United News of Bangladesh

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Tuesday assured foreign investors interested in investing in Bangladesh of all necessary support from his government. “Bangladesh currently has a favourable environment for investment,” he said when a delegation of the American Chamber of Commerce in Bangladesh (AmCham) paid a courtesy call on him at the meeting room of the Cabinet Division at Bangladesh Secretariat. An eight-member AmCham delegation, led by its President and Mastercard Vice President Syed Mohammad Kamal, attended the meeting.  

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Tuesday welcomed greater private-sector partnership in Bangladesh’s digital financial services and technology sectors as Visa expressed interest in expanding its investment and business operations in the country. Visa Asia-Pacific President Stephen Karpin paid a courtesy call on the Prime Minister at the Cabinet Division at the Bangladesh Secretariat where they discussed investment, digital payments, technology and innovation.  

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Monday inaugurated three pilot Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) villages as part of the government’s initiative to localise the SDGs across Bangladesh. The villages are Mitingachhari in Kaptai upazila of Rangamati, Pankhali in Dacope upazila of Khulna and Nafanagar in Bochaganj upazila of Dinajpur. The Prime Minister inaugurated the pilot programme through a video conference from Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre  where he attended the national conference titled “Navigating Five Year Strategic Framework for Achieving SDGs: Policy, Partnership and Priorities.” During the virtual inauguration, the Prime Minister connected with representatives of the three selected villages. “We have seen that three villages are connected with us online. These three are SDG villages, meaning all the plans related to the SDGs will be implemented here,” said the prime minister. He formally declared the inauguration of the three pilot SDG villages. Tarique Rahman said a range of programmes including Family Cards, Health Cards and Farmers’ Cards, loans for small and medium enterprises, school uniforms, madrasa-based education, renewable energy, village tourism, blue employment, “One Village, One Product”, tree plantation, canal excavation and eco-tourism will be implemented on a pilot basis in the three villages. He said the government will monitor the impact of the programmes and, based on their success, plans to expand the model to other villages across the country, Tarique said. The Prime Minister expressed hope that the SDG Village initiative would become an internationally recognised development model demonstrating how the government’s election pledges could be translated into practical programmes at the grassroots level. The General Economics Division (GED) of the Bangladesh Planning Commission and the Governance Innovation Unit (GIU) of the Prime Minister’s Office jointly organised the national conference. Under the SDG Village Pilot Programme, the government is developing the three villages as models for localising the Sustainable Development Goals and implementing SDG-related initiatives at the grassroots level.  

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Saturday called for collective efforts to build a better Bangladesh, saying the sacrifices made during the July Mass Uprising and at different times in the country’s history were aimed at creating a more developed and livable country. He made the remarks while handing over appointment letters to 10 family members of those killed or seriously injured in the July 2024 Mass Uprising at the Prime Minister’s Office in Tejgaon, said PM’s deputy press secretary Hasan Shiplu. “Some of you directly took part in the July movement while some had loved ones who participated. It is because of your sacrifice or that of your loved ones that the people of Bangladesh can live in a free environment today,” Tarique Rahman said. He recalled the sacrifices made by people from the 1971 Liberation War to the July 2024 uprising, saying their common aspiration was to build a better Bangladesh where people could live with greater dignity and security.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Saturday urged doctors to ensure that political involvement does not come in the way of their professional responsibilities or the delivery of healthcare, stressing that patient care must always remain their foremost duty. “Political involvement should never become a reason for failing to perform professional duties. This is most important,” he said while addressing a doctors’ rally marking the 37th founding anniversary of the Doctors Association of Bangladesh (DAB) on the LD Hall premises of the Jatiya Sangsad. Tarique Rahman said there was an ongoing debate over the extent to which students, teachers and professionals should be involved in politics. He said it is not unreasonable for students, teachers and professionals to remain politically aware or organised according to their own beliefs and ideologies in a democratic country as political decisions influence almost every aspect of public life. “But political involvement must not hinder the performance of your professional duties,” the Prime Minister said, urging DAB doctors to remain mindful of the issue.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Thursday stressed the need for adopting innovative and environmentally sustainable solutions to tackle riverbank erosion and asked the authorities to move forward with the use of vetiver grass to protect rivers, canals, embankments and transport infrastructure. He gave the directive while chairing a meeting at the Cabinet Division in the Secretariat on the use of vetiver grass for protecting riverbanks and canal embankments, said PM’s Deputy Press Secretary Shahadat Shadhin. At the meeting, Dr Muhammad Shariful Islam, Pro-Vice Chancellor of the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology(Buet) and a professor of the university's Civil Engineering Department, made a presentation on the use of vetiver grass as an environmentally friendly and sustainable alternative to concrete blocks and geo-blocks. He highlighted its potential to prevent erosion of riverbanks and canal embankments, protect coastal dykes, stabilise roads in char and haor areas, and safeguard roadsides and railway embankments. The presentation said vetiver grass could provide an effective, durable and eco-friendly solution to erosion. It also noted that the grass has already been used experimentally at several locations in the country with encouraging results. The meeting also discussed implementing the initiative on a larger scale through dedicated projects.

Warning that river pollution has reached an alarming level, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Thursday instructed the authorities to take strict and coordinated measures to protect the Buriganga and other rivers around the capital. "River pollution has now reached an unbearable stage. If we fail to take effective measures now, we will have to answer to future generations," he said while addressing a meeting on the "Improvement of Water and Environment of the Buriganga River" at the Cabinet Division conference room in  Secretariat. Tarique Rahman also asked the officials concerned to formulate and implement a comprehensive action plan to restore the rivers surrounding Dhaka, said PM’s Deputy Press Secretary Shahadat Shadhin. “There is no room for negligence in taking strict and coordinated steps to prevent pollution. Alongside preparing the action plan, its effective implementation must also be ensured,” Shadhin quoted the Prime Minister as saying. The meeting reviewed the environmental condition of the Buriganga, Turag, Balu, Shitalakkhya and other rivers surrounding Dhaka and discussed the major sources of pollution, existing challenges and long-term solutions. Untreated industrial effluents, inadequate sewerage and drainage systems, declining canal navigability and poor solid waste management were identified at the meeting as the main causes of pollution in the rivers surrounding the capital.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Wednesday spoke to injured July uprising fighter Mitu during the inauguration of the July Mass Uprising Memorial Museum in the capital. Seated beside his daughter, Barrister Zaima Rahman, the Prime Minister enquired after Mitu's health and the progress of her treatment. Mitu, who was seriously injured during the July 2024 mass uprising and is still undergoing treatment, came directly from the hospital to attend the inauguration ceremony of the museum at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar. The Prime Minister called Mitu over during the programme, warmly spoke with the injured fighter, asked about the progress of her medical treatment and expressed his respect for the courage and sacrifice she had shown during the July uprising. Earlier, Tarique Rahman formally inaugurated the July Mass Uprising Memorial Museum before joining a discussion titled "July 36." Despite still undergoing treatment for injuries sustained during the July movement, Mitu attended the event as one of the invited guests. The interaction between the Prime Minister and the injured July fighter created an emotional atmosphere among those present at the programme.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Wednesday warned that attempts to create unnecessary controversies and instability in post-fascist Bangladesh could inadvertently pave the way for the return of the ousted authoritarian forces, urging all to carefully consider the consequences of such actions. "I would like to draw the attention of the people to one issue today. In a Bangladesh freed from fascism, some are trying to create unnecessary issues and destabilise the country. We need to consider whether, knowingly or unknowingly, such actions are facilitating the return of the defeated, deposed and fugitive authoritarian forces," he said. The Prime Minister made the remarks while addressing a discussion titled "July 36" after inaugurating the July Mass Uprising Memorial Museum at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar in the capital on the occasion of July Mass Uprising Day. Tarique Rahman formally inaugurated the July Mass Uprising Memorial Museum at Ganobhaban (the residence of the former prime minister) on the northern side of the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban around 9:00am, marking the formal opening of a museum dedicated to preserving the memories of the 2024 July mass uprising.

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Thursday toured the newly inaugurated July Mass Uprising Memorial Museum, viewing exhibits depicting the events leading up to the July 2024 mass uprising and what organisers described as the 16 years of "authoritarian rule" under former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Former interim government Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus accompanied the Prime Minister during the visit. Following the formal inauguration of the museum at Ganobhaban at 9:00am, Tarique Rahman toured its galleries before arriving at the discussion venue around 9:50am. The museum displays photographs of the July uprising, personal belongings of those killed, clothing worn by the martyrs, letters, important documents, newspaper clippings and audio-visual materials documenting the movement. It also features footage showing former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina leaving the country on August 5, 2024, amid the student-led mass uprising.