Prime Minister and BNP chairman Tarique Rahman on Saturday reaffirmed his pledge to improve the lives of ordinary people, highlighting a range of government initiatives aimed at supporting farmers, women, students and low-income families.
Addressing a roadside rally after inaugurating the re-excavation of the historic Patli Canal in PMkhali of Cox’s Bazar Sadar upazila, Rahman said his party’s politics was centred on public welfare rather than the pursuit of power.
“We promised to work for the people and the country if given the chance to govern.” Today, we are moving forward on that path,” he said.
The prime minister formally inaugurated the canal restoration project at around 11:00am by turning the first sod.
He described the re-excavation of the Patli Canal as more than a development project, saying it was directly linked to agriculture, irrigation, and the rural economy.
According to him, the project will benefit around 8,500 farmers directly and help increase agricultural production by nearly 12,000 tonnes annually.
Referring to the recently announced national budget, Rahman said the agriculture sector had been given the highest priority.
He said that between 8,000 and 10,000 farmers in each district would receive agricultural cards, through which they would receive cash incentives of Tk 2,500.
“Our politics is about standing beside the people. If farmers survive, the country survives. He stated that the government had increased agricultural allocations and implemented measures to reduce farmers’ production costs.
Highlighting the importance of women’s education, the prime minister said women constituted half of the country’s population and stressed the need to expand educational opportunities for them.
He said the government had taken steps to make education for women free up to degree and undergraduate levels and planned to expand stipend programmes to ensure that girls in remote areas could pursue higher education.
Rahman also announced plans to introduce family cards to improve the economic resilience of rural households.
He said special budgetary allocations had been made to improve access to healthcare in rural areas and ensure the availability of medicines at affordable prices.
The prime minister added that taxes on essential medical equipment and medicines used for cardiac stenting and kidney dialysis had been withdrawn to reduce treatment costs for patients.
Responding to criticism from opposition parties over the national budget, Rahman said prices of goods had not increased following its announcement.
“Taxes on 60 essential commodities have been reduced. Duties have only been increased on alcohol and cigarettes because they are harmful to public health. Yet the opposition continues to criticise the move,” he said.
He further remarked that the true owners of the country were its 200 million people, adding that all government plans and programmes were designed with their welfare in mind.
The Patli Canal holds historical significance as part of a nationwide canal excavation programme launched by former president Ziaur Rahman to improve irrigation, agricultural production and the rural economy. Ziaur Rahman personally inaugurated the project in Cox’s Bazar in the late 1970s. Nearly five decades later, his son, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, inaugurated its re-excavation.
Earlier in the morning, the prime minister arrived at Cox’s Bazar Airport at 9:55am on a US-Bangla Airlines flight and was welcomed by district administration officials.
The rally was chaired by Abdul Mabud, the BNP convener of Cox’s Bazar Sadar upazila.
Among those who addressed the gathering were home minister Salahuddin Ahmed, water resources minister Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Annie, state minister for land and Chittagong Hill Tracts affairs Mir Mohammad Helal Uddin, state minister for civil aviation and tourism M Rashiduzzaman Millat, state minister for textiles and jute Md Shariful Alam, state minister for environment, forests and climate change Sheikh Faridul Islam and Cox’s Bazar-3 lawmaker Lutfor Rahman Kajol.
During his daylong visit, the prime minister is scheduled to inaugurate a tree-planting programme, lay the foundation stones for the proposed Pekua municipality and Matamuhuri upazila, attend a public rally, and participate in a meeting with distinguished citizens before returning to Dhaka later in the evening.
By Abdu Rashid Manik
Photo: Courtesy
