Addressing the 26th National Rally 2005 of Bangladesh Ansar and Village Defence Party at its academy parade ground at Shafipur here, the PM cautioned that various conspiracies were on against Bangladesh.

"So, you'll have to be more alert now," she told the rank and file of Ansar battalion, normal Ansar, VDP and Town Defence Party.

Khaleda said peace and discipline are prerequisites to development, and asked them to remain vigil so that none can break peace and discipline in the society.

"Never treat yourselves as little. You're the real representatives of the government in your respective areas and you'll have to take responsibility of maintaining peace and development in your neighbourhoods," she said.

Ministers, MPs, diplomats and high civil and military officials attended the function.

Appreciating their performance in various fields, including maintaining law and order and socio-economic development, she said the government has taken an initiative to raise six more new Ansar battalions of which already one male and another female battalions have been formed.

A full-fledged headquarters of Ansar-VDP will be set up at an appropriate place soon apart from making Ansar-VDP academy a full-pledged training institute and the work on it has started, she said.

A special training centre for interested women will also be set up to groom up skilled manpower suitable for getting jobs abroad, she added.

Khaleda hoped that Ansar-VDP would play a leading role in making each village self-reliant and their Samity would become the centre point of rural development and their own prosperity.

Earlier on her arrival at the parade ground, a guard of honour was accorded to her by a smartly turned out contingent drawn from male and female Ansar battalions, normal Ansar, VDP, and Town Defence Party.

She inspected the parade and took salute from the spectacular march-past of the parade from a decorated dais flanked by State Minister for Home Lutfozzman Babar and DG Ansar-VDP Maj Gen M Akbar Akhter.

The PM adorned Ansar President Padak to Abdur Razzak for his three courageous anti-terrorism drives in Dhaka city in 2003-2004.

She also held a meeting with the Ansar-VDP officers at the academy.