Sheikh Hasina's Goal Is to Change the Fate of People

Bangladesh has already shown more efficiency than most of the countries in the world in dealing with the covid pandemic. The results of the Covid-19 index show that Bangladesh has done the best among the South Asian countries in dealing with the pandemic. Bangladesh ranks fifth in the world. With the same enthusiasm, the Prime Minister is fighting to save the people of the country from the problems of the war in Ukraine. The Prime Minister has already adopted strategies to increase austerity and agricultural production. Doing whatever is necessary to strengthen food security. Efforts are being made to further consolidate the social safety net to provide some relief from inflationary pressures. The government has undertaken various social protection programs including cheap food supply cards for crores of families, and selling food in the open market. Admittedly, the initiatives taken by the highest policy-making circles show timely sensitivity to the larger public demand; Some managerial challenges remain in implementing them at the field level. The rise in commodity prices has also created a fragile situation, but efforts are being made to overcome it. However, our leader is Sheikh Hasina, and we believe that we will be able to overcome these challenges gradually. The Prime Minister is urging us to implement the development program as best we can. There is no denying that, in the last 14 years, two and a half crore poor people have risen above the poverty line. Bangladesh has become a role model for poverty alleviation. Bangladesh is moving forward with a simultaneous emphasis on high growth and inclusion.

On the other hand, the revenue of the government has also increased. Although there are allegations of corruption almost everywhere, the biggest relief for the government is the agriculture sector and its management. In a populous country like ours, careful and judicious use of limited arable land is desirable. It happened in our country. As a result, import dependence on our agricultural products has been reduced to a large extent. Because of this agricultural revolution, the country of 170 million people has been made self-sufficient in food, which is a very positive aspect for the country. Today's agricultural revolution is the invention of the Awami League.

The journey of Digital Bangladesh started with almost empty hands. In time it has reached the height of space today. Bangabandhu Satellite-1 is now a symbol of Bangladesh's status. Every activity of daily life is affected by digital. The country is moving forward leaving behind many countries in the world in the use of information technology in the management of factories, businesses, and government. As a result, the people concerned think that the 'Digital Bangladesh' announced in the election manifesto of Awami League in 2008 is not a dream but a reality. The goal is now Smart Bangladesh. This year the budget has been given in the budget of 7 lakh 61 thousand 785 crores. About two crore people are directly and indirectly under the social safety net in the budget.

In 2008, the number of internet users in the country was only 8 lakh. Bandwidth usage then was 8 gigabytes per second (Gbps). According to the latest data from the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), more than 13.5 million people use the Internet in the country. Among them, there are about 12.5 crore mobile phone users and about 1 crore internet users on broadband and PSTN. In 2008, the country had about 56 lakh mobile phone users. Now the number of active mobile SIMs in the country is 180.6 million. At that time there was a 2G mobile network in the country and now, after 3G and 4G, the 5G network has started this year and will be commercially launched in December. In 2008, the cost of internet bandwidth per Mbps was Tk. 78 thousand. Now it is only 60 taka. 772 remote areas have been brought under the coverage of internet services at the Union level through the fiber optic cable of the INFO government project and through Bangabandhu Satellite-1. As a result, people in remote areas have now become accustomed to mobiles and computers in everything from personal communication to business, agriculture, education, and health.

By sending its own satellite into space, Bangladesh reached a new height on May 12, 2018. Bangabandhu Satellite-1 was launched from Kennedy Space Center in the USA as well. Bangladesh is the 57th country in the world to launch its own satellite. In 2014, the government started installing another new satellite in the orbital spot rented from Russia's Intersputnik. Bangabandhu Satellite-1 has 26 KU band and 14 C band transponders. All regions of the country, waters of the Bay of Bengal, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Philippines, and Indonesia are covered. A huge amount of foreign exchange is being saved every year due to the use of the Bangabandhu satellite in television channels and the DTH services of the country. Besides, some television channels in Honduras, Turkey, the Philippines, Cameroon and South Africa are using transponders. High-speed internet facilities are being provided in hilly, haor, and island areas of the country through this satellite. This satellite will work as an alternative even if the mobile network is down during major natural disasters.

Our main sources of revenue, especially foreign exchange earnings, are exports of manufactured garments and manpower. Although it started with private ownership, these two sectors have gained enough speed due to the interest of the government. As a result, the driving force of the country's economy has gained momentum. Along with that, the unemployment problem of the country has been solved a lot. There are products that are exportable, which cannot be exported by private enterprises. In this regard, the government's activity is worth seeing. Governments and employers still have a lot to do to make the garment manufacturing environment acceptable to foreign buyers.

When the World Bank canceled the allocation from the Padma Bridge, the Awami League government took it as a challenge. The government took the initiative to build the bridge with its own funding. The existence of the bridge is important to all of us now. This bridge is changing our economy. Over the past few years, the Awami League government has vowed to build infrastructure. Flyovers, underpasses, and Metrorail etc. have been constructed. The long-awaited and dreamed-of metro rail has been running since December 2022.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been praised in the international arena for taking various steps to ensure people's health protection to save lives from the Covid-19 pandemic. The influential US magazine Forbes has praised various initiatives of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Following this, the World Economic Forum also praised the Prime Minister's role.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been able to bring economic and social progress to Bangladesh by having the opportunity to rule the country for a long time. Its recognition is the UN SDG Progress Award 2021. She has received many recognitions from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Earlier, our country's honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was selected as one of the three most successful and exemplary women heads of government in the Commonwealth of Nations.

Bangabandhu's dream of building a Golden Bengal is being implemented by the Prime Minister with hard work and talent. With the hands of the world leader, this country will transform into a bright developed country like Singapore and Malaysia in a short time. Only Sheikh Hasina can build a developed, prosperous and peaceful Bengali nation and Bangladesh. She loved the country more than her children. Father's unfinished work that needs to be completed. A non-sectarian, democratic and future modern Bangladesh should be built. This is also the expectation of the new generation.


Hiren Pandit is a columnist
and a researcher.