In the corona situation, a different dimension will be added to the publicity activities of Bangabandhu's birth centenary, said the Information Minister Dr. Hasan Mahmud.
He told reporters while presiding over a meeting of the Media, Publicity and Documentation Sub-Committee on Celebrating the Birth Centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at the Information Ministry meeting room at the Secretariat on Tuesday (September 29) afternoon.
Textile and Jute Minister Golam Dastagir Gazi, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs. Shahriar Alam, Minister of State for Information Murad Hasan, Information Commissioner Abdul Malek and Information Secretary Kamrun Nahar were present in the meeting room.
The Information Minister said many of the programs we undertook on the occasion of the birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu were suspended for about seven months of the year due to corona. So in the rest of the time, we are in the process of making a decision through a detailed review of what we can do realistically in the context of the country and the world.
Mujib year is coming to an end on March 16 next year, and next year is the golden jubilee of our independence, that is, the 50th anniversary - we have started discussions in this context, said Dr. Hassan. He said that considering the global pandemic situation, all the programs that can be done without public gatherings and can be implemented through online activities are being reviewed.
The Information Minister said for example, as we planned a lot of documentary and short films. Their filming work has come a long way. But filming work has been hampered by corona. Discussions are going on how we can complete the filming in the remaining time.
The Information Minister also mentioned that due to the coronavirus, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has limited and suspended many programs of Mujib year. Although preparations were done for a long time for various programs including the inaugural function of the Mujib Year,
Prime Minister Mujib canceled the inaugural function of Mujib year in an attempt to keep the people of the country as free as possible from the hands of corona. It has been seen that Bangladesh is in a better position than many other countries to deal with coronavirus. Bangladesh has one of the lowest corona mortality rates in the world. This has been possible due to the timely action of the Prime Minister.
By coordinating life and livelihood, the Prime Minister has kept the economy of Bangladesh afloat and in terms of achieving economic growth; Bangladesh has lagged behind almost all countries in Asia. Hasan said that according to the projection of the Asian Development Bank, when the world is stagnant in corona this year, where the economic growth of most countries is negative, then the economic growth of Bangladesh will be 5.2 percent.
Former Information Adviser to the Prime Minister Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury, Managing Director of Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha Abul Kalam Azad, Director General of Bangladesh Television SM Harun Ar Rashid, Director General of Bangladesh Betar Hosne Ara Talukder, Director General of Bangladesh Press Institute Zafar Hossain, Mass Communication DG Aktar Hossain, Managing Director of Ekattar Television Mozzammel Babu, General Secretary of the National Press Club Farida Yasmin, journalist Naimul Islam Khan and other members of the subcommittee joined the meeting online.