DHAKA, Oct 2, 2018 (BSS)- Social Welfare Minister Rashed Khan Menon today urged the media to play an important role to find out the anomalies and irregularities in society to help devise the ways to resolve those.
“I urge them (media) to give more importance to dig out the anomalies in society and show the ways to resolve those,” he said, speaking at a workshop at Press Institute of Bangladesh (PIB) here.
PIB organized the ‘PIB- Senior Friends Reception 2018’ and the workshop titled ‘Rights of Senior Citizens, Sustainable Development and Media Role’ with PIB Director General Md Shah Alamgir in the chair, said a press release.
Palli Karma Sahayak Foundation Chairman Dr Kazia Khaliquzzaman, National Human Rights Commission Chairman Kazi Riazul Haque, Ekushey Padak winner and senior journalist Kamal Lohani, Prabin Hitoyshi Sangha and Gerontology Institute General Secretary Professor Dr ASM Atiqur Rahman, MAMMS Institute Chief Executive Officer Professor Sayeba Akther and Help Age International Bangladesh Country Director Rabeya Sultana, among others, addressed the programme.
Menon said the government is providing the honorarium allowances to around 40 lakh senior citizens.
The minister said, “The government has allocated Taka around 2100 crore for 2018-19 fiscal year in the sector for around 40 lakh senior citizens while it was only Taka 600 crore in 2008-09 fiscal for 20 lakh senior citizens. The government has provided Taka 11,799 crore to around 2.67 crore senior citizens in last 10 years.”
Menon said the government is taking necessary steps to make the ‘Prabin Unnayan Foundation Act’ effective for the senior citizens.
He urged the insurance companies to introduce insurance skims for the senior citizens.
Later, Social Welfare Minister Rashed Khan Menon, Palli Karma Sahayak Foundation Chairman Dr Kazia Khaliquzzaman, National Human Rights Commission Chairman Kazi Riazul Haque, Ekushey Padak winner and senior journalist Kamal Lohani, Prabin Hitoyshi Sangha and Gerontology Institute General Secretary Professor Dr ASM Atiqur Rahman, MAMMS Institute Chief Executive Officer Professor Sayeba Akther, Help Age International Bangladesh Country Director Rabeya Sultana and Masuda Khatun Lima were awarded with the PIB-Prabinbandhu Sommanona 2018.