Lawmakers hail President’s speech in JS

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SANGSAD BHABAN, Feb 3, 2019 (BSS) – Lawmakers from the treasury bench today hailed the speech of President M Abdul Hamid in the parliament saying the speech truly focused on various development activities of the present government.

They said the head of the state, in his 158-page speech on January 30 in 2018, on the first day of the maiden session in 2019 of the 11th parliament, highlighted different development activities in various sectors including socio-economic, political, cultural, education, youth and sports, information and communication technology (ICT) and foreign relations.

Referring to the landslide victory of the Awami League, they said the President mentioned that the 11th parliamentary polls, under the uncompromising and charismatic leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, was the reflection of government’s people-friendly activities.

The MPs hoped that the President’s speech where he also highlighted the development goals for materializing the Vision 2021 and 2041 would inspire people to work jointly being imbued with the sprit of 1971 Liberation War.

Four members of parliament took part in general discussion on thanksgiving motion of the President’s speech in the House with Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury in the chair.

Lawmakers — Professor Ali Ashraf, Shahiduzzaman Sarker, Benozir Ahmed and Meher Afroz Chumki attended the discussion.

The lawmakers said the country led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been working relentlessly to turn the country into a developed one within a stipulated time.

Taking part in the discussion on the thanksgiving motion on the President’s address to the House, senior parliamentarian Professor Ali Ashraf said once Bangladesh was a poverty-ridden country but now it has been turn to a self-sufficient one in food production.

Regarding the development in agriculture sector, Bangladesh once was a food deficit country and people had to suffer hardly for food crisis but not it has become a food sufficient country for the last 10 years since 2009.

Critizing the heinous farmers killing by the BNP-Jammat alliance government, Ashraf said the BNP-Jammat had shot dead 18 farmers in 1995 as they had demanded for fertilizer but after coming to power in 1996, the government led by the Awami League made all the agricultural inputs available for the farmers and consequently the country became self-sufficient in food production.

In 2008-09, country’s poverty rate was 31.5 percent and extreme poverty rate was 17.5 percent and due to the effort by the present government the poverty rate has declined to 24.3 percent and extreme poverty rate by 12.9 percent in 2016-17 fiscal year said Shahiduzzaman Sarker of Naogaon-2 constituency.

The lawmakers also thanked the President for giving a timely speech highlighting the success stories of the government and guiding the nation towards peace, progress and prosperity.

Earlier, they paid a rich tribute to the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman for his contribution to establishing an independent Bangladesh.