UNB, Dhaka :
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday reiterated her firm resolve to provide everything necessary to
continue the modernisation process of Bangladesh Army.
She also expressed the hope that senior army officials would work sincerely to discharge their respective duties in confidence of their senior leadership, mutual trust, sympathy, brotherhood, sense of duty, responsibility and above all maintaining discipline.
“Epochal development has been unleashed in the infrastructural sector of Bangladesh Army over the last two tenures of our government (1996-2001 & 2009-2014) but still there is a need for further reorganising the Bangladesh Army in the current era of ICT. The pace of infrastructural development of Army would continue during this 3rd tenure (2014- ) of our government,” she said.
The Prime Minister was speaking before the Generals of the Bangladesh Army at the Generals’ Conference held at the Army Headquarters Conference Room at Dhaka Cantonment yesterday.
Hasina said, it was under active consideration of her government to set up another Infantry Division of Army on the banks of the Padma River in the country’s southern region.
This was the first such conference between the high-ups of the Bangladesh Army and the Prime Minister in 2015.
The Prime Minister also expressed her firm belief that the Bangladesh Army would discharge their critically important duty of supervising the Padma Bridge construction work with utmost sincerity alongside other important duties.
She said, due to the firm and strong steps taken by her government, the acceptability of Bangladesh Army has increased significantly both at home and in the global arena.
Hasina also extended her sincere thanks to the Army Generals, including its chief, for maintaining the pace of advancement of Bangladesh Army, energising confidence, trust and respect in all spheres of Army being the senior officials despite various adversities as well as moving ahead the pace of government’s development efforts.
The Prime Minister, also in charge of the Defence Ministry, said as part of the continuation of the development process, the implementation of the Forces Goal 2030 for Bangladesh Army has moved much ahead while modern arms, ammunition and communication equipment have been incorporated in its various organisational structures that have increased manifold the battle strength and movability of the proud Bangladesh Army.
Listing various steps undertaken by her government to further modernise the Bangladesh Army, she said the government has already completed the procurement deal of 6 MI-171 helicopters, 330 APC and 10 armored recovery vehicles under $ one billion military loan protocol with Russia and the first installment of which is likely to be inducted to the Bangladesh Army at the end of 2016.
Besides, process is underway to upgrade some 174 T-59 tanks while two FM-90 and surface to air missile regiments would be inducted to Bangladesh Army by 2016.
“This will also help enhance the own battle strength of the Bangladesh Army apart from discharging their duties in the UN peacekeeping missions with more efficiency,” she added.
Mentioning that the organogram of the Bangladesh Machine Tools Factory and Bangladesh Ordnance Factories have been reorganised to make the Bangladesh Army self reliant, Hasina said work is under process to set up missile assembly plant, explosive testing lab, bullet proof jacket manufacturing plant and APC manufacturing plant.
She said, the Bangladesh Ordnance Factories has undertaken a plan to manufacture missile FN-16 for destroying planes, which is going to be materialised very soon.
“With the manufacturing of the missile, Bangladesh Armed Forces would gain a new dimension which would bring a new identity for the force in global arena,” the Prime Minister said.
Lauding highly the role of the Bangladeshi peacekeepers in the UN peacekeeping missions, Hasina said some 9,593 Bangladeshi UN peacekeepers are discharging their duties in 10 countries round the world.
The Prime Minister said the Bangladesh Army has gained people’s confidence through various development works like upgradation of Joydevpur-Mymensingh road into four-lane, 24-kilometer long Cox’s Bazar-Teknaf marine drive road project, runway development of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.
In this connection, she hoped that the nation would witness a massive participation of Bangladesh Army in such kind of national development activities.
Hasina said, the establishment of five more dental colleges and five nursing institutes at Bangladesh Army is under process while the work for turning Army Dental Corp to separate Corp is also under process.
Citing the formation of the Pay and Services Commission 2013 for the public servants, she said the Pay Commission for the Armed Forces has also submitted their recommendations before the government and it will be implemented as much as possible considering the limitations.
Earlier, Army Chief General Iqbal Karim Bhuiyan received the Prime Minister as she arrived at the Army Headquarters.
Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister Md Abul Kalam Azad, Defence Ministry Senior Secretary Kazi Habibul Awal and PM’s Press Secretary AKM Shameem Chowdhuri were, among others, present.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday reiterated her firm resolve to provide everything necessary to
continue the modernisation process of Bangladesh Army.
She also expressed the hope that senior army officials would work sincerely to discharge their respective duties in confidence of their senior leadership, mutual trust, sympathy, brotherhood, sense of duty, responsibility and above all maintaining discipline.
“Epochal development has been unleashed in the infrastructural sector of Bangladesh Army over the last two tenures of our government (1996-2001 & 2009-2014) but still there is a need for further reorganising the Bangladesh Army in the current era of ICT. The pace of infrastructural development of Army would continue during this 3rd tenure (2014- ) of our government,” she said.
The Prime Minister was speaking before the Generals of the Bangladesh Army at the Generals’ Conference held at the Army Headquarters Conference Room at Dhaka Cantonment yesterday.
Hasina said, it was under active consideration of her government to set up another Infantry Division of Army on the banks of the Padma River in the country’s southern region.
This was the first such conference between the high-ups of the Bangladesh Army and the Prime Minister in 2015.
The Prime Minister also expressed her firm belief that the Bangladesh Army would discharge their critically important duty of supervising the Padma Bridge construction work with utmost sincerity alongside other important duties.
She said, due to the firm and strong steps taken by her government, the acceptability of Bangladesh Army has increased significantly both at home and in the global arena.
Hasina also extended her sincere thanks to the Army Generals, including its chief, for maintaining the pace of advancement of Bangladesh Army, energising confidence, trust and respect in all spheres of Army being the senior officials despite various adversities as well as moving ahead the pace of government’s development efforts.
The Prime Minister, also in charge of the Defence Ministry, said as part of the continuation of the development process, the implementation of the Forces Goal 2030 for Bangladesh Army has moved much ahead while modern arms, ammunition and communication equipment have been incorporated in its various organisational structures that have increased manifold the battle strength and movability of the proud Bangladesh Army.
Listing various steps undertaken by her government to further modernise the Bangladesh Army, she said the government has already completed the procurement deal of 6 MI-171 helicopters, 330 APC and 10 armored recovery vehicles under $ one billion military loan protocol with Russia and the first installment of which is likely to be inducted to the Bangladesh Army at the end of 2016.
Besides, process is underway to upgrade some 174 T-59 tanks while two FM-90 and surface to air missile regiments would be inducted to Bangladesh Army by 2016.
“This will also help enhance the own battle strength of the Bangladesh Army apart from discharging their duties in the UN peacekeeping missions with more efficiency,” she added.
Mentioning that the organogram of the Bangladesh Machine Tools Factory and Bangladesh Ordnance Factories have been reorganised to make the Bangladesh Army self reliant, Hasina said work is under process to set up missile assembly plant, explosive testing lab, bullet proof jacket manufacturing plant and APC manufacturing plant.
She said, the Bangladesh Ordnance Factories has undertaken a plan to manufacture missile FN-16 for destroying planes, which is going to be materialised very soon.
“With the manufacturing of the missile, Bangladesh Armed Forces would gain a new dimension which would bring a new identity for the force in global arena,” the Prime Minister said.
Lauding highly the role of the Bangladeshi peacekeepers in the UN peacekeeping missions, Hasina said some 9,593 Bangladeshi UN peacekeepers are discharging their duties in 10 countries round the world.
The Prime Minister said the Bangladesh Army has gained people’s confidence through various development works like upgradation of Joydevpur-Mymensingh road into four-lane, 24-kilometer long Cox’s Bazar-Teknaf marine drive road project, runway development of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.
In this connection, she hoped that the nation would witness a massive participation of Bangladesh Army in such kind of national development activities.
Hasina said, the establishment of five more dental colleges and five nursing institutes at Bangladesh Army is under process while the work for turning Army Dental Corp to separate Corp is also under process.
Citing the formation of the Pay and Services Commission 2013 for the public servants, she said the Pay Commission for the Armed Forces has also submitted their recommendations before the government and it will be implemented as much as possible considering the limitations.
Earlier, Army Chief General Iqbal Karim Bhuiyan received the Prime Minister as she arrived at the Army Headquarters.
Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister Md Abul Kalam Azad, Defence Ministry Senior Secretary Kazi Habibul Awal and PM’s Press Secretary AKM Shameem Chowdhuri were, among others, present.
