<div style="text-align: justify; "><b style="font-size: 1rem;">Executive Director of the World Bank Parameswaran Iyer on Thursday said other developing countries can follow the development model of Bangladesh.</b><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Bangladesh has witnessed a phenomenal transformation,” he said while paying a courtesy call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the latter’s official residence Ganabhaban here in the morning.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">PM’s Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim briefed reporters after the meeting.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Iyer praised the prime minister saying that the developments of Bangladesh have been achieved because of her leadership and planning.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">He conveyed the greetings of the WB president to the premier.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">He said the World Bank will assist Bangladesh to improve infrastructures in the next phase of its development journey.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The WB official said Bangladesh’s private sector is thriving.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The country's sanitary system is also remarkable, he said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">He said the World Bank will also assist Bangladesh to implement the Delta Plan-2100.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Talking about the Rohingya issue, the WB official mentioned that the global lender has already provided US$ 700 million assistance for the Rohingya people.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In this context, the prime minister put emphasis on the repatriation of the Rohingya people to their motherland, Myanmar.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">She apprised Iyer of different aspects of Bangladesh's development programmes. “Our main target is poverty eradication. We want to ensure a better life of the people,” she was quoted as saying.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">She said her government and party design and implement plans taking all aspects in consideration.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">About the climate issue, the premier said though Bangladesh is not a carbon emitter, it has to suffer the adverse impacts of climate change.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">She said the World Bank is administering a technical assistance on the ecological restoration and ensuring navigability of rivers surrounding Dhaka city with a view to making the city more liveable under an umbrella investment programme.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;Hasina said her government opened everything for the private sector and is extending support to the private sector.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">WB Alternative Executive Director Ahmad Kaikaus, ERD Secretary Sharifa Khan and PMO Secretary Mohammad Salahuddin were present. UNB</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>