Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed on Wednesday expected that Bangladesh will be a poverty and starvation free prosperous country soon under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
“Bangladesh once was dubbed as a bottomless basket…but now it has become a role of development under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina,” said the minister while taking part in the general discussion on thanks giving motion for delivering the address by the President in the first session of 2018.
Tofail said Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had two ambitions- one to make the independence and other to make the country poverty and starvation free a prosperous Sonar Bangla.
During the regime of BNP, he said country’s foreign currency reserve was only US$ 3.48 billion and remittance was only US$ 4.8 billion, but now the foreign currency reserved reached to US$ 33.44 billion and remittance at US$ 13 billion respectively.
Apart from this, Tofail said the digital Bangladesh is no more a dream on Wednesday, but we expect that we will earn at least US$ 5 billion from the sector by 2021.
Quoting World Bank Vice President Kawshik Basu’s comment on Bangladesh, the Commerce Minister said “Kawshik Basu visited Bangladesh and admitted that Bangladesh is now being followed by many countries in the world.”
He added: “We already have passed India and Pakistan in many development indicators.”
Bitterly criticizing the activities of BNP-Jammat government, the senior ruling party leader said BNP-Jammat alliance government had patronized grenade and militant attacks which had been repeatedly carried out across the country during their regime between 2001 and 2008.
Industries Minister Amir Hossen Amu said with the effort of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the country is shining a dignified country throughout the world.
He alleged that a vested quarter is hatching conspiracy against the country as well as its leader Sheikh Hasina as they are not accepting the growth of the country. The government is establishing an industrial park at Gazaria for manufacturing drug raw materials, he added.
Referring to the Zia orphanage Trust case lodged against Khaleda Zia, he said the BNP chief had delayed the date of the case repeatedly and wanted to prove that the government is politicizing by imposing imprisonment to the BNP chief.
Taking part in the thanks giving motion, leader of the opposition Begum Rawshan Ershad said national consensus is very important for sustainable development of the country. “The present government is working to make a middle income one by 2021 and a developed country by 2041,” said the opposition leader.
She urged the government for drawing more investment in industrialization for creating employment as nearly 5crore people are jobless. The government should simplify the investment policy for creating more investment, she added.
The leader of the opposition also bitterly criticized the ongoing question paper leakage scam and the mosquito menace which already hit hard the people.
The lawmakers also thanked the President for giving a timely speech highlighting the success stories of the government and guiding the nation towards peace, progress and prosperity.
Earlier, they paid a rich tribute to the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman for his contribution to establishing an independent Bangladesh.
Whip ASM Feroz, who moved the thanks giving motion, also spoke on Wednesday in the general discussions where 232 lawmakers participated n the 64-hour discussions.
