Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Md Tajul Islam said Bangladesh is governed by its own policy and not by Sri Lanka. Thus, it is unreasonable and grossly inappropriate to give the example of our country with the internal crisis of Sri Lanka.
The minister was speaking as the chief guest at the closing ceremony of the two-day Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100 International Conference: 'Issues and Challenges of Implementation' held at Hotel Sonargaon in the capital on Friday afternoon.
The Minister said that the economic condition of Bangladesh has changed a lot in last one and a half decade. Per capita income and purchasing power have increased. Many developed countries and foreign companies are investing in the country under the leadership of the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Therefore, it is unreasonable and unreasonable to say that if a country falls into economic crisis due to its internal policy and the same situation will happen to another country, there is no possibility of that happening.
Minister Tajul Islam said that the most ambitious and long-term plan in the history of the country is 'Bangladesh Delta Master Plan'. Only Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been able to adopt this master plan. In this context, he said, the government's Delta master plan is not limited to paper and will not be. The main goal of the Delta Plan is to transform Bangladesh into a prosperous and self-respecting nation. "We are moving forward with the Prime Minister's far-reaching plan," he said. As a result of the implementation of the Delta Plan, the next generation will get a developed country. This country will be sustainable.
The Minister said that the Bangladesh Delta Plan has been formulated with the overall cooperation of the Netherlands in the light of the Delta Plan.
We need the support of our development partners to implement the Delta Master Plan. He called on development partners and organizations, including the World Bank, ADB and JICA, to stand by.
Minister Tajul Islam also said that Letter of Intent (LOI) was signed between the Government of Netherlands and the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives of Bangladesh yesterday (Thursday) as part of implementation of Delta Plan-2100. Through the said letter of intent, the Das government will conduct piloting activities in Raozan of Chattogram and Keshabpur Municipality of Jashore to deal with the effects of climate. The pilot project's experience will be used to address climate risks in more than 100 municipalities in the future.
The chief guest also said that the per capita income of the people has increased after the Awami League government came to power. In the last few years, the per capita income has increased to 2,624 US dollars. Many countries have lagged behind during the Coronation period. Various natural disasters have hit. The Ukraine-Russia war has had a global impact. The economic downturn has occurred. But the wheel of our economy is still moving.
Mentioning that the government is running the country with various medium term and long term plans including five-year plan, SDG-2030, Vision-2041, the minister said that these plans are being implemented as part of Delta Plan-2100 to reach the desired goal. If the philosophy of this plan is implemented, Bangladesh will definitely be established as a proud nation in the world.
"There are problems and challenges all over the world, in our country too. We have to move forward by tackling these challenges,” he said. The minister also said that the Bangladesh government is ready for that.
Deputy Minister for Water Resources AKM Enamul Haque Shameemwas the special guest at the function presided over by Planning Secretary Pradeep Ranjan Chakraborty.
Also present were senior officials of the Planning Commission, the Ambassador of the Netherlands and representatives of domestic and foreign development partners, among others.
