Reaffirming that her government is very much active in tackling the ongoing flood, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday called upon the affluent section of society to come up in a bigger way with their support and assistance for the flood victims.
“I want those who are well-off in society to stand beside the country’s flood-affected people,” she said while receiving cheques of donations from various government and private organisations to her relief and welfare fund at her office. Mentioning that natural disaster is a regular phenomenon in the country, Hasina said,” We’ll have to move ahead braving these natural disasters.” The Prime Minister said the current flood has been causing colossal damages to crops as roads and highways while riverbank erosions are affecting many more people.
Sheikh Hasina said her government always puts emphasis on facing natural disasters like flood, drought, tidal surge, prudently alongside making it sure there is no loss of life and property. “Our government is very much aware in this regard.” The Prime Minister said her government is also very much alert and has been working relentlessly about the possible steps in case of any disaster like flood and heavy rains after receiving forecast and early warnings. About the donations, she said these will help fulfill the demand of food and other demands of the flood victims and rebuild their damaged houses.
Hasina said it is the decision of her government to rehabilitate those affected by the flood. “We’ve taken all kinds of steps to rehabilitate the flood victims so that the farmers could start cultivating crops afresh once the floodwater recedes.” She mentioned that the government has been sending enough relief materials to the flood-hit areas. Various private organisations are also there beside the flood victims with their support, she added.
Extending her sincere thanks to the Power Division and the Internal Resources Division (IRD) and other organisations for giving their donations to her relief and welfare fund, Hasina said the donations from this fund is usually used for the welfare of the various section of people to meet their needs.
Those who donated to the Prime Minister’s Relief and Welfare Fund are the Power Division and the organisations under it, the Internal Resources Division, the Shippers Council of Bangladesh, the Institution of Engineers Bangladesh (IEB) and the Western Engineering Pvt Ltd.
Earlier, the Prime Minister gave financial assistance to the family members of one Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), two police inspectors and two workers of Bangladesh Chhatra League who were killed when militants hurled bombs on them during an anti-militant drive at Atia Mahal in Shibbari area of Sylhet on March 25.
Hasina handed over cheques for financial assistance to Sayeeda Karim, mother and Mosammat Suraiya Sultana, wife of RAB official late Lt Col Abul Kalam Azad, Begum Feroza Khatun, mother and Parveen Akhtar, wife of late police inspector Md Monirul Islam, Saira Farhana Chowdhury, wife of late police inspector Abu Koysar, Begum Sultana Akhter, mother of BCL activist Wahidul and Kamal Ahmed Kabul, father of late BCL activist Jannatul Fahim.
About the family members of the victims of Atia Mahal operation, the Prime Minister said she has no words to console those who have lost their near and dear ones as their losses cannot be compensated.
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, PM’s Advisers HT Imam and Dr Towfique-e-Elahi Chowdhury, State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid Bipu, Inspector General of Police AKM Shahidul Haque, National Board of Revenue Chairman Nojibur Rahman, Rapid Action Battalion Director General Benazir Ahmed, Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Asaduzzaman Mian were, among others, present.
