Dutch Queen Maxima promises help to enable Bangladesh achieve Vision 2021 targets

The visiting Dutch Queen Maxima Zorreguieta Carruti has promised her country’s support to help Bangladesh achieve its Vision 2021 targets.

She held out the assurance at her meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at Ganabhaban on Wednesday.

Queen Maxima arrived in Dhaka on a three-day visit to Bangladesh on Monday in her capacity as the UN Secretary General's Special Advocate for Inclusive Finance for Development.

The Prime Minister's Press Secretary, Ihsanul Karim, briefed newsmen after the meeting between the Dutch Queen and the Bangladesh Prime Minister.

Queen Maxima said she had been greatly impressed by various development projects and financial initiatives, especially the digitisation scheme for the A2I Programme and mobile banking service in Bangladesh.

The press secretary quoted her as saying it was commendable that 29 million people in Bangladesh were already under mobile banking coverage.

The Queen appreciated Bangladesh's progress in the socio-economic field as well as its digitisation programme, he said.

Maxima also shared her experience of visiting several places in the country, where she had the opportunity to interact with ordinary people.

According to Karim, the Dutch Queen had emphasised the building of a strong infrastructure since different development agencies such as the World Bank and the UNDP were aiding Bangladesh's development efforts.

Pointing out that both the Netherlands and Bangladesh were delta countries, Queen Maxima said they could share experience to improve the agriculture sector.

At the meeting, the prime minister said Bangladesh and the Netherlands had unique geographical similarities such as a long deltaic coastline.

Sheikh Hasina noted that the two countries were working together on initiatives under the Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100, such as river dredging, land reclamation, construction of infrastructure, creation of green belt in coastal regions and other climate adaptation measures.

To promote social justice and inclusive growth, she said, the government had stressed financial inclusion of all, with emphasis on farmers, women, students and people with disability.

Highlighting the massive increase in the number of cell phone users in Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina said her government had made the service available to millions through network expansion and by opening up the sector to private operators.

The press secretary said she had also talked about the government’s achievement in digitising the country, adding that steps had been taken to transform 8,000 post offices into e-centres.

Over 3,000 post offices had already been converted into e-centres, she told the visiting dignitary.

On the government’s welfare measures for rural people, the prime minister said several had been taken to improve the agriculture sector.

In this connection, she said farmers were being given loans without seeking collateral security from them and they could now open bank accounts with just Tk10.

Under this scheme, nearly 16 million bank accounts had been opened so far by farmers alone, she said.

Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali, Prime Minister's Media Advisor Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury, Principal Secretary Md Abul Kalam Azad, Bangladesh Bank Governor Dr Atiur Rahman and Dutch Ambassador to Bangladeh Leoni Margaretha Cuelenaere were present, among others at the meeting.

Earlier, the Prime Minister welcomed the Dutch Queen on her arrival at Ganobhaban by presenting her with a bouquet.