Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu on Sunday urged the information officers to contribute to the development of human resources by disseminating the information of government’s development initiatives to the doorsteps of common people.
“Education and better healthcare are prerequisite to the development of human resources. The government has taken different initiatives including ten special initiatives for enhancing the living standard of people to develop skilled manpower,” he said.
The minister said this while addressing the inaugural ceremony of a two-day workshop on “Human Development Media for Information Officers” at the city’s CIRDAP auditorium here.
Directorate of Mass Communication organized the workshop under the Access to Information (a2i) Programme.
Information Secretary Martuza Ahmed joined the function as special guest with Director General of Directorate of Mass Communication and Principal Information Officer of Press Information Department (PID) Kamrun Nahar chaired the function. People’s Perspective Specialist of a2i Programme Naimuzzaman Mukta also joined it.
Inu underscored the need for informing people about the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s “ten special initiatives” that has achieved remarkable success in the country’s socio-economic condition.
“We have challenges such as eradication of poverty, removing gender disparity, protecting country from adverse effect of climate change, coming out from illiteracy and achieving sound health. If we want to meet the challenge, we have to reach the ten special initiatives to the people,” he observed.
The minister highlighted the government’s different development activities including the development of information and communication technology, electricity and female education.
“Once only rich people could enjoy electricity facilities, now electricity has reached to the home of day laborers,” he said.
Inu said the country has made remarkable success in health sector including reducing of child and maternal mortality rate because of government steps including setting up of 14,000 community clinics across the country.
“Distribution of 35 crore books free of cost, mandatory education up to class eight and stipend for girls and other initiatives have been playing important role to reduce illiteracy and also to remove gender parity,” he said.
The minister said if women remain illiterate, half of total population will stay behind from development. So, the government has put special emphasis on female education,” he added.
He said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina made the state’s interference active for development in downtrodden areas of the society including poverty alleviation.
Inu said Ektee Bari Ektee Khamar, Ashrayan and Safety Net programmes have been taken to alleviate poverty.
“A poor or unhealthy person cannot be a development worker. If one can come out from poverty and unhealthiness, one can become a change maker and skilled manpower,” he observed.
He said information officers and media can play a crucial role to help develop the human resources by creating a bridge between the government and the common people.
The minister said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is not only curbing militancy and terrorism but also implementing development activities and
ensuring peace and prosperity to attain sustainable development goals (SDGs).
Information officers from the country’s 64 districts and four CHT
upazilas are taking part in the two-day workshop.
