Finance Minister AMA Muhith has said if the Awami League government continues in the office for the next five years, Bangladesh’s poverty rate would decrease to 10 percent.
“Bangladesh’s poverty rate was 58 percent in 1991, it came down to 22.3 percent now . . . and if the present government continues in the office for the next five years, poverty rate will come down to 10 percent,” he said Friday (Oct 19).
The finance minister was speaking at a gathering of the members of the One House, One Farm (Ekti Bari, Ekto Khamar) and Palli Sanchay Bank project in Sylhet’s Sadar Upazila.
He also inaugurated five development projects of the Upazila and laid foundation of seven other projects, reports BSS.
About the 10 percent people living below the poverty line, the minister said only physically challenged people, widows and some other people will be included in this area under the project and they are getting all sorts of supports under the social safety net coverage like the developed countries.
The minister highlighted different development programmes undertaken in power sector by the government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and said, “The government has worked a lot towards power generation and supplying in the last few years and it has achieved about cent percent success.”
Power generation has already increased nearly six times and there is no power crisis in the country, he said, adding, “The living standard of mass people has also been changed significantly.”
The present government has been working to change the fate and fortune of common people and in the last 10 years it has done a lot to this end and it needs more time to finish rest of the development works,” said Muhith.