SANGSAD BHABAN, Feb 10, 2020 (BSS) – Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Huq today placed a proposal in the parliament for introducing an international award after the name of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in the ‘Mujib Year’ on the occasion of Bangabandhu’s birth centenary.
“In the beginning of my speech, I would like to propose for introducing an international award after the name of our great leader and great teacher Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in the Mujib Year,” he said.
The liberation war affairs minister placed the proposal while taking part in the discussion on the thanksgiving motion on the President’s January 9 address to the House with Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury in the chair.
Mozammel urged the Foreign Ministry for taking a step for introducing another international award after the name of Bangabandhu under the auspices of the UNESCO.
In response to Dr Kamal Hossain’s call for taking to the street to bring down the government instead of just holding indoor meetings, he said, “I condemn his remarks for using some words which we don’t expect from a constitution author like him. He could criticize the government using more descent words”.
He said the Jamaat-e-Islami, which directly opposed the country’s Liberation War in 1971, has no right to do politics in Bangladesh.
Noting that no country in the world allows the anti-liberation elements to do politics, he said, “I will plead for banning the politics of Jamaat as soon as possible”. He drew the attention of the Home Minister for taking necessary steps in this regard.
Mozammel asked the authorities concerned to remove the graves of different persons, including Ziaur Rahman, and other structures, constructed going beyond world-famous architect Louis I Kahn’s original design of the Jatiya Sangsad, from the parliament premises.
Highlighting different development activities in the country in the last 11 years under the present government, the liberation war affairs minister said, “We made the world astonished in the infrastructure development”.
Awami League lawmakers Md Shamsul Haque Tuku, Morshed Alam, Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Md Shahab Uddin, HN Ashequr Rahman, Whip Shamsul Hoque Chowdhury, AKM Sarwar Jahan, Khodeza Nasreen Akhter Hossain, Parveen Haque Sikder, Sagufta Yasmin and Basanti Chakma, Bangladesh Workers Party lawmaker Rashed Khan Menon and Independent lawmaker Md Rezaul Karim Bablu also took part in the discussion.
Taking part in the discussion, Forest and Climate Change Minister Md Shahab Uddin said his ministry has taken a programme of planting one crore saplings across the country on the occasion of the birth centenary of Bangabandhu.
He said of the total one crore saplings, 50 percent will be fruit-bearing, forest and herbal trees.
Highlighting different projects undertaken for protecting the environment and facing the adverse effect of the climate change, he said “We have set a target of ensuring cent percent use of block bricks in the government infrastructures by 2025”.
Noting that the government wants to stop the use of burnt bricks across the country, he said the ‘Brick Manufacturing and Brick Kiln Establishment (Control) (Amendment) Bill, 2019, has been enforced to this end.
Rashed Khan Menon, taking part in the discussion, lauded the government’s success in the education sector in increasing the rate of literacy to 73.9 percent from 28.9 percent and enrolment rate at primary schools to 97.25.
Other lawmakers, taking part in the discussion, thanked the President for his time-worthy speech, saying that President Abdul Hamid in his 163-page speech has projected the government’s success in all sectors in the last 11 years under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and outlined the government’s future plans for transforming the country into a developed and prosperous one by 2041.
Highlighting the President’s speech on the celebration of the birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the lawmakers said celebration of Bangabandhu’s birth centenary will remain as a milestone in the country’s history.
The lawmakers congratulated the Bangladesh Under-19 Cricket Team for clinching the ICC Under-19 World Cup trophy for the first time ever in the history of the country’s sports in any format.
Earlier, the lawmakers paid rich tributes to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman for his sacrifice and contribution to establish an independent Bangladesh.
They also paid rich tributes to the national four leaders and martyrs of the 1975 carnage and the Language Movement.