Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today urged affluent individuals extend their hands in erecting at least one home for poorer ones coinciding with the Mujib Year to fulfill Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s aspiration to build a “humane golden Bengal”.
“I call upon all affluent individuals in society to build at least one house for the helpless families,” she told the Jatiya Sangsad while replying to a question from treasury bench lawmaker Md Shahiduzzaman Sarker of Naogaon-2 constituency as Leader of the House.
She added she expected that by the end of the ongoing Mujib Year or “Mujib Borsho” all homeless people would have an abode of theirs as “we will build together a ‘Humane Sonar Bangla’”.
Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury chaired the sitting in the 10th session of the 11th Jatiya Sangsad this evening.
Sheikh Hasina said despite being one of most populous countries, her government’s all-out endeavor was underway to ensure housing for all homeless across Bangladesh while no other government or the head of government so far took such a programme to empower the poor and alleviate poverty.
The premier said the Disaster Management and Relief ministry was entrusted with the task of implementing “disaster resilient” housing programme to provide shelter to the poor, helpless and homeless people countrywide while 3 lakh 19 thousand 142 families so far were rehabilitated under her government’s shelter project in different areas under different categories.
She said specially designed houses were built to shelter poor people in rugged southeastern Chittagong Hill Tracts considering the feature of the terrain.
Sheikh Hasina recalled that during a visit to Charporagachha village in Laxmipur district on February 22, 1972 Bangabandhu had directed authorities concerned to rehabilitate the first landless family there and the work on it began from then.
Replying to another question from Shafiqul Islam Shimul of Natore -2 constituency the prime minister informed the House that despite the impact of climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic, the trend of increased crop production still continued under a government campaign to bring every inch of arable land under cultivation.
She said Bangladesh now appeared to be the third largest rice producer in the world that strengthened the country’s food security.
“Apart from this, Bangladesh is the third largest vegetables producer, the seventh largest mango producer, the eighth largest potato producer and the eighth largest Guava (peyara) producer country in the world,” the premier said adding the success earned the country the repute of being a role model of agricultural development.
Source: BSS