Hiren Pandit: The greatest son of a thousand years and the greatest Bengali of all time, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the great hero of history and the father of the nation, made the dream of Bengal a reality and gifted an independent state to the people. In his historic speech of March 7, 1971, Bangabandhu ordered the people of Bangladesh to jump into the liberation war. He said, this struggle is a liberation struggle, this struggle is a struggle for Independence. He instructed the Bengali nation, ‘Be ready with whatever you have.’ Inspired by this hypnotic speech, the Bengali nation started preparations for the liberation war with arms and freedom was achieved through a 9-month-long war in return for the fresh blood of three million martyrs and the unlimited sacrifice of two lakh mothers and sisters.
After 23 years of struggle and 9 months of armed struggle, victory was won by defeating the Pakistani invaders on 16 December. If Bangabandhu had not directly declared the independence of Bangladesh, the Bangladesh government would not have received international support during the war of independence and the independence of the country would not have been possible in 9 months without the support of India, Russia and the world conscience. It was not possible in any country of the world. Moreover, no one can declare the independence of a country at will. Must have power or right to declare independence. A country that declares independence must have the support of the country and the international community. As the leader of the winning party in the 1970 elections, only Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib had the right to declare independence.
Bangabandhu returned to the country on January 10, 1972. Immediately after landing from the plane, he mentioned, “If the people of Bengal do not eat rice to their stomach, the freedom will not be fruitful, this freedom will not be fulfilled for me, if the mothers and sisters of Bengal do not get good clothes, the people of this country, who are also young in our country, if they do not get jobs. Freedom will not be fulfilled.” On January 12, Bangabandhu took over as Prime Minister and began the work of rebuilding the war-torn country. After only three and a half years, on August 15, 1975, when he was brutally killed, the development of the country stopped again.
Bangabandhu’s daughters Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana survived the brutal assassination on August 15, 1975, as they were abroad. After a long 6-year exile, Sheikh Hasina came to the country in 1981 with the responsibility of Awami League. She turned grief into strength and jumped at the economic and political rights of the people of the country. As Bangabandhu took the war-torn country forward, Sheikh Hasina is moving towards fulfilling her unfulfilled dreams. With her dynamic leadership and long-term planning, achievement of Millennium Development Goals, implementation of SDGs, the launch of Padma Bridge and Metrorail, elevated express, the inauguration of Bangabandhu Tunnel, education, health, gender equality, agriculture, reduction of the poverty line, increase in life expectancy, export-oriented industrialization, 100 special economic Various economic indicators have increased with growth due to the export earnings of the region, garment industry, pharmaceutical industry.
Sheikh Hasina has implemented various development activities for the country in the last 15 years. After the killing of Bangabandhu, the country was plunged into darkness, despair descended all around, and Sheikh Hasina lit the torch of first light to chase away that darkness. Like her father, Sheikh Hasina is also a firm believer in democracy. She was at the forefront of the suffrage movement in this country. She also deeply felt the suffering of the poor people of the country. She is also focusing on managing the country’s economy. Bangabandhu’s dream of building a golden Bangladesh is being realized with her hard work and talent. With her hands, this country will transform into a bright developed country like Singapore and Malaysia in a short time. Only she can build a developed, prosperous and peaceful Bangladesh. Loves country more than children. Her father’s faith to finish the unfinished business gives her the impetus to move forward. A non-communal, democratic and future modern Bangladesh should be built. This is the expectation of the new generation. In the last 15 years, ten have reached new heights of socio-economic development. Sheikh Hasina started working as a way and path for the overall welfare, development and liberation of the people of Bangladesh.
She has proved that he has no alternative to the development of democracy in Bangladesh. She brought Awami League to power as a popular party after 21 years and is working tirelessly to institutionalize democracy. Awami League has always been politically vocal and protesting against all kinds of exploitation, deprivation, injustice, injustice, and oppression, along with economic, social, political and cultural liberation of the people in any democratic movement in Bangladesh and is still working. If this party is in power, people’s fortunes improve. The history of this country from the birth of this party bears the signs of that fact.
She raised the reins of Awami League president as a symbol of unity in extremely difficult times. She has walked a long way in the struggle for democracy. She has repeatedly returned from the face of death. This spirit and initiative motivated him to unite the party more. After 21 years with that united power, she brought the party to power by winning the 1996 elections. She has taken 10 special initiatives. To make the country a poverty-free, hunger-free society, housing, education, healthcare, employment, social safety net and digitization have been prioritized.
Bangladesh will become the 29th largest economy in the world by 2030 and the 23rd largest economy by 2050. In 2026, Bangladesh will make its world debut as a ‘middle-income country’ and in 2041 as a ‘developed country’. The big proof that Bangladesh is moving forward is that the per capita income of the people of the country has increased in the last few years. Current per capita income is 2 thousand 965 dollars. Bangladesh is one of the top countries in the world in terms of economic progress. Inauguration of Metrorail and Padma Bridge are both development milestones.
Education, communication infrastructure, gas, electricity, women’s education, 100% increase in salaries and allowances of government officials, health care, distribution of free books, achieving self-sufficiency in food production, and successfully dealing with social programs for underprivileged people. Assistance to the poor, elderly, widows, persons with disabilities, women victims of violence and divorced women, autism, assistance to war victims and distressed freedom fighters, Asyaran scheme, Amar Bari Amar Khamar scheme, women empowerment Prime Minister led government has played a role. Major role in the overall development of various sectors. The longstanding power problem in the country, which the previous governments could not solve, the government has brought electricity to people’s doorsteps. This production is not only used for household purposes but other forms of electricity are also used, which turn the wheels of the country’s economy. On the other hand, government revenue has also increased. In a populous country like ours, careful use of limited arable land is desirable.
Our dependence on the import of agricultural products has reduced to a great extent. As a result of this agricultural revolution, the country of 17 crore people has become self-sufficient in food, which is a very positive aspect for the country. Today’s agricultural revolution is the invention of the Awami League. Our main sources of revenue, especially foreign exchange earnings, are exports of readymade garments and manpower. Although started with private ownership, these two sectors have gained considerable momentum due to the government’s interest. As a result, the driving force of the country’s economy has gained momentum. Along with that, the country’s unemployment problem has been solved to a great extent. Government action is commendable in that some products are exportable, which cannot be exported by private enterprise. Governments and owners still have a lot to do to make the manufacturing environment acceptable to foreign buyers.
When the World Bank canceled the allocation from Padma Bridge, the Awami League government took it as a challenge. The government took the initiative to build bridges with its funding. The existence of the bridge is now important to all of us. This bridge is changing our economy. Over the past few years, the Awami League government has pledged to build infrastructure. Flyovers, underpasses, flyovers, underpasses, Metrorail, elevated express, Bangabandhu Tunnel etc. have been constructed. Desired and Dreamed Metro Rail started on December 28, 2022. Elevated Expressway, Padma Bridge Rail, Karnaphuli Tunnel, and Materbari Power Station were inaugurated recently. So far, more than 35 lakh people from 8 lakh 86 thousand 617 families have been rehabilitated. 1 crore 22 lakh 13 thousand 955 people are working abroad who are helping the development of the country by sending remittances.
She has been praised in the international arena for taking various steps to ensure the health protection of people to save lives from the Covid-19 pandemic. We are ranked 1st in South Asia and 5th in the world. Having the opportunity to rule the country for a long time, he was able to bring about economic and social progress in Bangladesh. Its recognition is the SDGs Award 2021. She has received many such recognitions. Earlier, she was named one of the three most successful and exemplary women heads of government in the Commonwealth of Nations. 200 bridges in 25 districts of the country have been opened for traffic.
Many highways in the country have been upgraded to four or more lanes. Others are underway. Satellite Bangabandhu-1 has been launched as the 57th country in the world and now satellite Bangabandhu-2 is in the works. Delta Plan-2100 is designed to protect our generation from the effects of climate change and build a better future. The entire world is going through an unstable economic situation today. Just as our economy was recovering from the damage caused by COVID, the Russia-Ukraine war broke out and this war is not only a war of arms but also a terrible economic war.
Working with the conviction to make Bangladesh a developed, smart Bangladesh by 2041. For this, formulation and implementation of Rupkalpa 2041 has started. Bangladesh has emerged as a developing country today. The country is now self-sufficient in food grain production. The production of various agricultural products including fish, meat, eggs, milk, vegetables, and fruits has increased at a large rate. The poverty rate has come down from 40 percent to 18 percent. Literacy rate increased from 45 percent to 75.2 percent. Maternal and infant mortality rates have decreased. These achievements have been possible because the Awami League government has been running the government consistently.
Hiren Pandit is a columnist and a researcher