With success and failure, the first year of the third tenure of the Awami League government has come to an end.
The successes include political stability, progress in mega projects like Padma Bridge and Metro Rail, formulation of the road safety law.
At the same time, the government has successfully tackled false rumours about using human heads in the Padma Bridge construction, salt crisis etc.
But at the same time, the people of the country feel that the government failed to rein in the surge of the price of onions.
The low price of cow hide during Eid ul Aza also put the government in an awkward position.
At the 11th National Parliamentary Election, AL won 257 seats of 300 and the government led by PM Sheikh Hasina took oath on Jan 7, 2019.
Under Sheikh Hasina’s leadership, 24 ministers, 19 state ministers and 3 deputy minister took oath.
On May 19, some reshuffling was done; State Minister for Health, Dr Murad Hasan was appointed state minister for information.
A gazette was published stating Tajul Islam as minister for local government, rural development cooperatives and Mustafa Jabbar as minister for post and telecommunications.
Gazette was also published mentioning Shapan Bhatyachrya as state minister for rural development and cooperatives and Junaid Ahmed Palak as state minister for information communication technology.
On Jul 13, 2019, Fazilatunnessa Indira was appointed state minister for women and children affairs. State minister for expatriate welfare and overseas employment, Imran Ahmed was promoted to full minister from state minister.
The government’s policy-making side wants to keep the progress of the Padma Bridge as a major success; already, 20 spans have been placed and 3km of the bridge is visible. The metro rail project has also seen advancement.
Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader said: “A notable success of the government is the formulation and implementation of the road safety law.”
Meanwhile, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said: “The government has managed to control militancy; the law enforcers are always active.”
The government successfully tackled the rumour that human heads were being hunted to make the Padma Bridge construction successful, said the home minister.
Agriculture Minister Dr Abdur Razzaq said that the production of food grain has been 43.21 million metric tonnes which has exceeded the target of 41.57 million metric tonnes.
Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi has admitted failure saying that the price debacle of animal hides during Eid ul Azha embarrassed the government.
“The traders were supposed to buy hide at the specified rates but they didn’t; the same happened in the case of onions. India abruptly stopped export without any discussion.”
Common people feel that in the last one year, price of essentials has risen, creating hardship for people with low incomes.
Former adviser Dr AB Mirza Azizul Islam said: “The GDP rate of 8.15 of the current government seems exaggerated. In the private sector investment is stuck and the banking sector has floundered. Default loan has to come down.”
Income disparity has risen and people living below poverty line is increasing, he added.
