Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said on Wednesday that her government would soon turn the 'Vision-2021' into Vision-2041 as a long-term perspective plan in line with its election manifesto 'moving ahead Bangladesh', reports BSS.
"In the year 2041, Bangladesh will become a peaceful, prosperous and developed place after crossing the status of a middle-income country," the Prime Minister told the House while replying to a question from treasury bench member Md Tajul Islam.
She said the 6th Five-Year Plan taken by the immediate past Awami League government is now under implementation. The successful economic policy of the last Awami League government had helped Bangladesh avert the impact of the global economic meltdown, the Prime Minister said adding that Bangladesh must have an advanced economic vision to face such a situation in future.
"With this end in view, we have already decided to formulate the 7th Five -Year Plan and the Planning Commission will soon take steps in this regard," she added.
Sheikh Hasina said the world was in the grip of economic recession when the grand alliance government led by Awami League took over power in 2009. To face the global downturn, the government started implementation of a Perspective Plan (2010-21) and the 6th Five- Year Plan in the light of Vision-2021, she added.
Sheikh Hasina said the government has been able to maintain macroeconomic stability and progress by taking various policies- strategies under the 6th Five- Year Plan. As a result, the country had been able to maintain a 6.3 per cent economic growth over the last five years of the grand alliance government, she added.
Allocation for the Annual Development Programme (ADP) had been increased to Tk 520.0 billion in the financial year 2012-13 from Tk 230.0 billion in the financial year 2008-09, she said.
In her reply, she said country's export earnings jumped to a record US$27 billion in the financial year 2012-13 while in the first half of the current fiscal year, export earnings stood at US$14.7 billion.
Bangladesh sent abroad 26.5 workers in the financial year 2012-13 and received a record US$ 14.5 billion worth remittance during the same period, contributing largely in bringing down the poverty level to 26.4 per cent in 2013 from 31.5 per cent in 2010 side by side with various poverty alleviation related development programmes.
Sheikh Hasina said the 7th Five- Year Plan (2015-16 to 2019- 20) will be a comprehensive vision to face internal and external economic setbacks. Steps have already been taken for quick implementation of projects under different government agencies, she said, adding that a First Track Project Monitoring Committee has been formed under her leadership to oversee quick implementation of six large projects.
These projects include Padma Multipurpose Bridge, Ruppur Nuclear Power Plant, Rampal Coal-fired Power Plant, Sonadia Deep- sea Port and construction of a terminal for the import of liquefied natural gas.
