Staff Correspondent: Information Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud on Sunday said Bangladesh is moving ahead indomitably to materialise the dream of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

“Bangladesh gets the final recommendation from the United Nations for
Bangladesh’s transition to a developing country from least-developed country
status . . . The country has left behind Pakistan in every index, which is
being also published in every media of Pakistan,” he said.

The minister made the comments while addressing the triennial conference of
Awami League Athrai upazila unit of the district.

Hasan said Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan had told that he would turn
the state into Sweden in the the next 10 years. But, then, the people of
Pakistan replied him (Imran Khan) saying that ‘not Sweden, turn Pakistan as
Bangladesh in the next 10 years.

Mentioning that Bangladesh in terms of per capita income has already left
behind India, he said. “The achievement during the last 12 years has been
possible only for Bangabandhu’s worthy daughter Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina.”

About COVI-19 situation, the minister said the pandemic was in tolerable
level in Bangladesh due to farsighted vision of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Many people were infected and died in the developed nations due to the
Coronavirus, but such types of incidents did not take place in Bangladesh, he
added.

He said many people, including BNP leaders, apprehended that crores of
people in the country would get infected with the virus and thousands of
people would die due to the spread of the Coronavirus.

“Even, they told that the government would not be able to bring COVID 19
vaccine in proper time. But the government has been able to successfully
combat the COVID 19 situation under the skilled and dynamic leadership of the
premier,” said Hasan, also Awami League joint general secretary.

He said the government has taken initiatives for buying vaccine before the
production. “And the vaccine has reached the country ….people are receiving
vaccines,” he added.

The minister urged the BNP leaders and other people, who earlier criticised
the government regarding vaccines, to receive the vaccines openly, not
secretly. He also urged the BNP leaders not to make countrymen confused.

BNP leaders also told that thousands of people would die due to starvation
during the COVID 19, he said, adding but, not a single person died due to the
virus as the government has taken pragmatic steps, he added.

All the leaders and activists of Awami League remained beside the
countrymen during the Corona pandemic following the directives of Prime
Minister Sheikh Hasina.

“For this, many including ministers, lawmakers and advisors of the
government and senior leaders of the party were infected with the virus and
many of them died. I was also infected. But, the persons, who criticized the
government, didn’t stand beside the common people,” said Hasan.

The minister went on saying that Bangladesh is now known as a hunger-free
country. The government has set a unique example through providing allowances
to widow, elderly people and people with disabilities and allocating houses
to homeless people.

The minister said the government has also increased the allowances of
Freedom Fighters, which is now Taka 20,000.

Food Minister and AL Naogaon district unit general secretary Sadhan Chandra
Majumder addressed the conference as the key speaker with AL Athrai upazila
unit president Nripendranath Datta Dulal in the chair.

AL health affairs secretary Dr Rokeya Sultana, Barrister Nizam Uddin Jalil
Jan, MP, and Md Anowar Hossain Helal, MP, addressed the conference as special
guests.

Naogaon AL district unit president Md Abdul Malek inaugurated the
conference.

In the second session of the conference, Nripendranath Datta Dulal and
Mohammad Akkas Ali was elected as president and general secretary of the
upazila AL unit respectively.