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Dhaka     Tuesday   19 March 2024

PM urges countrymen to celebrate Eid staying at home

8 || risingbd.com

Published: 14:22, 24 May 2020   Update: 15:18, 26 July 2020
PM urges countrymen to celebrate Eid staying at home

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasinahas urged the people to celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr staying home and enjoy time with their family members.

“Your safety lies in your hand. Remember, if you remain safe then your family, neighbours and country will remain safe,” she said urging all to celebrate the Eid-ul-Fitr following healthguidelines to help contain coronavirus transmissions and check deaths fromthe disease.

The Prime Minister said this while addressing the nation on the occasion of holy Eid-ul-Fitr on Sunday evening.

In her nearly 15-minute speech, she simultaneously urged the well-off people to stand beside the poor neighbours and villagers at this bad time.

The Prime Minister hinted at further relaxation of the ongoing nationwide shutdown over the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic to resume economic activities, saying that it is not possible to keep blocked the way of the people’s income for an indefinite time.

“I and my government will stay beside you Insha Allah until the crisis goes away,” she said.

Sheikh Hasina said most of the countries of the world have already been compelled to ease the lockdown over coronavirus because it is not possible to halt the way of income of the people for an indefinite time.

The government permitted opening of markets and shopping malls from 10 am to 4 pm from May 10 by maintaining health guidelines and social distancing measures, she said.

Citing the World Health Organisation (WHO) forecast, the Prime Minister said the coronavirus pandemic will not go away soon.

“But life will not remain stopped, and as long as vaccine of coronavirus will not be discovered we may have to live along with the virus … economic activities will have to be resumed for the sake of life and livelihood (of the people),” she said.

“We had to close down everything — offices, courts, mills and factories and business organisations — except some emergency services and lakhs of people have become jobless as they lost employment,” she said.

She added “The government has taken all-out measures for (helping) these people.”

Sheikh Hasina said the government is providing food assistance apart from cash aid, adding 1,62,867 metric tons of rice and Taka 91,47,72,000 have so far been allocated.

“We’ve given an allocation of 80,000 MT rice for selling it at Taka 10 per kilogram and issued additional 50 lakh cards this month for the destitute families through which they can buy this rice,” she said.

The premier said a total of Taka 1,250 crore was given to 50 lakh families that have lost jobs but were not included in any assistance programme, through mobile banking and each of the families received Taka 2,500.

“More than Taka 17 crore was given to the qaumi madrasa students and teachers in two phases, while Tk 122 crore two lakh and 15 thousand was provided to imams and muazzin of the mosques as financial assistance,” she said.

Sheikh Hasina said special arrangements have also been made for the marginalised community of society and these programmes will continue until the situation becomes normal.

The premier said bumper production of Boro paddy has become a blessing for the country in this perilous time. Boro paddy was cultivated on about 48 lakh hectors of land this year and harvesting is almost completed.

Sheikh Hasina congratulated and extended Eid-ul-Fitr greetings to the farmers and all concerned involved in agriculture for playing an important role in ensuring food security in this critical time.

 

Dhaka/Parvej/Mukul

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