Reiterating that the BNP government is a government of the people, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman today told the Jatiya Sangsad (JS) that his government remains accountable to the countrymen.
"I want to assure the countrymen that the present government is a government of the people and accountable to the people. We uphold the aspirations of the people, and we respect those aspirations. We firmly believe that protecting the lives and property of the people is a sacred responsibility of the government," he said.
The Leader of the House said this in his closing remarks at the budget session of the Jatiya Sangsad this afternoon with Deputy Speaker Barrister Kayser Kamal in the chair.
Expressing his vision of building an accountable state and government, the Prime Minister said, "We want to build a Bangladesh where the state and the government will be accountable to the people, the economy will be inclusive, and above all, the lives of citizens will be secured, dignified and full of potentials."
Describing the national budget for fiscal 2026-27 as "life-oriented and people-friendly," he said that after the budget was placed, various independent and analytical organisations had also acknowledged that it was largely people-friendly.
Sincere cooperation from the public administration, private institutions and people from all walks of life is essential to reach the benefits of this budget to doorsteps of general people, Tarique Rahman said.
"I thank all Members of Parliament and the democracy-loving people of the country because, through everyone's efforts, this parliament has become the parliament the people desired," he added.
Stressing that the present government would not tolerate extremism or radicalism in any form, Tarique Rahman said, "Although the government and the opposition have disagreed on certain issues in this House, we have also reached consensus on many others. I firmly believe that the present government will never patronise extremism or radicalism. We hope we will get the full cooperation from the opposition in this regard, InSha'Allah."
Highlighting the government's measures taken for the welfare of farmers and ordinary citizens, he said, "In line with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party's election pledge, the first Cabinet meeting approved the waiver of agricultural loans of up to Taka 10,000, including interest. As a result, 13 lakh marginal farmers have directly benefited."
He further said as part of effort to build a welfare state, the government has started introducing the Family Card, Farmer Card, Sports Card, and honorarium programmes for imams, muezzins and other religious leaders.
In the future, all these services will be integrated into a single 'Universal Card', the premier added.
The Prime Minister said the government's primary objective is to transform Bangladesh from a debt-dependent economy into an investment-driven economy and expressed confidence that, through the successful implementation of this plan, Bangladesh would move close to becoming a one-trillion-dollar economy by 2034.
Referring to the government's green employment initiative, he said that a target has been set to plant 25 crore trees over the next five years through government initiatives and voluntary participation.
"We have already started the programme to plant 25 crore trees. This morning, I attended an event with primary school children, where we planted 200,000 saplings across the country in a single day," he said.
The premier added, "We aim to plant 5 crore trees every year. Around 10,000 nurseries will be established, creating employment opportunities for approximately 250,000 people."
About anti-corruption measures, law and order, and the implementation of the "July Charter," the Prime Minister said, "During the authoritarian regime, around USD 16 billion was siphoned out of the country every year, leaving the economy in crisis. The present government is firmly committed to combating corruption and preventing the illicit transfer of wealth abroad at any cost."
Announcing to turn the law enforcement agencies into fully professional forces to strengthen public security, he said, "As part of this initiative, the government has planned to recruit 10,000 new police constables."
Regarding July Charter the premier said, "The July Charter, signed by all political parties before the election, and the BNP's announced 31-point reform outline are no longer the agenda of a single political party but have become the 31-point agenda of the people of Bangladesh."
Tarique Rahman said the government is fully committed to the people regarding the implementation of every provision of the July Charter.
Prior to the Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition Dr Shafiqur Rahman delivered his closing speech in the House.
MSH
