Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina told the Parliament that despite the ongoing international crisis the country’s food security
remains secured.
“Bangladesh has overcome Covid-19 pandemic successfully, while the food security remains secured in the country amid the current international crisis as well,” she said while replying to a question from Awami League lawmaker Md Shahiduzzaman Sarkar elected from
Naogaon-2 constituency.
At the outset of the sitting, Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury tabled the Scheduled question-answer session of the Prime Minister.
Mentioning that Bangladesh has already attained food autarky, Sheikh Hasina said “the government has been working intensively to maintain our (food) Self- sufficiency.”
The Covid-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war has triggered the crisis in the global supply chain of different commodities including foods, she said, adding, in this
situation, the government has regularly been taking various steps on national and international levels to ensure food security to face this crisis.
Leader of the House said that Bangladesh has successfully attained the food autarky due to agricultural research, extension, continuous materials support and policy support in the agriculture sector “Bangladesh has now become a role model on the global stage in
terms of food security,” she added.
She said the country’s food grain production was 328.96 lakh metric tons in fiscal year 2008-09, which went up to 477.68 lakh metric tons in fiscal year 2022-23.
854km highways made four-lane, 1,131 bridges constructed since 2009 Some 854 kilometers of highways have been upgraded to four-lane ones, while 11,434 kilometers of highways
have been developed and construction of 1,131 bridges (123,254 meters) has been completed through 431 projects under the Department of Roads And Highways during the three tenures of the present government from 2009 to 2023, said the Prime Minister replying to a question of Jatiya Party lawmaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed (Thakurgaon-3).
In the current financial year, she said the works are underway to upgrade some 574km of highways to 4-lane ones, develop 4,634km of highway and construct 750 bridges (64,844 meters) under 131 projects.
Sheikh Hasina said the highway development projects completed during her three consecutive tenures from 2009 to June 2023 includes up -gradation of Dhaka-
Chattogram National Highway to 4-lane (Daudkandi- Chattogram Section) project, Joydebpur-Mymensingh Highway Development Project, Joydevpur-Chandra- Tangail-Elenga Highway Project with service lanes on both sides; Jatrabari Intersection-Mawa section of Dhaka- Khulna (N-8) Highway (including Ekuria- Babubazar link road).
Among the bridges constructed in the three terms of the government were 2nd Kanchpur Bridge, Meghna Bridge, Gomti Bridge, Payra Bridge (Lebukhali Setu) over Payra
River on Barisal-Patuakhali highway and Madhumati Bridge constructed over Madhumati River under Cross- Border Road Network Improvement Project (Bangladesh), she added.
Proposed investment in economic zones rose to US$ 26 billion Answering to a question from AL lawmaker Md.
Mamunur Rashid Kiron (Noakhali-3), the Leader of the House said that the overall proposed investment in the economic zone has now reached $26 billion.
Besides, 41 companies have started commercial production and 50 industries are under construction in different zones, she said, adding that these industries have produced products worth $14.8 billion and exported products worth $ 291 million, creating 50,000
jobs in these industries.
Mentioning that a one stop service portal has been set up to provide all investment related services from a single platform, she said that the one-stop service aims
to provide 150 investment offers online from 39 companies through the portal.
Already 63 services of 23 companies including BIDA have been included in online one stop service of BIDA, she added.
Sheikh Hasina said that the importance of proper development of power and energy sector for economic development has been considered and development activities are being implemented accordingly.
In this connection, a master plan titled “Power System Master Plan (PSMP)-2016” has been formulated with the objective of ensuring quality and uninterrupted power supply at a reasonable cost to all through integrated development of power generation, transmission and distribution, she added.
The premier said that the government is working to achieve the target of generating 40,000 megawatts electricity by 2030 and 60,000 megawatts by 2041.
Addressing the existing problem of power generation through gas-based power plants, she said, the government is implementing new plans for coal-diesel- furnace oil, nuclear power and renewable energy-based power generation.
At present, the power generation capacity (including captive and renewable) in the country is 28,134 MW, she said, adding that the Government considering future energy security has taken steps to develop renewable energy.
In the eighth five-year plan, she said, various plans are being adopted by setting a target of 10 percent of the total electricity generation from renewable energy by
2025.
Efforts to continue for recognition of 1971 genocide In reply to another question from Awami League lawmaker Anwer Hossain Khan (Laxmipur-1), the Prime Minister said many countries demanded the recognition of genocide committed in their respective countries as
International Genocide Day.
Later, the United Nations General Assembly on September 11, 2015 adopted a resolution through discussion to observe December 9 as the International Day for the Prevention of Genocide.
“Since then December 9 has been observed as the International Day for the Prevention of Genocide, the proposal to observe another International Day on the same issue would not be rational,” she said.
She, however, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs and the Liberation War Museum and some members of the martyrs’ families are
making efforts to achieve international recognition of the genocide that took place in Bangladesh in 1971.
The head of the government said individuals and organizations working on genocide are also working to attain the recognition of the genocide.
She said international recognition of the 1971 genocide that took place in Bangladesh is as complex and time- consuming as any other genocide in the world.
However, it would be easy to get international recognition of genocide by creating the global public opinion in favour of recognizing the genocide committed in Bangladesh. “Efforts will continue on the part of the government in this regard,” she said.
Source: BSS