Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today said the people of the country are now reaping the benefits of democracy.
“Military dictators had grabbed state power frequently in the past…Once the state power was in the cantonment… As a result, there was no pace in development,” she said.
The prime minister said this while addressing the National Economic Council meeting virtually from her official residence Gono Bhaban.
The meeting approved the 8th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025).
As the state power was returned to the masses, they are now fully enjoying their democratic rights, Sheikh Hasina said.
In this connection, she mentioned that the government is implementing the UN-formulated Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). “But coronavirus has created a problem, this is not for us alone, it’s for the whole world.”
Hasina said the government has been able to reduce the poverty rate significantly.
The prime minister said when the entire world got stalled due to the pandemic, Bangladesh has been able to carry on its economic advancement — at least on a limited scale.
Hasina said the government has taken five-year plans — Vision 2021 and Vision 2041 apart from Delta Plan 2100.
“To execute these visions and plans what we need is the five-year plans. We’ve implemented the 6th and 7th five-year plans, we’re undertaking the 8th five-year plan today, we’ll take the development phase by phase for the Vision 2041,” she said.
“We’ll be able to build Bangladesh as a developed and prosperous country if the future governments, no matter whether we’ll be in power, formulate these five-year plans,” she said.