Govt to ensure balanced development across all upazilas: Moyeen Khan

Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Abdul Moyeen Khan said on Saturday the government wants to ensure balanced development across all upazilas, prioritising people’s interests regardless of political affiliation or geographical location.

He said development plans must maintain a balance among the country’s 503 upazilas, adding that no upazila should receive facilities that are denied to people in neighbouring areas.

As a government elected by the people, it is the government’s responsibility to implement development programmes while considering the interests of people in all areas, he said.

The minister made the remarks as the chief guest at a discussion on formulating strategies for installing solar power systems in urban and rural areas through cooperative societies at the Multipurpose Hall of the Cooperative Building in the capital’s Agargaon. The Rural Development and Cooperatives Division organised the event.

Moyeen Khan said government officials were not merely employees but served the country’s 180 million people. The government had considered properly evaluating their work and adjusting their salaries and allowances in line with the cost of living, he added.

Although limited resources made it impossible to implement all measures at once, the government would try to introduce them gradually over the next few years, he said.

He also said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman had raised in the Cabinet the issue of adjusting government officials’ salaries annually in line with inflation.

Emphasising officials’ role in implementing development plans at the grassroots level, the minister said elected representatives and government officials must ensure that ordinary people benefited from all government activities.

He urged officials to play an effective role in implementing the prime minister’s grassroots-focused development plans.

State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Mir Shahe Alam also attended the discussion.