Prime minister Sheikh Hasina chairs the maiden cabinet meeting of the new government held at her office in Dhaka, on Monday. – PID photo.
Prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday asked her newly appointed cabinet members concerned for all-out measures to contain commodity prices and inflation in Bangladesh.
Presiding over the first cabinet meeting at her Tejgaon office in Dhaka, she cautioned ministers and state ministers against corruption, saying that she would follow zero tolerance in this regard.
Cabinet secretary Md Mahbub Hossain briefed reporters at the secretariat after the meeting.
He said that the PM also issued directives for increasing supplies of the commodities demand for which increases during Ramadan beginning in March this year.
United News of Bangladesh adds: the prime minister said that transparency and accountability of government activities must be ensured.
‘Special attention should be given to government revenue expenditure, public procurement and transparency must be ensured with accountability. I will not tolerate any kind of corruption and irregularity here,’ she said.
She mentioned that corruption was not good for any country.
‘We will use whatever resources we have appropriately. We will proceed by maintaining financial discipline,’ she said.
Hasina said that Bangladesh had limited resources, but a huge population.
‘We have to ensure welfare of the people with our limited resources,’ she said.
Directing to ensure transparency in the social security sector, the prime minister said that attention should also be paid to make sure that the right people are getting the old age and social security allowances.
Hasina, the fifth-time prime minister of the country, asked the parties concerned to take measures to bring drugs under control.
Referring to the inflation, she said that the prices of the various commodities are high but there is no shortage of the items.
She stressed the need for controlling the inflation saying, ‘Only then the common people of Bangladesh will get the benefits of growth,’ she said.
The prime minister said that the government since 2009 had been able to bring down food inflation from 12 per cent to nine per cent.
‘All others fell to 8 per cent. But we have to reduce it further,’ she added.
She said that farmers were happy when food prices rise.
‘But the consumers suffer. The pressure is on them. It has to be balanced, we have to act very quickly on how to make it consistent,’ she said.
She reiterated her call to check wastage of public money, even in taking any kind of development project and maintain austerity in every sphere of life.
Sheikh Hasina asked authorities concerned to put the price manipulators under strict surveillance.
In this connection, she referred to upcoming Ramadan, and said only a limited number of groups import food products.
‘They also always want to play a game here. In that case we have to take our own preparations,’ she said.
The prime minister said that the products that needed most during Ramadan should be maintained at tolerable price and they should be available in the market and the supply should be uninterrupted.
‘Appropriate measures should be taken in this regard,’ she added.
She also put emphasis on the implementation of the election pledges.
She asked to diversify the export items and find new markets.
Hasina took over as prime minister for the fourth consecutive term on January 11.
