Collection of $ 1bn started to tackle emergency situation: PM tells Parliament
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday told the parliament that the government has started a process to collect an additional US$ 1 billion as budgetary support to tackle future emergency situations, including economic crises that emerged due to the Russia-Ukraine war.
The Premier revealed it in a tabled written answer while responding to a question from ruling party lawmaker Md. Mozaffar Hossain from Jamalpur-5 constituency during her question-answer session.
This budget support will be spent on the stimulus package for industries, factories, trading organisations, and small and medium entrepreneurs as well as a social safety net, she said.
Besides, a process is on to collect $ 500 million as budgetary support to tackle the economic crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic under the programme, she added.
The Prime Minister said her government is carrying out their relentless efforts to implement the Sustainable Development Goals as declared by the United Nations with various plans for well-planned socio-economic development and employment opportunities for the people.
Replying to a question from Md. Shahiduzzaman Sarker from Naogaon-2 constituency, Sheikh Hasina said so far 35, 52, 340 homeless people have been rehabilitated across the country.
She said all the landless and homeless families of the country will be rehabilitated gradually through the construction of houses.
She added that home construction activities for the homeless will be continued across the country.
She continued "Landless-homeless-rootless people are being rehabilitated even procuring land where proper khash land is not found.”
The Prime Minister said that her government is committed to the word "no place to stay" forever.
She said Bangladesh is being enriched as a whole by transforming the settled families and their future generations into human resources.
In response to another question from AKM Rahmatullah of the ruling party from Dhaka-11 constituency, she said the production of food grains in the country in 2009 was 3.38 crore metric tons.
At present, she said, the production has increased to 4.53 crore metric tons.
Currently, Bangladesh ranks third in the world in rice and vegetable production, while 7th in mango and potato production, 4th in tea production and first among 11 hilsa producing countries, she added.
Replying to another question from Mamtaz Begum of the ruling party from Manikganj-2 constituency, she said at present 43 districts of the country are under the railway network.
If the ongoing railway projects are implemented, 19 more districts will come under the railway network, she added.
She went on to say that the remaining four districts will also come under the railway network after the completion of the 30-year master plan.
Source: BSS
