Strong, accountable local govt to be built to provide desired services: CA
Sunday, 6 January 2008
Chief Adviser (CA) Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed Saturday hoped that the government will soon be able to build a strong, transparent and accountable local government on the basis of the recommendations made by a committee to effectively provide desired services to the people at grassroots level, reports UNB.
He mentioned some of the recommendations like preventing unwanted interference in the local government institutions by MPs, and formation of a permanent and neutral local government commission.
The CA made the remarks while inaugurating the daylong 'Elected Representatives of Local Government Institutions Conference 2008,' organised by the Local Government Division (LGD) of LGRD and Cooperative Ministry at the National Parade Square in the city's Sher-e-Bangla Nagar.
The conference was organised to mainly disseminate the recommendations made the by the committee for accelerating and strengthening the local government. A summary report of the committee was also delivered to the audience and participants.
On June 3, 2007, the government constituted the seven-member committee on 'Accelerating and Strengthening Local Government', headed by former secretary Dr AMM Sawkat Ali, and the committee has already submitted a report with recommendations to the government.
Member Secretary of the committee and LGD Joint Secretary Mizanur Rahman presented the summary of the report at the function, chaired by LGRD and Cooperative Adviser M Anwarul Iqbal. Committee Chairman Dr AMM Sawkat Ali also spoke on the occasion.
About 10,000 chairmen, ward commissioners and members of union parishads, municipalities and city corporations from across the country attended the conference.
Advisers to the present caretaker government, distinguished personalities along with civil and military high officials were also present at the function.
The CA, in his speech on the occasion said, the government had taken steps to import 1.0 million tonnes of rice to stabilise food prices.
He said, contract for importing 0.4 million tonnes of rice had already been given under which the rice started reaching the country. Dr Fakhruddin said, he also had a meeting, discussing ways for the quick import of the rest 0.6 million tonnes of rice.
He also said, a high-level government delegation would go to India this week to finalise the import of 0.5 million tonnes of rice from the neighbouring country. "Tender has been floated to import 0.1-0.2 tonnes of rice from Thailand, while a process to import rice from Vietnam is going on."
Dr Fakhruddin mentioned various government steps, including OMS, VGF, VGD, TR and Food-for-Work programmes, and hoped that these steps would have a positive impact on the prices of commodities, and stabilise the food prices.
With the strengthening of the local government, the CA said, the country's people would be able to come out of the alien-culture of building fortunes by a handful ignoring the common people, and lack of transparency and accountability which had vitiated the national life.
He said, apart from expediting local development, the government through effective decentralisation would be able to build a strong and partnership-oriented democratic system which would intensify the nation's struggle against poverty, illiteracy, malnutrition and corruption.
The head of the caretaker government said that he had already directed the authorities concerned to review the recommendations of the committee, and implement it quickly.
He told the elected local government representatives that they would help further advance the reform activities of the government by making valuable suggestions and recommendations on problems and prospects of the local government institutions through open discussion in the conference.
Referring to the government's anti-corruption drive to rid the society of the curse of corruption, the CA said, enough successes had already been achieved from the drive, and a good number of corrupt suspects had been punished by courts.
He hoped that local government and the representatives of local government would play a stronger role in preventing corruption and building a social movement against corruption.
About targeted general election by 2008, the CA said, the Election Commission was working as per its announced roadmap to hold a free, fair and credible election, and the government was extending all-out cooperation in implementing the roadmap.
In this regard, he mentioned completion of enrolling over 20 million voters with photographs by the Election Commission.
Appreciating the activities of the local government representatives in facing the last two back-to-back floods and recent 'Sidr', he said, the government had successfully faced the aftermath of the cyclone with cooperation from all. He said, the relief operation had been carried out fairly, and hoped that the rehabilitation programmes would also be completed properly.
He mentioned some of the recommendations like preventing unwanted interference in the local government institutions by MPs, and formation of a permanent and neutral local government commission.
The CA made the remarks while inaugurating the daylong 'Elected Representatives of Local Government Institutions Conference 2008,' organised by the Local Government Division (LGD) of LGRD and Cooperative Ministry at the National Parade Square in the city's Sher-e-Bangla Nagar.
The conference was organised to mainly disseminate the recommendations made the by the committee for accelerating and strengthening the local government. A summary report of the committee was also delivered to the audience and participants.
On June 3, 2007, the government constituted the seven-member committee on 'Accelerating and Strengthening Local Government', headed by former secretary Dr AMM Sawkat Ali, and the committee has already submitted a report with recommendations to the government.
Member Secretary of the committee and LGD Joint Secretary Mizanur Rahman presented the summary of the report at the function, chaired by LGRD and Cooperative Adviser M Anwarul Iqbal. Committee Chairman Dr AMM Sawkat Ali also spoke on the occasion.
About 10,000 chairmen, ward commissioners and members of union parishads, municipalities and city corporations from across the country attended the conference.
Advisers to the present caretaker government, distinguished personalities along with civil and military high officials were also present at the function.
The CA, in his speech on the occasion said, the government had taken steps to import 1.0 million tonnes of rice to stabilise food prices.
He said, contract for importing 0.4 million tonnes of rice had already been given under which the rice started reaching the country. Dr Fakhruddin said, he also had a meeting, discussing ways for the quick import of the rest 0.6 million tonnes of rice.
He also said, a high-level government delegation would go to India this week to finalise the import of 0.5 million tonnes of rice from the neighbouring country. "Tender has been floated to import 0.1-0.2 tonnes of rice from Thailand, while a process to import rice from Vietnam is going on."
Dr Fakhruddin mentioned various government steps, including OMS, VGF, VGD, TR and Food-for-Work programmes, and hoped that these steps would have a positive impact on the prices of commodities, and stabilise the food prices.
With the strengthening of the local government, the CA said, the country's people would be able to come out of the alien-culture of building fortunes by a handful ignoring the common people, and lack of transparency and accountability which had vitiated the national life.
He said, apart from expediting local development, the government through effective decentralisation would be able to build a strong and partnership-oriented democratic system which would intensify the nation's struggle against poverty, illiteracy, malnutrition and corruption.
The head of the caretaker government said that he had already directed the authorities concerned to review the recommendations of the committee, and implement it quickly.
He told the elected local government representatives that they would help further advance the reform activities of the government by making valuable suggestions and recommendations on problems and prospects of the local government institutions through open discussion in the conference.
Referring to the government's anti-corruption drive to rid the society of the curse of corruption, the CA said, enough successes had already been achieved from the drive, and a good number of corrupt suspects had been punished by courts.
He hoped that local government and the representatives of local government would play a stronger role in preventing corruption and building a social movement against corruption.
About targeted general election by 2008, the CA said, the Election Commission was working as per its announced roadmap to hold a free, fair and credible election, and the government was extending all-out cooperation in implementing the roadmap.
In this regard, he mentioned completion of enrolling over 20 million voters with photographs by the Election Commission.
Appreciating the activities of the local government representatives in facing the last two back-to-back floods and recent 'Sidr', he said, the government had successfully faced the aftermath of the cyclone with cooperation from all. He said, the relief operation had been carried out fairly, and hoped that the rehabilitation programmes would also be completed properly.