<div style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today said many don’t want to run for the upcoming 12th parliamentary election, fearing poor performance as seen in the 2008 election.</span><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">“Many don’t want to join the election. (It is normal that) those who secured only 30 seats will have no desire to run the election. They are causing public suffering through creating an abnormal situation by trying to thwart the election,” the PM said without mentioning BNP.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Read: Produce leprosy drugs locally: PM Hasina to pharmaceutical companies</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The premier said this while inaugurating 10,041 infrastructures throughout the country under 157 projects of 24 ministries and divisions through a virtual platform from her official residence Ganabhaban.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The beneficiaries connected to the event virtually from 101 location, including 64 DC offices throughout the country. The total estimated cost of the projects Tk 97,471 crore.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The PM said the ongoing blockades and arson violence started when people of the country were living in peace and the nation was witnessing rapid progress.&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Day to day life and academic activities of students, particularly those sitting for annual exams, are being hampered due to the ongoing arson attacks and violence, she said.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Sheikh Hasina said her government has increased literacy rate in the country to 76.6 percent, which was only 45 percent in the BNP regime.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">She hoped that good sense would prevail and the destruction and arson violence would end.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The prime minister again asked countrymen to resist the arson violence for the sake of protecting their own lives and properties.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The prime minister unveiled foundation stones of or opened 4,644 infrastructures under different projects as well as handed over 5,397 houses constructed under Ashrayan-2 project in 132 upazilas of 46 districts among landless and homeless families.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">At the event, the PM declared 11 more districts and 60 upazilas as “landless and homeless-free”. A total of 32 districts and 394 upazilas have so far been declared “landless and homeless family-free”.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The 4,644 infrastructures include 2023 Government Primary School Bhaban, 1800 Madrasa Bhaban, 299 Academic Bhaban and 40 Administrative Bhaban under Technical and Madrasa Education Division; 952 Academic and Research Bhaban under Secondary and Higher Education Division; 12 Student Dormitory Bhaban; 222 disaster management centres; 128 Chief Judicial Magistrate Bhaban; Sub-register Office Bhaban in 46 districts; 110 flood shelter centres; 25 Mujib Qilla; 20 bridges; 22 complexes under the Social&nbsp; Welfare Ministry; 34 bhaban under the Health Services Division; 7 student messes; 16 dormitories; 23 ICUs; 79 community clinics; 46 Medical College Bhaban; 24 Nursing College Bhaban; tennis infrastructural development in 25 districts; 13 Sports School Bhaban; 26 BKSP Training Centres; 20 child day care centres; 38 SPM with double pipelines; construction of 10 gas pipelines; instalment of 26 refining units; 24 mine digging; 140 gas plant purchase and instalment; construction of 33 pipelines; 18 infrastructures of Sheikh Hasina Textile Engineering College; 11 Textile Institute infrastructures; 40 technical training centre; and 14 Sheikh Kamal IT Training and Incubation Centre Bhaban. PM’s Principal Secretary M Tofazzel Hossain Miah conducted the event. UNB</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>