Work in coordination

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday urged the government officials to work in a coordinated way as ministries or divisions are interdependent for development works.

“Our ministries and divisions are interdependent for implementing any development project. Coordination is needed there and coordination should be ensured in such a way that decision making and implementation can be done quickly," she said.

The PM was speaking at the signing ceremony of Annual Performance Agreement at her office. The Annual Performance Agreement for the 2015-2016 fiscal was signed between the Cabinet Division and other ministries or divisions.

“You're the officials of the republic. It's your duty to ensure the continuity of the pace of development. Governments will come and go, [and] their policies will change, but the pace of development has to continue,” she said.

The premier said the government still has three years left in its tenure, and in this time, it wants to place the country in a position where no one would be able to play with the fate of the country's people.

“The pace of development has to be maintained in this country where people [will] never be exploited and deprived ... that's our aim.”

The PM directed the authorities concerned to be more attentive towards maintaining the trend of development works.

Stressing the need for setting priority programmes for different ministries and divisions, she directed the secretaries to be more attentive and monitor activities to achieve their targets with more efficiency.

“We believe in equal and balanced development. We want to build the country as a poverty-free one in line with the spirit of the Liberation War dreamt by the Father of the Nation,” Hasina said.

The aim of the present government, she said, was to implement the development projects for rural people. “If we cannot make the rural economy stronger, raise their purchasing capacity, make them free from poverty, fulfil their basic needs, then there is no meaning of doing politics.”

She also said the aim of her politics was to improve the socio-economic condition of people at the lowest ladder of society.

“We want to provide them a better life in terms of education and knowledge, minimise the gap between the poor and the rich, and reduce the income disparities ... We want these people to benefit from these development programmes.”

The ministries and divisions prepare their annual strategic goals and action plans in line with Vision-2021, Fifth Year Plan and Perspective Plan, said the PM.

Referring to the first cycle of Annual Performance Agreement, Hasina said there have been good results from the initiative and it has been proved that success could be achieved if steps are taken properly.

Finance Minister AMA Muhith, Cabinet Secretary M Mosharraf Hussain Bhuiyan and Principal Secretary Md Abul Kalam Azad and Secretary on Coordination and Reforms, Cabinet Division Nazrul Islam also spoke on the occasion.