Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has greeted the Christian New Year 2023 extending her sincere greetings to the people of the world including the countrymen and expatriate Bengalis. She said according to the rules of nature, the new year instills new hope in the mind of people and inspires them to move towards a beautiful future with new enthusiasm.’
In her message, she also said that the year 2022 is a golden age of infrastructure development in Bangladesh.
Sheikh Hasina said, ‘2022 was an important milestone in the life of the Bengali nation. We achieved victory on 16 December 1971 by defeating the Pakistanis through a blood-shed liberation war under the leadership of our great leader Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. In 1972, almost all the countries of Asia, Russia, other countries of the then Soviet block, most of the countries of Europe, Africa and South America, most of the independent countries of the world including France, Canada, Great Britain and the United States recognized the new sovereign state of Bangladesh.
Countries that recognised Bangladesh celebrated the golden jubilee of diplomatic relations in 2022 through various events throughout the year. Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib pulled the newly independent country from the ruins of war with bare hands. There was no reserve money in the bank then, no currency notes. Contemptuously, some say bottomless basket. In just three and a half years from that situation, he elevated Bangladesh to a least developed country and gained recognition from the United Nations.
Also, 2022 is a golden age of infrastructure development in Bangladesh. On June 26 last year, we broke the web of domestic and foreign conspiracies and launched the Padma Bridge built with our own funds. On December 28, we launched a 14 km metro rail link. On December 21, we inaugurated 100 highways developed in 50 districts of the country. On November 26, we completed the construction of the south tube of the ‘Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Tunnel’ under the Karnaphuli River in Chittagong, the first in South Asia. On November 7, we inaugurated 100 bridges in 25 districts of the country. On October 19, we installed the reactor pressure vessel of Unit-2 of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant. Payra 1320 MW thermal power plant (1st stage) inaugurated on March 21. All our other mega and medium infrastructure development projects are also progressing at full speed.
Sheikh Hasina said, ‘Awami League government always works according to election promises. We have made unprecedented progress in every aspect of socio-economic development in the last 14 years, winning three consecutive rounds of popular vote since the 2008 elections. Like other countries in the world, the economy of Bangladesh also slowed down due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Ukraine-Russia war and economic sanctions and counter-sanctions have caused suffering for innocent people around the world. We don’t want war, we want peace. During this time of crisis, we have provided free medical care, corona vaccine and food items in special cases to almost all the people of the country. We have facilitated 1 crore families to purchase rice at Tk 30 per kg and edible oil, pulses and sugar at affordable prices through TCB cards.’
We are giving 30 kg rice per month to 50 lakh families at the rate of Tk 15 per kg and 30 kg rice per month free to 50 lakh poor families through VGD and VGF. We have provided free sanitary housing for 3.5 lakh people. Providing free primary health care and free 30 types of medicines from around 18,500 community clinics and union health care and family planning centers. Our 1 crore farmers are directly receiving government subsidy money by opening bank accounts for 10 taka. We are giving scholarships/scholarships to 2 crore 53 lakh students. New Year celebration with book festival has got a huge response among children and teenagers today and has become one of the social festivals as free books are delivered to the students on the first day of English year.’
The Prime Minister said, ‘We have increased money supply in rural areas. As a result, the foundation of our economy has become stronger, skilled human resources are being created, we have achieved great success in other social indicators including per capita income. Bangladesh has been declared a developing country by the United Nations in 2021, celebrating the birth centenary of the father of the nation and the golden jubilee of independence. We are implementing the Second Vision Plan to build an upper-middle income country by 2031 and a prosperous ‘Smart Bangladesh’ by 2041. We have started implementing ‘Bangladesh Delta Plan-2100’.
She said, ‘If Awami League is in government, the country will develop and the welfare of the people will be there. Because only Awami League holds the noble ideal of freedom and works for the country and people with dedication. I call upon the dear countrymen – let us devote ourselves to the overall welfare of the people of the country and build a ‘golden Bangladesh’ of non-communal spirit by resisting terrorism and anti-independence forces including religious extremism.
‘In the new year, the bond of harmony, friendship and brotherhood among people will be strengthened, all crises will be removed, all narrowness will be overcome and everyone’s life will be filled with endless happiness, peace and prosperity – I pray.’
