Govt working to ensure women empowerment: PM

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Prime Minister (PM) Sheikh Hasina Thursday said her government is working relentlessly to ensure women empowerment in the country, report agencies. The Prime Minister said this when a delegation of Bangladesh Women Journalists' Centre called on her at the Prime Minister's Office in the city. President of the centre Nasimun Nahar Minu and general secretary Parvin Sultana Jhuma led the delegation. Briefing journalists after the meeting, Prime Minister's Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad said Sheikh Hasina highlighted various steps of her government for the welfare of the country's womenfolk. She said the government has formulated women development policy and appointed women judges to the higher court, armed forces and the top posts in the civil and police administrations apart from keeping aside 30 percent seats of the local government bodies for their direct election. Besides, she said her government extended the maternity leave up to six months and enacted toughest law to check women trafficking. The Prime Minister congratulated the newly-elected office bearers of Bangladesh Women Journalists' Centre and praised their initiative to organise the women journalists in the country. Later, an Indian writer Brig (retd) RP Sing called on the Prime Minister. During the meeting, Sing informed Sheikh Hasina about his plan to write a book on Bangladesh's Liberation War and make a TV serial based on the book. He also narrated various events of Bangladesh's Liberation War and presented some photographs with Sheikh Kamal, the eldest son of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, during the war. The Prime Minister thanked the Indian government and the people for their cooperation during the Liberation War. Terming India as a true friend of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina expressed satisfaction over the existing excellent relations between the two neighbours.