Commending the World Bank, Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud has said the global lender wants to extend its assistance to Bangladesh realizing its mistake of withdrawing financing from the Padma Bridge project.
"The World Bank took Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to Washington DC by giving a special invitation after the bank realized its mistake. But it is not right that we will receive all of its assistance," he said while replying to a question from reporters on the signing of a $2.25 billion loan from the bank, in the conference room of his ministry at the Secretariat in Dhaka on Tuesday.
Hasan said the World Bank wanted to finance the Padma Bridge project later. "But we did not accept it. They also wanted to finance some other projects. Bangladesh has achieved the courage and capacity under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to decide on which assistance should be taken or which should not," he added.
He said: “The IMF chief said that Bangladesh is a role model for the world. And the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is needed for economic prosperity and development.”
The reputation of Bangladesh has reached a new height under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, he added.
About May Day, Hasan said this government is a government of the poor and toiling masses. For this, the government is working for the welfare of labourers, employees and farmers, he added.
He said the minimum wage of garment workers was only Tk1,662 in 2006 during the BNP government, and now the minimum wage is Tk8,000 along with other benefits and allowances.
He said discussions are ongoing to increase the wages.
The information minister said the demand of leftists 20 to 25 years ago was the wage of labourers be equal to three and a half kilograms of rice. But now, the minimum wage of a labourer is Tk500 which is equal to 10 kilograms of rice, he added.
Workers are not even available below Tk800-1,000 during the paddy harvesting season in Chittagong and areas of northern Bangladesh, he said.
He said people's income and purchasing power have increased, but it is also true that the prices of commodities have increased across the world. However, people can now buy things and monga (a seasonal famine-like situation) is now history, he added.
Replying to another query, the minister said labourers, employees and farmers were shot dead during the BNP regime. The BNP snatched the rights of labourers as the party did not lead the poor people, he said, adding that the BNP represented the rich and merchants.
He said Zia used to say that money is no problem and that Zia started the culture of not repaying loans taken out from banks, he added.
Earlier, the minister exchanged views with leaders of the Bangladesh Newspaper Employees Federation (BNEF) and Bangladesh Federal Union of Newspaper Press Workers (BFUNP).
In his speech, Hasan said employees and workers are also playing a pivotal role in the mass media along with journalists.
BNEF President Matiur Rahman Talukder and BFUNP President Md Alamgir Hossain Khan raised their demands to the minister.
Hasan assured them of considering their demands soon.
