<div style="text-align: justify; "><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><b>Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday put emphasis on the rural development along with building infrastructure.</b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“I think besides the infrastructural development we also need the overall development of the rural areas,” she told the ECNEC meeting at NEC conference room in Agargaon.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">She asked authorities concerned to quickly finish the development projects which are beiny delayed due to allocation of small funds.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“I will ask the cabinet secretary to convey this to all secretaries in different ministries so such projects are completed quickly,” she said</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">She said with the finishing these projects it would be easy for the government to take up new development programmes.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">She also said that deadline of some development projects have been increased, but hose also have to be completed very soon.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Because, if that remains unfinished costs of the projects will increase unnecessarily and it also kills time. Make sure that this is done,” she said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Hasina said that for the socioeconomic development of the country the government must take development projects.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In this regard, she asked all to remain cautious while taking any kind of development projects so that the government could attain its goal.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">She mentioned that due to global condition the countryis having some pressure on economy. Otherwise the country was moving fast towards prosperity.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“The growth was increasing, development was expediting, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic the whole world came to a standstill, and when the whole world started to move from that situation, it was hit by the Ukraine-Russia war followed by sanctions, counter-sanctions,” she said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">She also mentioned that the world is bracing for another phase of instability after Israeli troops launched heinous attacks on the innocent people in Palestine.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“As a result, the cost and time of transportation has increased manifold," she said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">She said that due to these external factors the pressure is on in Bangladesh.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The prime minister said she has requested all to utilise every inch of arable land of the country for production of food grains.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“And it has given us better results,” she said. UNB</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>