President Md Abdul Hamid on Thursday called upon the people of Bangladesh to work more unitedly to eliminate corruption, terrorism, drug abuse and militancy.
The president made the call in his speech in the 21st session of the current parliament which began on Thursday.
He said Bangladesh achieved independence through a bloody war under the leadership of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
In this independent sovereign country, the people are the source of all power, and the centre of all their hopes is the great national parliament.
"You are the people's representatives, so public interest should be placed above everything else. It is our sacred duty to gift a safe, happy, beautiful and prosperous Bangladesh to the new generation," he said.
The president said the spirit of the Liberation War and the ideals of Bangabandhu should be adopted to speed up the development of the country.
He termed the Padma Bridge a symbol of Bangladesh's ability and pride as it was built with its own funding.
"More than 30 million people of the country will benefit directly from it. The construction of the southern tube of the Bangabandhu multilane tunnel under the Karnaphuli River has been completed,” he said.
He also said he is hopeful that soon the tunnel will be opened for public use.
President Hamid also congratulated Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on the launch of the first metro rail from Uttara to Agargaon.
Referring to 2022 as a year of challenges, President Hamid said the nation and the entire world are going through a difficult time.
"We were able to successfully deal with the Covid pandemic and maintain economic progress, but the war between Russia and Ukraine has slowed down our progress," he said.
The president said even amid the global economic crisis, the amount of food grain stock currently in the country is 1.61 million metric tons, which is satisfactory.
He said pension will be introduced for all citizens above 60 from the fiscal year 2022-23.
