Shawdesh Desk:

The ruling Awami League on Wednesday announced the party’s election manifesto ahead of the next general election with a pledge to build a smart Bangladesh, control commodity prices and generating more employment.

AL president and prime minister Sheikh Hasina announced the manifesto in a programme at Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel in Dhaka with the slogan ‘Smart Bangladesh where Development Shines, Accelerating Employment’.

The 12th parliamentary election is scheduled to be held on January 7.

Sheikh Hasina highlighted the achievements of the government at the beginning of her speech.

She highlighted the achievements of the government in various sectors including per capita income, GDP and budget size, electricity, infrastructure, education, and health sector.

In the election manifesto, AL has given special priority to 11 issues.

The special priorities include making all-out efforts to keep the price of commodities within the purchasing capacity of all, ensuring vocational education and employment for the youths, building a smart Bangladesh based on modern technology and increasing investment in integrated farming, mechanization and processing for profitable agriculture.

The priorities also include promoting industries by taking advantage of visible infrastructure and increasing investment, increasing efficiency and capacity in the financial sector including banks, making healthcare accessible to low-income people, including everyone in the universal pension system, ensuring the effectiveness and accountability of law enforcement agencies, preventing communalism and all forms of terrorism and extremism and protecting and promoting democratic practices at all levels.

AL said that it would make all efforts to implement these issues if it comes to power again.

The prime minister, in her speech, also said, ‘Bangladesh has been transformed in the last 15 years. Today’s Bangladesh is by no means poverty-stricken or economically fragile. I can unequivocally say that today’s Bangladesh is now changed.’

‘Bangladesh is now a fast-paced country moving forward with its potential. Minor setbacks cannot hinder our economic progress today. We have left that proof by facing various challenges, including the Covid-19 pandemic,’ she said.

At the beginning of the programme, AL presidium member and chief of the manifesto sub-committee Abdur Razzaque gave the welcome speech.

After that, AL general secretary Obaidul Quader addressed the programme.

Senior leaders of the party, cabinet members, diplomats and special dignitaries attended the event.