BSS, Dhaka :
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wednesday said her government is giving priority to further strengthen the rural economy and build social safety net for the rural poor people.
“The aim of our government is to develop economy and improve the living standard of the people and we are working tirelessly to achieve the goal,” she said.
The Prime Minister made the remarks when Belgium Ambassador to Bangladesh Pierre Vaesen paid a farewell call on her at her office this morning.
After the meeting, PM’s Special Assistant Mahbubul Hoque Shakil briefed reporters.
He said the Prime Minister mentioned the different steps her government taken in the fields of health, education and IT, saying that rural community is being directly benefited from these measures.
Spelling out government various initiatives for the welfare of the garment workers, Sheikh Hasina said the wages of the RMG workers have been raised by 226 percent over the last five years.
The non-resident Belgium ambassador said he was impressed at Bangladesh’s stunning development over the last 10 years. “Bangladesh made a lot of progress in socioeconomic and infrastructural fields during the period,” he said.
In this connection, he expressed his firm confidence that the hardworking people of Bangladesh would take the country forward further.
He also highly lauded the government steps after the Rana Plaza collapse to rescue and rehabilitate the victims.
Pierre Vaesen mentioned that there are friendly relations between the two countries since independence and said Belgium is one of the few European countries which first recognized Bangladesh as an independent nation.
Ambassador-At-Large M Ziauddin, PM’s Principal Secretary Abdus Sobhan Sikdar and Special Assistant Mahbubul Hoque Shakil were present on the occasion.
Later, the Prime Minister handed over cheques for financial assistance to one gallantry award-recipient freedom fighter and family members of other eight gallantry award-recipient freedom fighters.
PM’s Special Assistant Mahbubul Hoque Shakil said that the Prime Minister distributed the cheques at a simple ceremony held at the PMO.
Sheikh Hasina also enquired about the wellbeing of the gallantry award-recipient freedom fighter and family members of other freedom fighters.
Later, the Prime Minister handed over a cheque for donation of Taka two crore to the Chittagong Bar Association. Association President Advocate Abdur Rashid received the cheque on behalf of his organization.
Other office-bearers of the association were present during the cheque-handing over ceremony.
