<div style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;">Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday asked the government officials to ensure accountability and work sincerely up to the grassroots level for the sake of the advancement of the country.</span><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">"Any tough situation can be overcome or even impossible things can also be made possible, if we go forward showing sincerity towards work, having a sense of self-esteem, ensuring accountability, and staying away from corruption. Today our Bangladesh has proven it," she said.</div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">The premier said this while addressing the signing ceremony of Annual Performance Agreements (APAs) for the FY2023-24 at her office here in the city.</div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">The ministries and divisions signed the APAs with the Cabinet Division.</div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">The PM received the APAs from the secretaries of the ministries and divisions.</div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">In the function, the APA Award for FY2021-22 and Integrity Award for FY2022-23 were distributed among the government offices and officials for their excellent performance in APA implementation and rendering services.</div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">Pointing at the ministries and divisions, Hasina asked them to ensure accountability by signing APAs with their subordinate offices.</div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">“You (ministries) will sign the APA with your other offices so that communication and accountability is ensured (in government offices) up to the grassroots level. If we could work in this way, we can turn Bangladesh into a developed-prosperous country by 2041,” she said.</div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">The prime minister asked the top government officials to prepare their predecessors as competent ones to build the country as a developed, prosperous, smart and golden Bangladesh by 2041 by implementing the government's action plans.</div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">She hoped that the government can take Bangladesh forward by overcoming both the natural and manmade disasters.</div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">"The man-made disasters may come alongside natural calamities. We'll be able to take the country forward by overcoming all sorts of disasters. I believe it," she said.</div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">The PM asked all to boost food production and not to leave a single inch of land uncultivated so that Bangladesh won't be required to depend on others in case of food shortages amid the current global situation.</div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">State Minister for Public Administration Farhad Hossain spoke on the occasion, while Cabinet Secretary Md Mahbub Hossain delivered the welcome speech.</div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">Planning Division Secretary Satyajit Karmakar, who received the Integrity Award 2022-23, and Public Administration Secretary Mohammed Mezbah Uddin Chowdhury also spoke at the event.</div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">The Public Administration Ministry has attained the first Award in the APA implementation for 2021-2022, while the Power Division and the Agricultural Ministry gained the second and third position respectively.</div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">The ministries and divisions that attained fourth to tenth position in the implementation of APA are finance division, ICT division, IMED, energy and mineral resources division, ministry of water resources, planning division, rural development and cooperatives division. UNB</div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">nbbd24/kh</div>