UNB, Dhaka :
Criticising the World Bank for its fund withdrawal from the Padma Bridge project, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday said international agencies which brought false allegations have now realised that no conspiracy against the people of Bangladesh will work.
“They’ve now got such a lesson that no one will be able to conspire anymore to force Bangalees to bow down. Our goal is to move the country forward and we’re working tirelessly to this end,” she said.
The Prime Minister was speaking after formally handing over the Independence Award, 2017 to the recipients and their representatives at a function at the city’s Osmani Memorial Auditorium.
In February this year, a court in Canada acquitted three business executives of the charges that SNC-Lavalin Group Inc staff had planned to bribe Bangladesh officials in a bid to win a $50-million contract to supervise the Padma Bridge construction.
“The Federal Court of Canada in its verdict said the allegation was false, fabricated and fake, and there was no base behind the accusation. Such verdict of the court has further brightened Bangladesh’s image in the international arena,” she said.
The Prime Minister said her government had earlier announced to build the Padma Bridge project with its own fund and the work is going on in full swing.
At the programme, she handed over the Independence Award 2017, the highest State award, to Bangladesh Air Force and 15 personalities for their outstanding contributions at national level.
Sheikh Hasina said, her government has been working tirelessly so that the country could celebrate its Golden Jubilee of Independence in 2021 keeping its head high and with dignity.
“Obviously, we don’t want to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of our Independence begging from others with the begging basket in hand…we’re moving ahead and we’ll continue to move ahead. We no longer need to depend on others as now we’ve attained the capacity to implement 90 percent of our ADP with our own funding,” she said.
Extending her heartiest felicitation to the awardees Hasina said, “You’re such personalities whom could be replicated by others and I think those who want to build and develop their lives, could follow your path. We want to build a dynamic society with your merits and talents. We want that our future successors will also be groomed in such a way.”
Reaffirming her resolve to turn Bangladesh into a hunger- and poverty-free middle-income country by 2021 and a prosperous one in South Asia by 2041, Hasina also expressed her firm optimism that those who will assume office in the future will carry forward the government’s stride to attain the goal.
After the brutal assassination of Bangabandhu with most of his family members on August 15, 1975 by some a cable of army officials, she said the trend of power grabbing through violating the constitution had begun, halting the country’s socio-economic advancement.
“Bangladesh was supposed to be a secular country ensuring the people of all faiths to enjoy the equal rights and get their basic rights like food, shelter, clothes, education, treatment, but it was then guided to a totally different way, pushing it backwards,” the Prime Minister said.
Besides, she said, ill-efforts were made to distort the history of the Liberation War.
Highlighting the successes and development that the country attained over the last eight years, Hasina said the poverty rate has now came down to 22 percent and efforts are on to further reduce it by another 7-8 percent.
The GDP growth rate will further be boosted in the coming days from the present level of 7.11 percent, while the size of the budget has been increased manifold apart from raising the salaries and allowances of pubic servants by 123 percent.
Criticising the World Bank for its fund withdrawal from the Padma Bridge project, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday said international agencies which brought false allegations have now realised that no conspiracy against the people of Bangladesh will work.
“They’ve now got such a lesson that no one will be able to conspire anymore to force Bangalees to bow down. Our goal is to move the country forward and we’re working tirelessly to this end,” she said.
The Prime Minister was speaking after formally handing over the Independence Award, 2017 to the recipients and their representatives at a function at the city’s Osmani Memorial Auditorium.
In February this year, a court in Canada acquitted three business executives of the charges that SNC-Lavalin Group Inc staff had planned to bribe Bangladesh officials in a bid to win a $50-million contract to supervise the Padma Bridge construction.
“The Federal Court of Canada in its verdict said the allegation was false, fabricated and fake, and there was no base behind the accusation. Such verdict of the court has further brightened Bangladesh’s image in the international arena,” she said.
The Prime Minister said her government had earlier announced to build the Padma Bridge project with its own fund and the work is going on in full swing.
At the programme, she handed over the Independence Award 2017, the highest State award, to Bangladesh Air Force and 15 personalities for their outstanding contributions at national level.
Sheikh Hasina said, her government has been working tirelessly so that the country could celebrate its Golden Jubilee of Independence in 2021 keeping its head high and with dignity.
“Obviously, we don’t want to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of our Independence begging from others with the begging basket in hand…we’re moving ahead and we’ll continue to move ahead. We no longer need to depend on others as now we’ve attained the capacity to implement 90 percent of our ADP with our own funding,” she said.
Extending her heartiest felicitation to the awardees Hasina said, “You’re such personalities whom could be replicated by others and I think those who want to build and develop their lives, could follow your path. We want to build a dynamic society with your merits and talents. We want that our future successors will also be groomed in such a way.”
Reaffirming her resolve to turn Bangladesh into a hunger- and poverty-free middle-income country by 2021 and a prosperous one in South Asia by 2041, Hasina also expressed her firm optimism that those who will assume office in the future will carry forward the government’s stride to attain the goal.
After the brutal assassination of Bangabandhu with most of his family members on August 15, 1975 by some a cable of army officials, she said the trend of power grabbing through violating the constitution had begun, halting the country’s socio-economic advancement.
“Bangladesh was supposed to be a secular country ensuring the people of all faiths to enjoy the equal rights and get their basic rights like food, shelter, clothes, education, treatment, but it was then guided to a totally different way, pushing it backwards,” the Prime Minister said.
Besides, she said, ill-efforts were made to distort the history of the Liberation War.
Highlighting the successes and development that the country attained over the last eight years, Hasina said the poverty rate has now came down to 22 percent and efforts are on to further reduce it by another 7-8 percent.
The GDP growth rate will further be boosted in the coming days from the present level of 7.11 percent, while the size of the budget has been increased manifold apart from raising the salaries and allowances of pubic servants by 123 percent.
