarique Rahman said with a smile as he stepped out of his residence on Sunday morning to begin the first working day of the week. The brief but striking remark surprised officials waiting outside his Gulshan residence. Moments later, they realised he was referring to the daily struggle of running the country and tackling national challenges. The Prime Minister left his residence at 8:42am for the Secretariat to attend meetings of the Cabinet Division, said his Additional Press Secretary Atikur Rahman Rumon. As usual, personal staff and security officials were ready before his departure. When the door opened, the Prime Minister greeted them with his customary smile and made the remark. Rumon said the Prime Minister reached the Secretariat around 9:30am. He was scheduled to attend several meetings throughout the day, including meetings with Education Minister A N M Ehsanul Haque Milon, Education Adviser Mahdi Amin and Executive Chairman of the Bangladesh Investment Board Ashik Chowdhury, among others. Rumon said the Prime Minister been coming to office early every day and even working on holidays in an effort to bring discipline and speed to government work. “He is also encouraging ministers, state ministers, advisers, secretaries and other officials to come to office early,” Rumon said. He said the Prime Minister is working day and night to overcome long-standing mismanagement, irregularities and various challenges. “The Prime Minister used the phrase ‘Let’s go to war’ to express the determination to rebuild the country and tackle its problems,” Rumon added. He said the Prime Minister worked at the Prime Minister’s Office in Tejgaon on Saturday despite it being a public holiday and is now working from his office at the Secretariat six days a week. The Additional Press Secretary said the Prime Minister is working from the Secretariat so that ministers, state ministers and secretaries can be called quickly whenever needed. “When the Prime Minister works from Tejgaon, ministers or officials have to travel from the Secretariat, which often causes delays. Their movements with VIP protocol also create traffic congestion,” he said. “General people suffer due to this. To avoid such inconvenience and speed up government work, the Prime Minister is now working from the Secretariat,” Rumon said. Tarique Rahman took oath as Prime Minister on February 17 and came to his office at the Secretariat at 9:05am the same day. After arriving at the office, he inquired about which ministers, state ministers and secretaries were present.  

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday said that necessary initiatives have been taken regarding the signing of Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) Treaty/Agreement with 10 countries in order to receive necessary information, evidence and other necessary assistance in a bid to recover the money smuggled from Bangladesh. Govt measures to tame inflation soon: PM tells Parliament The prime minister said this in Parliament while replying to a tabled question of opposition Jatiya Party MP Mujibul Haque Chunnu during the question-answer session. She also said that a strategic paper on the recovery of laundered money has been prepared, which after approval by the National Coordinating Committee formed to prevent money laundering and financing of terrorist activities has been sent to all relevant ministries, departments and agencies to implement the recommendations of the said strategy paper. Women now empowered in Bangladesh: PM Sheikh Hasina said that money laundering through hundi or any other means is investigated by the CID of Bangladesh Police. “In this regard, the law enforcement authorities of Bangladesh and the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) are increasingly communicating with their foreign counterparts for the purpose of mutual cooperation in order to recover money in cases of money laundering detected abroad,” she added. Bangladesh and BIMSTEC to work together: PM Hasina