People in rural Bangladesh have some money in their pockets now even amid the global crisis because of the special policies of Sheikh Hasina, including the social safety net programme, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen said Friday.
"She has been providing funds even to the poorest of the poor. And it's being done through Digital Bangladesh. These poor people get money directly," he added.
“Bangladesh, once known as a bottomless basket, with no hope of survival, is now a vibrant economy and a land of opportunities,” Momen said, attributing it to the prime minister.
Momen was speaking at the programme "The Mind Behind the Miracle: Sheikh Hasina Leads Developments" organised by the Awami League at a city hotel where diplomats of different countries stationed in Dhaka were also present.
Sheikh Hasina decided that no one in Bangladesh would remain homeless, the foreign minister said.
"When she came to power in 2009, she decided to provide a subsidy of Tk72 per bag of fertiliser. She also lowered the price of seeds," he continued.
"Many of her advisors were upset because they said you cannot provide that much subsidy. But she said 'if I provide the farmers with all the essential inputs – water, electricity, seed, fertiliser – at affordable prices on time, Bangladesh will no longer be known as a food deficient country."
"Also, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) did not like it. The IMF stopped our special drawing rights (SDRs) for almost one year. We told the IMF that the US and the EU always provide subsidies to the agricultural sector," Momen said.
"But Sheikh Hasina ignored it and provided subsidies to the agricultural sector. And her decision helped the growth of the agriculture sector of Bangladesh."
Awami League General Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader, former ambassador Muhammad Zamir, chairman of the party's international affairs subcommittee, and Awami League international affairs Secretary Dr Shammi Ahmed were also present at the programme.
