Awami League President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said that Awami League has transformed Bangladesh into a changed Bangladesh in the last 15 years since coming to power in 2009.
She said this while speaking as the chief guest at the public meeting of Awami League on the occasion of the 12th Jatiya Sangsad(JS) election at Bangabandhu Udyan in Barishal city on Friday (December 29).
She said, from 2009 to 2023, 15 years we are in power, Bangladesh is changing first. We have built roads and bridges in Bangladesh as a whole. We have ensured food safety. Where there was 1 crore 80 lakh metric tons of food, today 4 crore 92 lakh 16 thousand metric tons of food is produced. The person who could not eat one meal can eat 2 meals, 3 meals today.
Sheikh Hasina said, Bangabandhu wanted to build a developed and prosperous country free from hunger and poverty. He took over the power of the war-torn country. There was no reserve money, not a drop of food in the shell. During the war no crops grew in the fields. Roads, bridges were all destroyed. He started with nothing, with a per capita income of 91 dollars. He was tormenting the father of the nation, so he sacrificed himself.
The Prime Minister said, that per capita had increased to 277 dollars in just three and a half years. Freeing two port mines, improving roads, distributing special land to the poor and even giving free books and clothes. Zia-Mushtaq came to power through murders, coups and conspiracies. After that General Ershad came to power but there was no change in the fate of the people of Bangladesh.
She further said, here in the Barishal region, I have established our naval base in the division. I made a cantonment. A power plant has been built for the development of this area. A special economic zone has been built. We have built a coal-based power plant with solar panels there. We have arranged Bhola gas as CNG to Dhaka. In future we will bring it to Barishal as well. We will arrange that the industrial factory is built.
The Prime Minister said, in Mujib year, we announced that not a single person of Bangladesh will be homeless or landless. Today we have given free houses to about 8 lakh 41 thousand 623 families. Up to every upazila level of Barishal, if anyone is landless, I will provide them with a house free of charge. We are providing housing and livelihood to the backward and even leprosy patients of all kinds including Bede, Hijra.
She said, we have made the road. What kind of road do you see? If you ride there, you will think that you are going to Bangladesh or some developed country. I have good news for you; I will build a 6-lane road from Bhanga to Barishal, Kuakata, Payra Port. Land acquisition work has already started. After discussion with Asian Development Bank, we will take the money from there. There will be no more suffering in this Barishal. I will make the road easier by making modern roads.
She also said that there are too many cases in Barishal. We have made the virtual court. Even sitting here, I have arranged for the case to be filed in the High Court. In every case the digital system is all over the country. Now our aim is to make Bangladesh Smart Bangladesh by 2041. Our sons and daughters will be educated in good learning. There will be skilled manpower.
It is learnt that Awami League President Sheikh Hasina will go to Tungipara in Gopalganj in the afternoon after the public meeting in Barishal. There she will pay respects at the tomb of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on Saturday morning. Later on Saturday, she will return to Dhaka after attending Awami League's election rally in Tungipara, Kotalipara and Madaripur.