Balanced dev for all upazilas, regardless of party or region
Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan has said the government will pursue balanced development across all 503 upazilas, ensuring that people receive equal attention regardless of political affiliation or geographical location.
Moyeen Khan said no upazila should receive facilities that were denied to neighbouring areas, stressing that an elected government must implement development programmes in the interests of people across the country.
He made the remarks on Saturday while addressing a discussion titled “Formulating Strategies for Installing Solar Power in Urban and Rural Areas through Cooperative Societies” at the Cooperative Bhaban in Agargaon.
State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam attended the meeting as a special guest, while Rural Development and Cooperatives Division Secretary Dr Rafiqul I Mohamed chaired the programme.
He said government officials were not merely employees but public servants, adding that the government had considered properly evaluating their work and adjusting their salaries and allowances in line with the cost of living.
Although limited resources made it impossible to implement every plan immediately, the government would work to carry them out in phases over the next few years, he said.
The minister stressed that public representatives and government officials must ensure that ordinary people benefit from government activities and play an effective role in implementing Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s grassroots-focused development plans.
Highlighting the importance of renewable energy as conventional sources become limited, Moyeen Khan said wider use of solar power could reduce costs and improve people’s living standards.
He urged officials to work responsibly to ensure that the benefits of solar energy reached people across the country.
Speaking at the meeting, State Minister Mir Shahe Alam expressed hope that solar power generation would soon become a social movement.
He said a decision had been taken to install solar panels on the rooftops of educational institutions under the Ministry of Education, as well as institutions, markets and bazaars under the Ministry of Local Government.
Solar installations through societies under the Rural Development and Cooperatives Division could also help address the country’s temporary electricity shortage, he said.
The state minister urged rural development and cooperative officials to encourage people to generate solar power and provide the necessary support. He also said Tk 390 crore had already been released to local government institutions for solar panel installation and related services.
Moyeen Khan said the government would consider improving the administrative structures, responsibilities and facilities of institutions working in rural development and cooperatives.
Proposals raised by officials, including upgrading the Rural Development Board to a directorate, would be reviewed seriously, he said.
He added that increasing the number of registered cooperative societies was not enough; they must operate effectively and serve the public. Around 250,000 cooperative societies are registered in the country, he said.
The minister urged officials to inspect societies in their respective areas, encourage public-welfare activities and simplify registration so rural people could establish and operate cooperatives more easily.
Collective initiatives through cooperatives could help strengthen the rural economy and advance public welfare, he added.
Officials and employees of the ministry and its departments attended the meeting.
