Make apology for false graft allegations: FM

FE Team | Published: June 30, 2022 23:59:38

Foreign Minister (FM) Dr AK Abdul Momen has asked those who raised 'false' corruption allegations against the people involved in the Padma Bridge project and defamed Bangladesh to make an apology and compensate the individuals, reports UNB.
"Under the courageous leadership of Prime Minister (PM) Sheikh Hasina, the historic Padma Bridge has been built with our own funds and resources and now represents a nation on the road to self-reliance and prosperity," he said.
Momen was speaking as the chief guest at Bangladesh High Commission, London's celebration titled "Padma Bridge: Milestone of a Decade of Growth and Prosperity" held in East London, the heart of the British-Bangladeshi community recently.
Highlighting the significant economic growth that Bangladesh achieved in the past decade, the FM said PM Sheikh Hasina's timely and innovative initiatives made Bangladesh a self-sufficient country in staple crop production, which increased fourfold from 1.1 million tonnes to 4.4 million tonnes, and her business-friendly government boosted export earnings from USD 7-8 million to USD 48 million.
Apart from this, he said, Bangladesh's economy gained a strong foothold during the pandemic as expatriate Bangladeshi including from the UK and Ireland remitted 25 billion US dollars to their homeland.
Momen expressed solidarity with the flood victims in Sylhet and other areas of Bangladesh and spoke in detail about the relief and rescue operations the government has been implementing since the recurrence of the natural disasters.
The FM said he had discussed the latest flood situation as well as relief and rescue operations with the high authorities of the government and relevant ministries to ensure that the flood victims received adequate support.
Additionally, he had spoken with the Education Ministry about supplying textbooks to those districts where the school children lost their books to the flooding and received assurances that they would be provided with new books.
Speaking on some problems facing expatriate Bangladeshis, the minister said that he has suggested the ministries concerned to form a special tribunal to solve the disputes and cases relating to their land and property; and to ease further the security checks at the airports in Bangladesh, and issue passports in the shortest possible time.
High Commissioner Saida Muna Tasneem said Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman gave an independent nation in 1971.
After 51 years, she said, his visionary daughter PM Sheikh Hasina gave the historic Padma Bridge, which is a glorious symbol of Bangladesh's self-reliance and self-respect and a milestone in the development and prosperity of Bangladesh towards Bangabandhu's Sonar Bangla.