PM urges DCs to take firm stance against corruption

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has called on deputy commissioners to take a firm stance against corruption and create public awareness about the issue.

Hasina’s remarks came in her inaugural speech to the three-day deputy commissioners’ conference at the Prime Minister’s Office on Tuesday.

“We must rid ourselves of corruption,” the prime minister said. “Development will never reach the people if we allow corruption to eat into any project.”

“I call upon you to raise public awareness and take a firm personal stance on this issue.”

The efforts taken by the Awami League government to digitalise the country were helping control corruption, she said.

“Some ministries are a bit behind in terms of digitalisation. But, in all cases, digitalisation has led to greater reliability. So we must continue to pursue it.”

The prime minister said a ‘governance innovation unit’ had been formed by her department to improve state responsiveness, reliability and to discover new ways of improving and easing access to government services.

Hasina said her principal goal was to improve governance at the grassroots level. No citizen would be homeless, she said, and their fundamental rights would be protected.

She also thanked government workers at the field level for their hard work and urged them to continue to bring change to people’s lives.

The prime minister also presented a 23-point directive during her speech:

1. Remain alert so that people don't become victims of harassment and deprivation in receiving government services.

2. Work together with public representatives in establishing good governance at the grassroots level.

3. Create new employments by strengthening the rural economy so that people don't migrate to cities. Take steps so that the pressure of population on the towns is not increased.

4. Take a motto for development of rural infrastructure and creating small and medium-scale industries as well as alleviating poverty through jobs.

5. For minimising disparity between the rich and the poor, take development programmes in a way that the highest number of people can benefit from it. Ensure a balanced distribution of resources in building a disparity- less society.

6. Perform duties more carefully and strictly for maintaining peace, discipline and stability in all spheres of life by eliminating militancy, terrorism and communalism.

7. Engage a cross-section people of the society including local public representatives, teachers of schools, colleges and madrsas, imams of mosques, senior citizens, business leaders, women organisers, members of Ansar-VDP and village police and NGO workers in stamping out militancy and terrorism.

8. Take special measures for the welfare of the disabled and autistic people and disadvantageous communities.

9. Make effective the village courts for providing justice to the common people and reduce the backlog of cases in courts.

10. Give leadership for development and information and communication technology to take services to the people's doorsteps.

11. Take steps to increase the female education rate in all spheres and bring back the dropped-out students into the mainstream.

12. Be more active for increasing transparency and efficiency in land administration and management as well as protecting government land.

13. Take all necessary measures for smooth supply of fertilisers, seeds, electricity and fuel in boosting agriculture production and take initiatives for popularising the environment-friendly agriculture management.

14. Contain marketing of adulterated food with iron hands and create mass awareness about the unethical acts.

15. Ensure proper application of merit, efficiency and experience in successful implementation of the seventh five-year plan and SDGs.

16. Take right measures at right time for reduction of natural disasters. Raise awareness about protecting environment and ensure proper enforcement of laws and rules related to it.

17. Take strict steps for maintaining peace in industrial zones and making uninterrupted transportation of goods and export-import and eliminating muscle power, extortion, tender manipulation and terrorism.

18. Ensure consumer rights and curb any attempt to create an artificial crisis in market.

19. Implement women’s development policy smoothly and ensure proper legal steps for stopping violence, torture and hostile attitude against women and combatting trafficking in women and children.

20. Ensure scope for education, sports, entertainment and creative cultural activities for physical and mental growth of the children and juveniles. Help children and juveniles take interest in history, knowledge and science.

21. Stop drug peddling and trafficking and its abuse strictly.

22. Stay vigilant to protecting government land by increasing transparency and efficiency in land administration and management.

23. Preserve natural beauty and biodiversity of the hill districts alongside paying proper attention to the development of haor regions. Extend all-out cooperation to the tourism industry, small and medium industries and traditional cottage industry.