Describing the country’s graduation to a developing one as historic and a matter of pride, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday (Feb 27) said it has resulted from her government’s tireless planning, toiling and efforts in the last 12 years.
“Today’s achievement to a developing country from the least development one is the outcome of our 12 years’ tireless planning, hard working and efforts,” she said.
She was addressing a press conference joining virtually from her Ganabhaban residence in the capital marking the United Nation’s final recommendation regarding Bangladesh’s graduation to a developing country from the LDC one.
Younger sister of the premier, Sheikh Rehana, and Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader were also present at the Ganabhaban end, local media reported.
The PM has given the full credit of the graduation to the countrymen, saying that the milestone has been achieved due to united efforts of all.
“The people of the country have done it and we have only created the scope giving policy supports,” she added.
Referring to the final recommendation relating to giving Bangladesh the status of a developing country from the least development country, she said, “We have achieved all the qualifications to turn Bangladesh into a developing country.”
The premier said that she fells proud being part of the achievement as a daughter of Father of the Nation and thanked the countrymen at home and abroad and the development partners.
The premier dedicated the achievement to the new generation and youths who move forward Bangladesh towards more prosperity and development.
She said Bangladesh has secured its position as a dignified and confident country in the world stage through to the graduation.
Describing the achievement as a special step to make Bangladesh a developed country, the premier stressed the need for making Bangladesh’s position firm and sustainable in the outer world.
“Let us all irrespective of parties and opinions make a commitment to turn Bangladesh into a “Golden Bangladesh” at the advent of the August moment of the Birth Centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as dreamt by Bangabandhu,” she said.
To make the development sustainable, she said that the government has formulated the eight five-year plan and included different strategies in it to ensure sustainable development.
The PM said the Bangalee is a nation of bravery and it had achieved its independence in only nine months, adding, “Bangladesh will soon establish as a developed, prosperous and dignified country in the world if the pace of development continues.”
The economy will gain pace further if the mega projects such as Padma Bridge, metrorail, elevated expressway, tunnel under the Karnaphuli river, Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant and Moheshkhali-Matarbari coordinated development projects, 100 economic zones and over two dozens high-tech parks and IT village are implemented.
Sheikh Hasina said that Bangladesh has achieved the status of a developing country after successfully fulfilling all the three criteria such as per capita income, human resources and economical and environmental vulnerability assessed by the United Nations in its this year’s triennial meeting.
Earlier, Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal handed over the UN recommendation to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at Ganobhaban.
The UN in its first triennial meeting three years back first recognised that Bangladesh has fulfilled all the three criteria in 2018, she continued.
Cabinet members, including Information Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud and Commerce Minister Tipu Munsi, were also present at the Ganabhaban end.
PM’s Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim moderated the function while cabinet members and the country’s senior journalists got connected to the event from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) at Tejgaon in Dhaka.
Bangladesh has met, for the second consecutive time, all the three eligibility criteria for graduation – income per capita, human assets, and economic and environmental vulnerability.
Like the first triennial review of the United Nations Committee for Development Policy (UN CPD) in 2018, Bangladesh again met the criteria for the graduation from the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) in this year’s review meeting.
The five-day review meeting of UN CDP on the LDCs began on Feb 22.
Bangladesh was well ahead in the gross national income (GNI) criterion: its per capita income was nearly $1,827 in 2019 against the threshold of $1,222 of UN review. At present, the per capita income is $ 2,064 which is 1.7 times higher than the UN requirement.
In the Human Assets Index (HAI) criterion, the country’s score stands at 75.4 points, well above the requirement of 66.
Besides, in the Economic Vulnerability Index (EVI), a country’s score has to be less than 32, but Bangladesh’s score is 27 points.
Referring to the dream of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to build the nation as a poverty-hunger-illiteracy-free and non-communal Bangladesh, the Prime Minister said the Awami League government has been working tirelessly to materialize his dream.
She noted that this Bangladesh is not similar to the Bangladesh of one decade ago rather it is a changed Bangladesh which has been reflected in the economic and other indicators.
In fiscal 2008-09, Sheikh Hasina said, the country’s GDP size was only $ 103.5 billion which has now been expanded to $ 330.2 billion. In the last 12 years, the government’s expenditure has reached Tk 415,550 crore in 2019-20 from Taka 87,960 crore, she added.
She said the country’s export earnings increased to $ 40.54 billion in 2018-19 from $ 15.57 billion in 2008-09 while foreign currency reserve reached $ 44.03 billion from $ 7.47 billion in 2008-09.
The head of the government said poverty rate and extreme poverty rate were 48.9 percent and 34.3 percent respectively in 2001 which were trimmed down to 20.5 percent and 10.5 percent respectively in 2019.
Mentioning that Bangladesh now becomes self-reliant on food production, she said food grains production was 4,53,44,000 metric tons in fiscal 2019-20 and the country secured 3rd position in rice production. Power generation capacity has reached 24,421 MW at present from only 5,271 MW in fiscal 2009-10 and the beneficiary number increased to 99 percent of population from 47 percent, she said.
On the occasion of Mujib Borsha, Sheikh Hasina said, 8.92 lakh homeless people are being provided with houses while 70,000 houses have already been given and construction works of another 50,000 houses are under way.
The Awami League government from 1996 till now has provided residence facilities to 9,98,346 families, she added.
She said the government has allocated Taka 95,574 crore in this current fiscal, which is 16.83 percent of the total national budget and 3.01 percent of GDP, for the Social Safety Net programmes and the beneficiary number is 3.25 crore.
Mentioning that a total of 2.53 crore student from primary to higher education are given stipend, she said the government has given cash and other assistances to around 2.5 crore marginal people including Imam-Muazzin, employees of other religious organizations, non-MPO school-college-madrasha teachers, artistes, journalists and others during this Covid-19 pandemic.
The Prime Minister said the Covid-19 pandemic not only appeared as a crisis to Bangladesh but also before the world and considering this issue, the government announced a total of 23 stimulus packages of Tk 124,000 crore so far to keep running the wheels of the country’s economy.
She also said the government has already started Covid-19 vaccination and till Thursday, a total of 28,50,940 people received first doses of inoculations.
Newsmen approached the premier with different questions after she delivered a written statement in her first press conference since the coronavirus outbreak which she joined virtually from her official Ganabhaban residence.
LDC Graduation Challenges:
Asked for comments about impending changes after attaining the LDC graduation challenges, Sheikh Hasina said her government took all required steps to uphold the newly achieved status under a well-devised plan.
“We will have to uphold the status of a developing nation and will have to make it permanent and sustainable... We have plans and preparations,” she said.
The premier simultaneously urged the countrymen to perform their own responsibilities with sincerity and honesty for sustainability of the nation’s enhanced status so Bangladesh could move ahead with head high and self-esteem, depending on its own foot.
She said the government mechanisms worked well in combating the coronavirus pandemic though many feared it could lead the country towards disarray while Bangladesh in reality moved up to this stage largely due to sincere and combined efforts of all offices.
Covid-19 vaccine
The PM said as the nationwide first round vaccination campaign was underway, her office issued directives for procurement of another three crore doses of the Covid-19 inoculates and in case of unavailability of the jabs from outside Bangladesh itself would produce the vaccines.
“I have already asked our pharmaceutical companies which can do it (produce vaccines) to get prepared while we are seeing whether the vaccines are brought to the country...” she said.
Asked when she herself would receive the jab, Sheikh Hasina said she will certainly take vaccine but before that she wanted to bring a certain number of people under the inoculation coverage.
School reopening
The PM said the government wanted reopening of schools and other educational institutions ensuring their safety measures and directives were by now issued to provide vaccines to teachers and employees of educational institutions in line with WHO guidelines.
“We want to bring the academic environment back in all educational institutions by reopening those as early as possible,” she said.
Al-Jazeera report
Asked for her reaction to a recent Al-Jazeera report, the premier said she had nothing to say to this end and preferred the people of the country to judge its merit and authenticity alongside the motive behind the documentary.
But she hinted it was outcome of outrage of Bangabandhu’s assassins, people who wanted to kill her and 1971 war criminals and their relatives as they were out to tarnish the country’s image and obstruct its development as they were exposed to justice.
Digital Security Act
Replying to another question regarding debates over the Digital Security Act, Sheikh Hasina said her government was obligated to ensure the digital security since it waged the massive Digital Bangladesh campaign reaching the ICT facilities at grassroots.
“We have to ensure digital security so that no one can be derailed or none can be involved in terrorism and militancy or any acts that goes against the people and the country,” she said.
The premier said those who opposed the law were criticizing it without realising the ground reality that misuse of the technology could cause harm to the country and its people.
In an apparent reference to the death of a suspect under the Digital Security Act in judicial custody, she said nobody’s death was desirable at all, but there is nothing to do if anyone died being sick in jail.
“No one’s death desirable at all... but at the same time, creation of anarchy centering the death is also not expected,” she said.
