President M Abdul Hamid on Thursday asked all concerned to expand the activities of the scout movement at grassroots level to make children, teenagers and youths ideal and worthy citizens.
“Scouting can play a very significant role in grooming new generation as a modern, progressive and creative nation” coping with the worldwide competition, he said while addressing the 46th Annual General Meeting of the national council of Bangladesh Scouts at Osmani Memorial Auditorium here.
The President said scout movement is playing a very conducive role to build up children, teenagers and youths as self-reliant, patriot, self-confidence and good citizens which would help turn Bangladesh into a “Sonar Bangla”, as dreamt by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Stressing the need for expanding the welfare activities of scouts, Abdul Hamid said, “We have to make the scouting activities more visible and popular everywhere being imbued with the spirit of War of Liberation and upholding country’s actual history.”
The President lauded the initiatives of scouts as work is on to increase its members to 2.1 million from existing 1.6 million in line with the “Bangladesh Scouts National Strategic Plan 2021”.
The scouts can also work in raising awareness about the adverse effect of the climate change worldwide, he said, noting that causalities following floods and landslides due to climate change impacts have become a matter of concern.
Expressing grave concern over the recent spate of militant and terrorist activities, President Hamid said, “We have to inspire the children, teenagers and youths for keeping them away from the curse of fanaticism, communalism, terrorism and militancy which are not supported by any religion at all.”
He added: “We must inform them (new generation) that there is no room for militancy or communalism on the soil of our holy homeland.”
Congratulating the 353 award recipients who got different scout awards for their outstanding contribution in the scout movement, the President, also country’s Chief Scout, hoped that the scout movement would be able to involve more teenagers and youths in days ahead.
Bangladesh Scouts President Abul Kalam Azad and Chief National Commissioner of Bangladesh Scouts M Mozammel Haque Khan, among others, spoke on the occasion.
