Staff Reporter:
Awami League (AL) President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday promised to make Bangla-desh a hunger-poverty-free smart country by 2041, if her party is elected in the forthcoming national elections to be held on January 7.
“If elected by the people’s vote, we will make Bangladesh a hunger-poverty-free smart country by 2041, Inshallah,” she said while declaring her party’s election manifesto at a city hotel ahead of the 12th Jatiya Sangsad (parliament) election.
She said technological capabilities are essential to survive global competition in the fourth industrial revolution era.
“That is why we announced the building of ‘Smart Bangladesh.’ Smart Bangladesh has four pillars – Smart Citizens, Smart Government, Smart Economy, and Smart Society. The Awami League govern-ment has worked in every field to establish Smart Bangladesh,” she said.
Sheikh Hasina also pledged to reduce the poverty rate to 11 percent, end extreme poverty and reduce the poverty rate to 3 percent by 2041.
“We have set targets to reduce the poverty rate to 11 percent, end extreme poverty, and reduce the pov-erty rate to 3 percent by 2041. If elected, we will implement it,” she said while declaring the AL’s elec-tion manifesto in a city hotel yesterday ahead of the 12th parliamentary elections to be held on January 7.
She promised to continue to improve roads, communication, clean water, modern healthcare and medical treatment, quality education, improved sewage and waste management, increased electricity and fuel supply, computers, and high-speed internet facilities, expanding the market for quality consumer goods
including electrical appliances.
“We will continue to ensure that every village has all the facilities of a modern town. Self-employment will be arranged in the village to reduce the tendency of the village youth to move towards the city,” she added.
Convener of Bangladesh Awami League Election Manifesto Formulation Committee for 12th national election Dr Md Abdur Razzaque yesterday said the election manifesto has been prepared in consultation with civil society members, professionals, youths and cross section people, giving high importance to their recommendations.
Abdur Razzak, also a presidium member of the party said this in his introductory speech while launching Awami League’s 12th National Election Manifesto at city’s Pan Pacific Sonargaon hotel yesterday.
Awami League President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina presided over the function and launched the 12th National Election Manifesto of the party.
Abdur Razzak said Bangladesh Awami League has implemented the 2014 and 2018 manifestoes with great efficiency.
In continuation to that success, the manifesto for 2024 national election has been prepared.
“The manifesto widely reflects the demand and thoughts of our people,” he said.
Dr Razzak said the manifesto focuses on transforming Bangladesh into a developed country by 2041 by utilizing the unprecedented progress that AL made in the past one and a half decades.
Our main goal is to increase efficiency of the people and scopes of employment,” he said.
Saying that the manifesto has given priority to 11 core issues, Dr Razzaque said that the foremost im-portant issue is to arresting the price spiral of commodities to keep it with the affordability of people.
Other prioritized issues are- establishing discipline in the financial sector, ensuring effectiveness and ac-countability of the law enforcing agencies, widening employment opportunities for youths, building smart Bangladesh, boosting investment for agricultural mechanization, food processing and industrial development.
AL General Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader also spoke on the occa-sion.
