Govt monitoring price hike of essentials: PM

Prime Minister and Awami League President Sheikh Hasina today said her government has been monitoring the recent price hike of some essentials to check anomalies.

“---there are some people who want to make some quick bucks during the period (capitalising the situation arising out of the Coronavirus and Russian-Ukraine conflicts). So, we have been monitoring the situation,” she said.

The Prime Minister said this while presiding over a discussion organised by the Awami League at its Bangabandhu Avenue central office here marking the historic 7 March speech of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Joining virtually the discussion from her official Ganabhaban residence, she said prices of some goods might have increased in the country which is usual when the prices of essentials are increased in the international market, the local market has also to face its impact.

The prices of goods have been increasing across the globe due to the economic meltdown for the double blows such as Coronavirus and Russia’s invasion on Ukraine, she opined.

“Prices of goods have been increasing heavily not in Bangladesh but across the globe that included the USA (due to the double blows),” she said.

 Coronavirus and Russia-Ukraine situation have contributed to the global price hike, she opined.

 The Prime Minister said the per capita income has risen to 2591 US dollars, an indicative of increasing purchasing capacity of the countrymen.

Sheikh Hasina asked all the people to bring every inch of their land under cultivation so that the country never suffers from food crisis even in the worst situation arising out of the natural disasters or war.     

AL General Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader gave the welcome address.   

 AL Presidium Members, Begum Matia Chowdhury, Agriculture Minister Dr Muhammad Abdur Razzaque, MP, Shajahan Khan, MP, Advocate Jahangir Kabir Nanak and Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya, Bir Bikram, Joint General Secretary and Information and Broadcasting Minister, Dr Hasan Mahmud, MP, Organising Secretary, SM Kamal Hossain, Labour and Human Resources Secretary, Habibjur Rahman Siraj, Dhaka South and North City AL General Secretaries, Humayun Kabir and SM Mannan Kochi, also spoke on the occasion.

Publicity and Publication Minister Dr Abdus Sobhan Golap, MP, moderated the discussion.  

As part of materializing the dream of the Father of the Nation to give an improved and better life to the distressed, Sheikh Hasina said her government has been working to ensure basic needs for the countrymen.

"We have been successfully pursuing that," she said.

The Premier said that the Awami League government has made a fundamental change in society carrying out massive development works.

“We have been able to improve the living standard of the people of this country,” she said.

Referring to the BNP’s move to observe another programme instead of observing the Historic March 7 speech, she asked the partymen not to pay heed to the matter.

“We have to consider that they are that vested quarter who never wanted the country's independence. They are the gangs who killed the Father of the Nation, staged the August 24 grenade attack, burnt people alive in the name of movements,” she said.

The Prime Minister said that people do not expect anything from them.

The BNP has nothing to destroy the future of the people as the party has been suffering from lack of leadership as their top leaders are convicted for corruption as well as fugitive.

The fugitive leaders have been leading a lavish life with the money siphoned off the country cashing on the advantage of the digital Bangladesh.

They are also engaged to destroy the achievements of the country.

Briefly describing various achievements of the government in the last 13 years, the Prime Minister said that the aim of the government is to materialize the dream of the Father of the Nation.

“We are doing whatever needed for the development of Bangladesh, we have to fulfil the dream of the Father of the Nation,” she said.

The Prime Minister said that the historic March 7 speech still encourages all as each of its lines is meaningful which gives motivation to step forward.

“We have to advance following the essence of the historic speech,” she said.