Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today urged the newly elected chairmen of the district council to work for continuation of the government aimed at keeping the pace of development uninterrupted.

She also urged them to discharge their services with honesty, sincerity and devotion.

"Your foremost aim should be ensuring welfare of the people," she said in her speech after administering oath of the newly elected district council chairmen at her Tejgaon office here today.

"Father of the Nation has given us independence, and we want to make the independence meaningful and reach the benefit of the independence to every home. So you have to work with determination to build a golden Bangladesh of Bangabandhu," she said.

The prime minister said the district councils would also have sufficient power to ensure services to the people and development of the districts like upazila parishads. District council chairmen would do their job and devote them according to the oath they have taken, she hoped.

"You have to remember that the people of Bangladesh were deprived of their rights for a long time after killing of Bangabandhu. People of Bangladesh could realize for the first time that coming to power is not an enjoyment but serving the people," she said.

Sheikh Hasina said her government has taken plans to strengthen local governments as the foremost aim of the government is to provide service to the people, which is very difficult in a densely populated country like Bangladesh without decentralization of power.

She noted that Father of the Nation had taken initiatives for decentralization of the administration to empower the grassroots level and ensure services to the people.

The Awami League government keeping the vision of Bangabandhu at the forefront had taken steps for formulating the local government acts in 2000,she said.

Sheikh Hasina said the Awami League government whenever it came to power has worked for ensuring services to the people and taken forward the country towards development and prosperity.

Pointing out the country's political and economic situation at the time of assuming power by her government in 2009, the prime minister said every sector was in a devastating condition at that time.

"But, we have restored discipline in every sector and devised a plan for accelerating the country's economic advancement," she said adding that the countrymen are now reaping the benefits of our development plan.

The prime minister said her government is focusing on the whole country for economic progress, social security and infrastructure development on the road showed by Bangabandhu to build Bangladesh as a dignified nation in the world.

Sheikh Hasina said over the last eight years Bangladesh achieved tremendous progress and it was possible due to continuation of the government in 2014.

"It's absurd to build a golden Bangladesh if people of the country live in starvation, suffer from diseases and deprived of education and other basic needs," she said.

 

Sheikh Hasina said the people are getting benefits of the programmes taken by her government. So it's the duty of the chairmen to monitor the development programmes of the government for their proper execution.

As well the chairmen would identify the problems of their respective areas and find ways to resolve those problems," she said.

Sheikh Hasina said 45 years have gone after independence and Bangladesh would have been a prosperous nation much before if Bangabandhu was alive. So it's our duty to accomplish his tasks, she added.