PM's latest push is to build graft-free administration PM's latest push is to build graft-free administration Gives a pat on health ministry's back for corona combat  News Report
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina put forth her
government's latest push for building up a
corruption-free administration in
Bangladesh in a significant move that
experts say needs a proper political
backup.
In her address to bureaucrats Thursday
she indicated a system change as regards a
graft-free high-performing administration.
Her pledge, analysts say, upholds the
spirit of the programme Father of the
Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
had launched against the backdrop of
wrongdoings in different sectors.
The prime minister asked the
government officials and employees to
undertake their own plan on ‘shuddhachar
(integrity) and implement it effectively
in order to achieve a clean image of the
administrative setup.
“We want to establish a graft-free
administrative system in the country and
you’ve to undertake your own plan on
integrity and how you’ll execute it
(plan),” she said while addressing the
Annual Performance Agreement (APA) Signing
Ceremony-2020.
The prime minister also said this plan
will go up to lower level and it will have
to be executed effectively. “Those who
could do it will be rewarded,” she added.
The prime minister joined the function
held at the conference room of the Public
Administration Ministry through
videoconferencing from her official
Ganabhaban residence.
Sheikh Hasina simultaneously directed the
government officials and employees to work
with self-confidence and stay always
beside the people in their weal and woe.
“When you do any work, do it with self-
confidence … you cannot do any work if you
pay heed to who, what said and who what
wrote,” she said.
The prime minister said there is a class
of people in the country whose habit is to
make criticism. “They’ll say many things
about a little fault. But they won’t do
anything,” she said.
Sheikh Hasina said her government has
given permission to many private TV
channels and has implemented Digital
Bangladesh, adding that propaganda
(against the government) will continue
through it.
“But you (government officials and
employees) will have to have your own
trust and confidence in whether you are
doing the right thing. If you’ve that
confidence, the people will get its result
… I want to say that,” she said.
The prime minister said it is a
responsibility of the government officials
and employees to stay beside the people.
“It’s also our responsibility as we came
to power with people’s vote and we’re
pledge-bound to them … those who do
government job are also pledge-bound to
the people to serve them".
Turning to the coronavirus pandemic, the
prime minister gave a pat on the back of
health ministry, deflating some idle
criticisms. She said the ministry showed
enough efficiency and the government has
been able to keep under control the COVID-
19 as the primary works that were supposed
to be done at that time were implemented
properly.
Many criticise the health ministry, but
the ministry showed efficiency enough to
prevent the spread of the lethal virus,
she categorically said.
“We’ll have to keep in mind that health
professionals including doctors, nurses
and health workers don’t sit idle, they
are working with efficiency risking their
life to combat the COVID-19."
Sheikh Hasina said many doctors, nurses
and health workers died while treating the
corona patients.
Besides, she said, officials of the
administration, members of the armed
forces and law- enforcement agencies
alongside the leaders and activists of
Awami League and its front organisations
are also working with utmost sincerity to
fight the disease and help people during
this crisis.
Mentioning that she is worried about the
student community due to the coronavirus
outbreak, the prime minister said it is
hampering their study seriously.
“Not only Bangladesh, the economy of the
entire world has been stalled due to the
pandemic and the people of whole world are
suffering for it,” she said.
Sheikh Hasina regretted that the pace of
development works has slowed down in the
wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. “There is
no doubt that obstruction has been made on
the way we are advancing. But we’ve to
cross this hurdle and work by accepting
it,” she said.
“Disasters will come as Bangladesh is a
disaster-prone country. But we’ve to
advance by combating the calamities."
Sheikh Hasina said the government
announced a set of stimulus package which
is equivalent to over four percent of
country’s GDP. “No country declared such
packages first before Bangladesh and we
thank the finance ministry for this,” she
said.
“We’ve provided the incentive packages as
well as cash wherever it is necessary by
opening our hand, and as a result, the
wheel of our economy remained operative,”
she told the meet.
The prime minister said they had announced
Digital Bangladesh in 2008 in their
election manifesto and the government is
now completing their works by utilising
information technology.
Sheikh Hasina expressed her firm belief
that Bangladesh would move ahead further
and never look backward and urged all to
work together to attain the goal.
“Our advancement will continue and we will
not move backward…we will build a hunger-
and poverty-free Sonar Bangla as dreamt by
Bangabandhu. To achieve the goal, I call
upon all to work in unison,” she said.
Extending her sincere thanks to all who
successfully executed the APA, the premier
said they had done an excellent work amid
the COVID-19 pandemic, which will remain
an example in the world.
“I thank those who got awards for the work
and I want you to work the same way to
achieve more awards in the days to come."
The prime minister said her government in
2014-15 introduced the APA for ensuring
transparency and accountability in
government organisations.
Referring to the successive military rule
after the assassination of Bangabandhu in
1975, Sheikh Hasina said the
administration does not have such
transparency and accountability when the
military dictators remain in state power.
“Due to their dictatorial attitude, all is
good what they do and others are bad and
the people suffer from its bad results and
they remain neglected. However, the
dictators and their associates enjoy its
benefits,” she said.
Sheikh Hasina said the aim of her
government is to free the people from
neglect and serve them. “That’s why we’ve
introduced the APA to bring institutional
efficiency and the dynamism to work as
well as to make government works result-
oriented."
Pointing out that the people are the owner
of government property, she said: “Our aim
is also to utilise the property properly
and reach the services to people’s
doorsteps.”
“The aim of our development is the
grassroots which the Father of the Nation
also did. Bangabandhu in the constitution
incorporated every basic right like
education, healthcare services,
infrastructural development,” she said.
The premier also said the Father of the
Nation also decentralised power to reach
government services to people’s doorsteps.
Sheikh Hasina said the government had
drawn up massive programmes to celebrate
Mujib Borsho marking Bangabandhu’s birth
centenary. “But we could not celebrate it
the way we wanted due to the COVID-19
outbreak."
The prime minister said her party has
taken programme to plant one -crore trees
across the country alongside the
government’s tree-planting campaign on the
occasion of the Mujib Borsho.
“We’ve to make arrangements so that a
single person doesn’t remain landless or
homeless … we’ll be able to reach
electricity to every house within this
year, Insha Allah,” she said.
Senior secretaries and secretaries of the
ministries and divisions signed the APA on
behalf of their respective agencies at the
function in the conference room of the
Public Administration Ministry.
The Power Division was recognised with
crest and certificate as the best
performer in the implementation of APA in
2019-2020 fiscal year, while the
Agriculture Ministry and the Energy and
Mineral Resources Division were adjudged
second- best performer and third-best
performer respectively.
Besides, seven other ministries and
divisions received certificates as
recognition to their outstanding
performance in the execution of the APA.
The ministries and divisions are Water
Resources Ministry, ICT Division,
Information Ministry, Rural Development
and
Cooperatives Division, Fisheries and
Livestock Ministry, Finance Division and
Economic Relations Division.
Senior Secretary of Internal Resources
Division Abu Hena Md. Rahmatul Muneem
received the integrity award for
exercising integrity as the senior
secretary of Energy and Mineral Resources
Division during the 2019-20 fiscal year.
The Public Administration Ministry was
recognised as best in implementing the
national integrity strategy successfully,
while the Industries Ministry and the
Labour and Employment Ministry as the
second best and the Railway Ministry as
the third best in the 2018-19 fiscal year.
Agriculture Minister Dr Abdur Razzaque, on
behalf of the prime minister, handed over
crests and certificates to the secretaries
concerned for outstanding performances of
their ministries and divisions in
implementing APAs.
State Minister for Public Administration
Farhad Hossain also spoke at the function
conducted by Cabinet Secretary Khandker
Anwarul Islam.
With inputs from agencies, live coverage
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