Primary school students to get free shoes

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has announced that the government will provide free shoes to students of government primary schools as part of its ongoing social welfare programme.

He made the announcement on Wednesday in Parliament while responding to a supplementary question from MP Md Abul Kalam during the question-and-answer session, which was presided over by Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed Bir Bikram.

In his written response, the Prime Minister said the BNP’s election manifesto envisions building a developed, prosperous and dignified Bangladesh through the combined implementation of democracy, good governance, economic development and human values.

He stressed commitments to free and fair elections, transparency in administration, accountability, the rule of law, human rights and freedom of expression. He added that the government aims to achieve economic prosperity by increasing investment and industrialisation, creating employment opportunities and developing human resources while taking strong measures against corruption. Priority, he said, is being given to building an inclusive and non-discriminatory society by strengthening key sectors such as education, health, agriculture and social safety nets.

Referring to the “Bangladesh First” foreign policy, he stated that the government is placing top priority on national sovereignty, security and public welfare while working to position Bangladesh as a self-respecting state based on equality and mutual respect.

The Prime Minister also said that action plans have already been prepared for implementation over the next 180 days, the 2026–27 fiscal year and the next five years.

He outlined several ongoing and planned initiatives, including excavation and re-excavation of 20,000 kilometres of canals and rivers, introduction of family cards for low-income groups, farmer cards for agricultural support, and allowances for religious institutions and athletes.

He further mentioned a five-year plan to plant 250 million trees, waiver of agricultural loans up to Tk 10,000 with interest, expansion of playgrounds and infrastructure across the country, introduction of e-health cards for medical services, recruitment of 500,000 government employees, distribution of free school uniforms to 200,000 primary students, and the new initiative to provide free shoes to primary school students.