The 46th founding anniversary of Bangladesh Krishak League (BKL) will be observed today across the country in a befitting manner.
On the eve of the day, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday issued a message and greeted the BKL leaders, activists and all farmers marking the founding anniversary.
She said, “We have made ‘Krishi Batayan’ to reach the agriculture services to the doorsteps of farmers easily. A digital database of farmers across the country has been made where around 65 lakh farmers have already been enrolled.”
Around 3 crore farmers will be brought under the database in phases, she added.
Describing the initiatives which have been taken by the government for development of the agriculture sector for the last nine years since 2009 as ‘epoch-making’, Sheikh Hasina said the government has taken different initiatives for the overall welfare of farmers.
The government has distributed agriculture input cards among the farmers across the country, she said.
Even bank account has been opened for the farmers with an amount of Taka 10 only, the premier added in her message.
Terming the Awami League as the farm and farmer friendly government, the Awami League President said, “We had made the country self-sufficient in food during the period between 1996 and 2001, but later the government led by BNP-Jamaat alliance turned the country again a food-deficit one.”
The PM recalled the 18 farmers and their families who were killed for staging protests against the mismanagement and corruption in distribution of agriculture inputs, including fertilizer, by the then BNP government in 1995.
The country now has achieved self-sufficiency in food and the production now reached nearly 4 crore tonnnes, she added.
She hoped the farmers would play their due role to develop Bangladesh as a middle-income country by 2021.
Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had founded the Bangladesh Krishak League on April 19 in 1972.
BKL has chalked out different programmes across the country marking the anniversary.
