You've to build Golden Bengal of Bangabandhu: PM

Gopalganj Correspondent: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has urged the scouts to render their services with sincerity to build up worthy citizens having honesty, patriotism and determination.

She said, "You are the future of the country. You have to boldly go ahead keeping pace with the world to take forward the country. You have to be the architect of the building Golden Bengal of Bangabandhu."

The premier said this while inaugurating the weeklong 11th National Rover Moot at Manikdah Housing Area in the district on Thursday.

She said her government has decided to introduce scouting at primary schools as part of an intensified efforts to promote the youth movement in the country to grow up future generation as efficient manpower.

"The Ministry of Primary and Mass Education will take steps to expand cub scouting in primary schools," she added.

The premier said every educational institution would have at least two cub-scout teams, two scout teams and two rover scout teams.

She urged scout leaders to take steps to increase the number of scouts side by side with maintaining their standard.

The 11th National Rover Moot began here with the theme "Shantimoy Jibon, Unnata Desh" (Peaceful Life, Developed Country) with participation of some 10,000 rover scouts from SAARC and the Asia-Pacific region.

President of Bangladesh Scouts Abul Kalam Azad and its National Commissioner Mozammel Haque Khan received the premier on her arrival at the venue.

The scouts staged a spectacular parade when the prime minister took the salute during the event when different scout units also performed cultural programmes.

A magnificent performance of the scouts of Gopalgonj chapter as the host unit visibly amused the audience.

Sheikh Hasina said participation of girls in scouting activities should be strengthened, and in view of this standard girl-in scouting unit would be introduced in all girls' schools and institutions of co-education.

The premier particularly made a fervent call urging scouts to spearhead a massive plantation campaign to protect the ecology side by side expanding their other service oriented programmes.

Pointing out the steps taken by her government to stimulate the scout movements in the country the prime minister said the government already approved a Taka 122.10 crore project for construction of the Scout Satabdi Bhaban.

She said the government also allowed scouts to use 95 acres of forest land for their training purposes in addition to allocation of land in Chittagong, Panchgarh, Sirajgonj, Bogra and Manikgonj for construction of scout training centres and camp sites.

The premier appreciated the services of rover scouts for downtrodden people at the time of natural calamities, cyclones, fire incident and severe winter.

The premier said the government allocated Taka 17.07 crore under 'Human Resources through Scouting Project' from 2010 to 2014 for formation of two thousand new scout teams, five district scout buildings and female dormitory in Dinajpur and Comilla.

In addition, she said, Taka 11.97 crore were allocated under the primary and mass education ministry for cubing expansion during 2010-2016 period and under the project 11,000 new cub scout teams were formed.

Pointing out the organizing of the first ever 24th regional scout conference in Bangladesh in 2011-2012 and 2012-2013, the prime minister said renovation work of the national scout training centre at Mouchak has been completed.

The Prime Minister thanked the scout leaders for selecting Bangabandhu's birth place Gopalgonj for this year's national rover moot and expected that the experience and challenges the scouts would learn from the moot would help them to grow up more efficiently.

Sheikh Hasina said Bangladesh was progressing ahead by severing all difficulties and barriers while war criminals were exposed to justice as expected by the people.

"All war criminals would be brought to justice," she said.

Urging the rover scouts to remain careful about the emergence of militancy, terrorism and drug addiction phenomenon the prime minister said her government adopted 'zero tolerance' policy for eliminating the terrorism and militancy from the country.

Sheikh Hasina said Bangladesh is now a role model of development in the world. "In all spheres Bangladesh is progressing fast and with this pace Bangladesh, by the grace of the almighty, would be a middle income country by 2021 and a developed one by 2041," she said.

The Prime Minister arrived in Gopalganj this morning on a two-day visit to open the National Rover Moot, the biggest gathering of Rover Scouts.

After opening the Moot, Sheikh Hasina went to Tungipara for overnight stay at her ancestral home. She will return Dhaka Friday afternoon.

The main venue of the Moot has been set up in Manikdah Housing Area in Gopalganj town while the "camp-in-camp" has been set up in Tungipra while National Commissioner (public relations and marketing) Sarwar Mohammad Shahriar read out a written statement on the occasion.

The "main arena" of the moot has been named after Bangabandhu and the "camp-in-camp" named after Bangamata Fazilatunnesa Mujib.

The entire rover moot area has been divided into four villages and named after four national leaders -- Syed Nazrul Islam, Tajuddin Ahmed Captain M Mansur Ali and AHM Qamaruzzaman.

National Commissioner of Bangladesh Scouts and Secretary of the ministry of Public Administration Mozammel Haque Khan, Chairman of the organizing committee of the National Rover Moot and Disaster Management Secretary M Shah Kamal spoke among others.

The inaugural event was chaired by president of Bangladesh Scout and chief coordinator for SDG affairs in PMO Abul Kalam Azad.

Later the prime minister unveiled a memorial postage stamp on the occasion of the 11th National Rover Moot.

 

risingbd/Dhaka/Jan 26, 2017/Badal Saha/A K Azad