Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday urged the friendly countries and development partners to join hands in executing the Delta Plan-2100, saying her government has been implementing the plan to ensure a better and improved life for the future generations. “To implement the Delta Plan, cooperation or participation of all at home and abroad—our friendly countries or development partners—are solely needed in every field of knowledge, technology and exchange of experiences, starting from financing,” she said. The prime minister said this while opening a two-day event titled “Bangladesh Delta Plan-2100 International Conference: Issues and Challenge of Implementation”, at a city hotel, joining virtually from her official Ganabhaban residence here. The policy makers, researchers, teachers, development activists and development partners from home and abroad are attending the event. Describing the Delta Plan as a techno-economic master plan based on information technology and knowledge, the prime minister said its implementation requires around 2.5 percent of the GDP by 2025. Mentioning that Bangladesh is a delta having 700 rivers and a vast low land area, she said, “We have to build it in such a way so our future generations can live beautifully. We are taking measures in this regard”. She said that despite Bangladesh has no contribution to climate change, it is one of the worst climate affected countries. “We’re taking various short, mid and long term measures keeping in mind the impact of climate change and we’re advancing with a far-sighted plan to protect Bangladesh for future generations,” she said. The prime minister said they’re taking measures in such a planned way that the development of Bangladesh could be sustainable and its economy would further be cemented. Sheikh Hasina said her government has undertaken the Delta Plan-2100 considering 100 years on how Bangladesh would advance towards development and prosperity during the period as it is a disaster prone country. “Bangladesh has to face floods, droughts, tidal surges, cyclones, river erosion, salinity and landslides at regular intervals due to the impact of climate change,” she said. She also said her government is implementing various programmes to ensure food security, accommodation, employment generation, healthcare services and others to protect the lives of the masses. It is necessary to ensure nutrition alongside food security, she said. The premier reiterated that Bangladesh is advancing and would definitely further ahead in the days to come. She said they proved Bangladesh’s advancement running the country’s economy and smoothing people’s lives and livelihoods whereas the world economy is stalled due to the triple blow of the Covid-19 pandemic, natural disasters and Russia-Ukraine war. “The world is facing an economic meltdown for Covid-19 pandemic and the war. Despite the fact, we’re trying that the people of the country don’t have to face any misery,” she said. She told the august gathering that her government has been offering stimulus packages to keep running the country’s economy and the lives and livelihoods of the people. “We have been able to keep running the country’s economy by giving stimulus packages,” she said. Due to the government’s timely measures, the per capita income of Bangladesh has increased to 2824 US dollars and the country has achieved 7.25 percent growth in the GDP despite the double blow, she said. The prime minister said her government has reached electricity to every house and broadband internet to every village and launched a satellite to the orbit which makes Bangladesh a digital one. “We have been able to keep rolling the wheels of the country’s economy using the digital system and for which we’re advancing forward,” she said. Sheikh Hasina said her government has executed the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) successfully and is working to implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. The General Economics Division of the Bangladesh Planning Commission and Embassy of the Netherlands in Bangladesh are jointly arranging the conference. Agriculture Minister Dr Muhammad Abdur Razzaque, State Minister for Water Resources Zaheed Farooque, State Minister for Planning Dr Shamsul Alam and Dutch Ambassador to Bangladesh Anne Gerard van Leeuwen also spoke at the function.
Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader on Thursday said the BNP is looking for a murky secret alley to seize the state power once again. “The dialogue that the BNP is talking about to outline a united movement against the government is not a dialogue at all but a deep conspiracy of the party and its allies,” he told a press conference at his secretariat office on Thursday morning. Quader, also the road transport and bridges minister, said the BNP is trying to fish in troubled water by making the country instable. “The people now understand that the negative politics of the BNP has gobbled up the party,” he added. Claiming that the country’s people are ready to thwart the conspiracies of the BNP and its allies, the AL general secretary said if the BNP again takes the path of violence and the politics of arson attacks like in 2013-14, the ruling AL is ready to take to the streets with the commoners to protect their lives and properties. About the BNP’s unison with different political parties, he said: “The country’s people saw the BNP’s unity with different leaders in the past when elections came. It was limited to paper only. The people did not get any result”.
Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud on Thursday said the people think that Begum Khaleda Zia should be sent back to prison again as her party BNP didn’t realize the generosity of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. “I saw a post on facebook that BNP leaders including Begum Khaleda Zia and Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir are crossing the Padma river by swimming. It is meaning that many people think they (BNP) should cross the river by swimming not through the bridge as they opposed and conspired to construction of the bridge and they had tall talks that the Awami League government couldn’t construct it,” he said. The minister told reporters after addressing a function of Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) marking its 27th founding anniversary in city’s Segunbagicha area. He said BNP is staging protest rallies today. But, Begum Khaleda Zia had tried to kill the Prime Minister and the August 21 grenade attack proved it, he added. He said the premier has shown her unprecedented generosity to Begum Khaleda Zia by extending her release from jail for two years in spite of being a convicted accused. But now, many are raising questions why the premier is showing the generosity to those who don’t know how to make valuation of the kindness, he added. Therefore, Begum Khaleda Zia should be sent back to jail again, said Hasan, also Awami League joint general secretary. Earlier, the minister and the DRU president inaugurated the function of the organisation through hoisting national and DRU flags respectively. Later, Hasan joined the rally after releasing of pigeons and balloons. Jatiya Press Club President Farida Yesmin and others addressed the inaugural function with DRU president Nazrul Islam Mithu in the chair. DRU general secretary Nurul Islam Hasib conducted the function. Hasan said the DRU has remained united in the way of its 27 years journey, stayed away from politics and it was not divided politically which are a great success of the organization.
The Rapid Action Battalion (RAB-2) has arrested Mufti Abdul Hai, a fugitive convicted to death for attempting to kill Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in 2000 who was living in Narayanganj changing his name since 2009. Members of RAB-2 arrested Mufti Abdul Hai, former Amir (chief) and founding member of the banned militant outfit Harkat-ul-Jihad Bangladesh (Huji), from Fatullah in Narayanganj on Wednesday night. He was convicted in the case of attempt to assassinate Sheikh Hasina at Kotalipara in Gopalganj and 2001 Ramna Batamul blast case. RAB Assistant Director (Media) ANM Imran Khan confirmed the arrest, saying that details will be announced at an official press conference on Thursday. On July 20, 2000, an attempt was made to assassinate Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina by planting a bomb at a public meeting place in Kotalipara, Gopalganj. The court sentenced 14 militants to death in that case. On June 23, 2014, a court sentenced eight people including the top leader of Huji -Mufti Hannan to death and six others to life imprisonment, for bombing and killing 10 people at Ramna Batamul on Bengali new year function on 2001. According to RAB sources, he was among the capital punishment awardees in these two cases. He was also sentenced to life in the Bangabandhu Avenue grenade attack case.