Hiren Pandit: Sheikh Hasina’s integrity, devotion, integrity, rational mindset, strong morale, wisdom, and extraordinary leadership have established Bangladesh at a different height in the world arena and she is known as the leader of the world. The use of fertilizers and advanced technology in agriculture and the improvement of communication systems led to a significant increase in the growth rate of grain production in the late nineties and early present century.
The Awami League government led by Sheikh Hasina came to power for the second time in 2009. Sheikh Hasina has been serving as the Prime Minister for the fourth term (and for the third consecutive term) after winning two more consecutive elections in 2014 and 2018. During the last 15 years of her rule, there has been a tremendous improvement in various fields of economic and social indicators.
When the country is moving forward with the relentless efforts of the Awami League government, the allies of the defeated forces of the liberation war are trying to create instability and anarchy. Awami League believes in communal harmony.
No evil force will be allowed to flourish in this country. Free textbooks are being distributed to students up to higher secondary. The literacy rate has risen to 75 percent. 2 crore people are getting various allowances under the social safety net. Hundred percent of people in the country are getting electricity. Healthcare is at people’s doorsteps.
Poor people are getting 30 types of medicines free from community clinics. The average life expectancy of people has increased to 73 years. Digital Bangladesh has been established. Extensive infrastructural development programs including roads, highways, bridges, flyovers, subways, elevated expressways, railways, waterways and communications have been implemented and are still ongoing across the country. Metrorail started its journey last December. The self-funded Padma Bridge started its journey in June last year.
The people’s organization, Bangladesh Awami League, is tried to be destroyed through national and international conspiracy and the torture and oppression of anti-independence circles and illegal military rulers. But no attempt ever succeeded. Awami League’s grassroots leaders, workers and supporters have sustained and strengthened the party by facing all the adversities and conspiracies with their lives and will continue to do so in the future.
In 1996, Bangladesh Awami League came back to power after a long struggle to establish democracy and the right to vote. Awami League ruled the state very successfully from 1996 to 2001. Bangladesh turned around on the path of development and progress. The Awami League government turned the country of food shortage Bangladesh into a country of food surplus.
In the last 15 years, the Awami League government has been taking the country forward by achieving extensive development in every sector, including agriculture, education, health, communication, information technology, infrastructure, electricity, rural economy development, diplomatic success and cooperation, as per the election promises. Bangladesh has become a lower-middle-income country. Bangladesh is one of the top 5 countries in the world in terms of economic progress.
Sheikh Hasina is working tirelessly to make Bangladesh a middle-income country, keeping Awami League’s huge campaign ahead. Education, communication infrastructure, gas, electricity, women’s education, 100% increase in salaries and allowances of employees, health care, distribution of free books, achieving self-sufficiency in food production, backward communities under social programs, destitute, elderly, widows, persons with disabilities, persecuted women, People are benefiting from autism, providing assistance to poor freedom fighters, shelter schemes, one house one farm scheme, women empowerment and overall development of various sectors. It was possible to achieve that prosperity only under the leadership of the current Sheikh Hasina.
Even in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, our beloved Bangladesh is moving forward at a fast speed toward the desired goal. After, the brutal assassination of Bangabandhu, the democracy of the country, and the development of the spirit of the liberation war have been hindered again and again – or would there be a transition?
There is only one answer to such countless questions – because of Sheikh Hasina’s return to the country, democracy has been enlightened today, and Bangladesh has stood up in the world on the path of development and progress. Sheikh Hasina led the Awami League as a symbol of party unity in the most difficult times. She always fought in the struggle for democracy. She has repeatedly returned from the brink of death.
She brought the Awami League to power as a popular party in 1996 after 21 years and has been working tirelessly to institutionalize democracy in Bangladesh. In 1996, under her leadership, Awami League came to power after winning the parliamentary elections. Sheikh Hasina took over as Prime Minister for the first time.
Then she became the Prime Minister for the second time in 2008, third in 2014 and fourth time in the 2018 elections. Sheikh Hasina made possible the impossible by forming the government in 1996 to bring Bangabandhu’s killers to justice and later to bring war criminals to justice in 2010. The opportunity came to carry forward the ideals of the Bengali nation. After the assassination of Bangabandhu at the hands of anti-independence domestic and foreign gangs, black darkness engulfed her, she first lit the torch of light to chase away that darkness.
That torch, after the initial crisis restriction continues to shine, begins wiping out the dark and turning for the enlightened spirit of the liberation war. Just as a Bengali is united in the morning to remove all garbage, rich in promise, so a wind of auspicious promise is seen blowing from the day of her return to the country.
Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana could not return home for 6 years after the brutal killing of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu and his family members on August 15, 1975, due to the conspiracy of assassins and lack of security. Awami League leaders and workers spread across the country in the midst of various adversities became strong at one time; became strong with the determination to build a new country.
Then, in the absence of Sheikh Hasina, the leaders and activists elected her as the president of the Bangladesh Awami League through the council. She returned on 17 May 1981. After returning to the country in 1981, she focused on the journey of bringing the country back to the spirit of the liberation war and realizing her father’s dream. It was a difficult matter to build national unity based on the spirit of the liberation war, secularism, democratic values, equality, justice, development and progress.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been praised in the international arena for taking various steps to ensure people’s health protection to save lives from the Covid-19 pandemic. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been able to bring economic and social progress to Bangladesh by having the opportunity to rule the country for a long time.
Its recognition is the UN SDGs Progress Award 2021. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has received much such recognition. Earlier, Sheikh Hasina, the Prime Minister of our country, was selected as one of the three most successful and exemplary women heads of government in the Commonwealth of Nations.
Bangabandhu’s dream of building a golden Bangladesh is being implemented by the Prime Minister with hard work and talent. Only Sheikh Hasina can build a developed, prosperous and peaceful Bengali nation and Bangladesh. In the last 15 years, the country has reached a new height of socio-economic development. These achievements have been possible because the Awami League government has consistently run the government.
Working with the determination to make Bangladesh a developed-smart Bangladesh by 2041. For this, the vision plan 2041 has been formulated and the implementation has started.
The nuclear power plant has been constructed and satellite Bangabandhu-1 has been launched now work is underway for satellite Bangabandhu-2. Delta Plan-2100 has been formulated to protect our generations from the impacts of climate change and build a better future. The whole world is passing through an unstable economic situation today. At the end of 2019, the world was hit by the coronavirus pandemic.
In these two years 2020 and 2021, a deep wound was created in the world economy. Many countries’ economies collapsed. Our economy also suffers. Just as our economy was recovering from the damage caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine war broke out. As the loss of life due to coronavirus has been reduced by taking timely measures, all efforts have been made to keep the economy running.
Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s achievements at the international level are surprising. She has received recognition from different countries and big organizations around the world. Received the ‘Hupe-Boani’ Peace Prize from UNESCO for the promotion, search and protection of peace. Earned ‘Medal of Distinction’ and ‘Head of State medals. Received ‘Mother Teresa Award’ from All India Peace Association as Ambassador of World Peace. She has won the world’s highest environmental recognition ‘Champions of the Earth’ for her visionary role in combating the adverse effects of climate change.
Her long commitment to food and agriculture has earned her ‘The Series Medal’. She was awarded the ‘Mother of Humanity’ honor for sheltering the Rohingyas. Received the United Nations ‘ICT Sustainable Development Award’. Women Political Leaders, a global network of women politicians, has honored Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina with the ‘Regional Leadership Award. She has become a ‘statesman’ by playing a leading role in achieving food self-sufficiency, providing social security and economic development. World leadership Sheikh Hasina called “Star of East”. The United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network awarded him the title of ‘Crown Jewel’ with the ‘SDGs Progress Award’.
Currently, the number of internet users in the country is more than 13 crore and the number of mobile connections is over 18 crore 60 lac. The whole world looks at Bangladesh in surprise. More than 16,000 entrepreneurs are currently working in around 8,800 digital centers across the country to deliver services to people’s doorsteps, where 50 percent are women entrepreneurs. As a result of this, on the one hand, the disparity between men and women, on the other hand, the disparity between the rich and the poor and the disparity between rural and urban areas has been removed. Digital Center has changed the outlook as well as simplified the standard of living of the common people. People now believe that it is possible to get all kinds of services close to home. Gaining the trust of people is the biggest achievement in the journey of Digital Bangladesh.
Equal participation of men and women, ensuring access to technology for all irrespective of rich and poor, and reducing distance in access to urban and rural services were all the main objectives and goals of Digital Bangladesh. Thanks to inclusive development and technology, now anyone can work freelancing even in the village. All this has been made possible by the progressive technological, inclusive development of People’s Leader Sheikh Hasina’s Digital Bangladesh.
After the successful implementation of the pledge to build a digital Bangladesh, now the new program has come. That is Smart Bangladesh. A cost-effective, sustainable, intelligent, knowledge-based, innovative Smart Bangladesh will be built on these four main foundations of Smart Citizen, Smart Economy, Smart Government and Smart Society by 2041. Moving the country with the leadership of Sheikh Hasina is indispensable. The People will have to choose their leader for moving the country’s development and keep the current progress in track.
The writer, is a columnist and a research fellow