BSS-59 PM-SPEECH-TEXT 3

782

ZCZC

BSS-59

PM-SPEECH-TEXT 3

Dear Countrymen,

There is a huge difference between today’s Bangladesh and that of 10 years back. The living standard of the people has improved. Purchasing capacity has increased. The country’s people had almost forgotten to dream of something good. People dream today. Dream of better life. Dream of living beautifully. We are working to transform the dream into a reality.

It was beyond the people’s imagination that a bridge would be built on the mighty river Padma and through which they will cross the river directly by vehicles or trains. We are going to turn the dream into a reality. Construction of the Padma Bridge is progressing with own finance. Over two-third of the construction works have been completed. About half of the Padma Bridge is now visible. The construction of metro rail is progressing fast to curb the traffic jam in the capital. A feasibility study on constructing of subway rail has begun. The construction work of the elevated expressway from airport to Kutubkhali is also progressing rapidly. The country’s first tunnel is being built under the Karnaphuli river in Chattogram.

The works of upgrading Chandra-Bangabandhu Bridge East Station, Bangabandhu Bridge West Station-Rangpur and Dhaka-Sylhet highways to four-lane are underway after upgrading the Dhaka-Chattogram, Dhaka-Mymensingh and Dhaka-Chandra highways into four-lane.

The construction of new railway lines, addition of new coaches and engines and launching e-ticketing and new trains have introduced a new era in the rail communication. A total of 401 kilometers of new railway lines have been built since 2009. As many as 122 new trains have been launched. I hope the train operation on the Padma bridge will start from the day of inauguration of the bridge. All districts of the country are being brought under the railway connectivity.

The number of own aircrafts of the Biman Bangladesh Airlines stands at 18 with adding of six new dreamliners to the Biman fleet. The construction work of the third terminal of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) has started.

Initiative has taken to reach urban amenities to every village of the country. Electricity has already been reached to houses of 95 percent people. Ninety seven percent of the people have been brought under the hygienic sanitation facilities. Mega power projects are being implemented in Rampal, Matarbari, Payra and Moheskhali to produce sustainable power and ensure its supply. Everyday 650 million cubic feet gas has already been being added to the national greed from the LNG terminal at Moheskhali. Mini stadiums and auditoriums are being built at every upazila for physical and mental growth of the juvenile and young generation.

Today the health services have been reached to the doorsteps of the commoners through 18,500 community clinics and union health service centres. With increasing of bed numbers, other facilities have also been increased at the hospitals at upazila and district levels. Different specialized institutes and hospitals, including cardiovascular, kidney, cancer, neuro, eye, burn, ear, nose and throat ailments, have been set up. Nursing institutes have been built to meet the growing demand of the nurses.

A total of 20,102 doctors and 21,697 nurses have been recruited in the past 11 years. Works are underway to construct at least one medical college and hospital in every district.

We have achieved self-sufficiency in production or crops, fish and meat. Bangladesh has secured fourth position in rice production and third in fish and vegetable production in the world. Prices of agricultural inputs have been decreased several times. The prices of Diammonium phosphate or DAP fertilizer has been made Taka 16 per kg at the farmer level by reducing Taka 9 per kg in the last month. Agricultural equipment and machinery are being distributed among the farmers at subsidized price.

Scholarships and stipends are being given to over 2.3 crore students from primary to higher education level every year. Since 2010, free textbooks are being given among the students up to secondary level on the first day of year. We have so far nationalized 26,193 primary schools, 685 secondary schools and colleges. As many as 4661 educational institutions were enlisted in the MPO since 2009. The current education rate has crossed 73 percent.

The allocation in social safety net sector was Taka 373 crore in 2005-06 fiscal. The allocation stands at Taka 74,367 crore in the current fiscal year. Around 5.10 crore people are being benefitted directly or indirectly. We have been implementing more than one project as none remain homeless. Houses are being built for those families who have no house but land. Besides, houses are being built for landless and the homeless people due to river erosion. Taka 100 crore has been allocated for that.

Nowadays, over 15 crore SIMs are being used in Bangladesh. The number of internet users is around nine crore. Broad band connection has been reached to over 3500 unions of the country. We have taken initiatives to introduce 5G after 4G.

Our main target is to generate employments for the youth. We have set a target to create 1.5 crore employments during the current tenure. The work on establishing 100 economic zones both in public and private sectors is going on. Work on setting up industries-factories in 15 economic zones has already started. Huge numbers of foreign and local investors are coming to invest in these economic zones. Construction of over two dozens of high-tech parks and IT villages is continuing.

Vocational and technical educational institutions are being set up across the country to create skilled manpower. Necessary trainings are being imparted to create employment through free-lancing. Over six lakh free-lancers were able to create employment for them in IT sector. Besides, agriculture, fisheries, animal husbandry, tourism and service sectors have huge potential of employment generation.

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