Staff Reporter:
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman yesterday said empowering women is crucial for advancement of the country. The country can’t go ahead leaving half of the population behind.
“Half of the population of Bangladesh is women. We firmly believe that if we leave this half of the pop-ulation behind, if we do not empower this half of the population, if we do not empower them, if we cannot empower them educationally and economically, then it is certainly not possible to move the coun-try forward in any way,” he told a function here.
The premier made the remarks while speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the Family Card pro-gram, organized by the Ministry of Social Welfare, at T&T playground in Banani, adjacent to Korail slum, this morning.
Recalling the contribution of the former prime minister, late Begum Khaleda Zia, to women empower-ment, Tarique Rahman said when Begum Khaleda Zia was in charge of the government, she made educa-tion for women, from school level to intermediate level, free throughout Bangladesh.
“Yesterday, we want to empower that educated female society economically and to make them economi-cally solvent,” he said.
In this regard, he said, the incumbent government has taken plans to empower women and as a part of it, yesterday the Family Card program was introduced across Bangladesh.
“…I firmly believe that my government will be able to gradually bring this family card to all the four crore families in Bangladesh, headed by women, within the next five years, InshaAllah,” he said.
The Prime Minister said the government has to follow rules and regulations in taking any initiative, and as part of those rules and regulations, it has to take pilot projects first.
This work (Family Card program) has started in 14 places or 14 upazilas across Bangladesh involving about 37,000 women,” he said.
In three areas of capital – Karail area, Bhashantek area and Sattala slum, about 15,000 women have been brought under the Family Card program today, he added.
The Prime Minister said before the general elections, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) promised to the country’s people to start work to distribute family cards among women if the party is elected to pow-er.
Less than a month after forming the government, he said, his government began works to fulfill the promise they made to the people.
Besides, he mentioned that his party had made some other promises, including introduction of ‘Farmer Card’.
“We have also started the work on the Farmer Card. InshaAllah, just as we were able to hand over fami-ly cards to 37,000 women, in yesterday’s event, in the same way, within the next month we will be able to hand over Farmer Cards to many other farmer brothers, InshaAllah,” the premier added.
The premier handed over the family cards to 17 women at the inauguration ceremony.
Later, Tarique Rahman reached out the money of family cards to accounts of 37,567 women in 14 places of different districts by pressing button on laptop.
Dr Zubaida Rahman, wife of Prime Minister Tarique Rahman; Social Welfare Minister Abu Zafar Md Zahid Hossain, State Minister for Social Welfare Farzana Sharmin, Social Welfare Secretary Dr Mo-hammad Abu Yusuf and Dhaka North City Corporation administrator Shafiqul Islam Khan were present, among others, on the occasion.
