80pc of them to be women

Prime minister Tarique Rahman on Saturday said in Sylhet that Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led government would recruit one lakh health workers.

After reaching Sylhet in the morning on a daylong tour, Tarique inaugurated  the ‘Flood Protection Infrastructure Including Beautification of Both Banks of the Surma River’ at Chadni Ghat in the city in the morning.

Addressing a citizen rally held on the Sylhet City Corporation premises after the inaugural programme, he said that the government had planned to recruit one lakh health workers to take healthcare to the doorsteps of the rural people.

‘About 80 per cent of the health workers will be women and they will work to raise health awareness by going from door to door,’ he said.

Tarique in another public event in the afternoon said that the BNP-led government was also a farmer-friendly government.

‘Most of the people in the country live in villages and they are involved in agricultural work. So, the BNP always works for the  development of agriculture and farmers,’ he said.

Tarique Rahman, also chairman of the ruling BNP, made the comment at a public meeting held in the afternoon after the inauguration of the Basia River re-excavation programme at Kandigaon union under Sadar upazila in Sylhet.

Stating the promises made by his party before the general election, the prime minister said that the promise of canal digging activities across the country had already been started.

‘After the re-excavation of the Basia River, we will plant 50,000 trees, including fruit trees, on both sides of the river. The locals will get touch of the nature there,’ he said, adding that his government had started canal excavation in 60 districts of the country.

‘After completion of the re-excavation of the Basia River, 80,000 farmers will directly benefit from it. And at least 1,50,000 more people will benefit from it indirectly. As a result, 7,000 metric tons of additional food grains will be produced annually,’ he said.

Tarique said that according to his party’s election manifesto, his government had started giving family cards and agricultural cards to farmers.

‘With these cards, farmers will not only get fertiliser, pesticides, seeds but also agricultural loans. Already, as per our promise, we have waived agricultural loans of up to Tk 10,000 of 12 lakh farmers,’ he mentioned.

The prime minister also told the afternoon SSC rally that his government had started working to improve both road and rail connectivity between Sylhet and Dhaka to make journeys faster and more comfortable.

He said that the rail connectivity was also being prioritised to reduce travel costs and ease pressure on roads.

‘Expanding roads alone would not solve transport problems, as more vehicles would continue to increase traffic congestion. We are trying to launch double-line rail tracks in Sylhet,’ the prime minister said.

Talking about the water-stagnation problem in Sylhet city, he stressed the need to clear drains and remove waste, including plastic and polythene.

Tarique urged the city corporation to raise awareness, especially among schoolchildren, about cleanliness and environmental protection.

‘Children learn quickly and carry their habits into adulthood. If we teach them properly, they will also influence their family members to maintain environmental protection and hygiene, he said.

In the programme, he also expressed his concerns over too much use of underground water, adding that it was gradually lowering groundwater levels in the country’s urban areas, including Dhaka and Sylhet.

‘The aim of the government’s canal excavation programme is to address the water management issues by improving natural water flow and creating water reservoirs,’ Tarique said.

Among others, commerce minister Khandaker Abdul Muktadir, expatriate welfare minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury, the prime minister’s adviser Humaiun Kabir, and chief whip GK Gaus addressed the programme with SCC administrator Abdul Quaiyum Chowdhury in the chair.

The PM also inaugurated Notun Kuri Sports-2026 at the Sylhet District Stadium in the afternoon and then addressed a BNP rally at the Sylhet Shilpakala auditorium in the evening before his departure for Dhaka from Sylhet.

Tarique along with his wife Zubaida Rahman reached Sylhet in the morning on a daylong tour for first the time after he assumed office as the prime minister.