Polls manifesto: AL to pledge end of extreme poverty by 2031

The ruling Awami League, in its upcoming election manifesto, will pledge to end extreme poverty in the country by 2031 and  build a "Smart Bangladesh" by 2041. 

The vision for a "Smart Bangladesh" will rest on four key foundations: Smart Citizen, Smart Economy, Smart Government, and Smart Society, according to several party sources. 

In line with this, the manifesto will outline strategies to expand digital manufacturing and exports, boost the domestic digital market, and advance people's digital skills.

It will also contain plans for increased investment in cutting-edge fields such as robotics, AI, and nanotechnology.

On the economic front, the manifesto will include the declaration of transforming Bangladesh into an upper-middle income country with detailed plans on how to raise the country's per capita income to $5,906 by 2031. 

Besides, there will be details of strategies to make Bangladesh a developed country with per capita income above $12,500 by 2041 along with the promise to reduce poverty to below 3% by that year.

The party sources said thematic proposals have been solicited from party leaders, university professors, and intellectuals on formulating the manifesto.

Besides, inputs are being gathered to identify new concerns relevant to the current context. There is also an ongoing analysis of the 2018 election manifesto's implementation progress.

The final manifesto will be published either upon the announcement of the election schedule or a few days before the 12th national election.

Sources said the ruling party will place strong emphasis on harnessing the potential of Bangladesh and addressing the challenges posed by the fourth industrial revolution. 

The manifesto will include various promises for the development of agriculture and food processing industries, notably topics on production management and growth plans through mechanisation.

Salim Mahmud, member secretary of the manifesto preparation sub-committee, told The Business Standard that work was still going on around the manifesto. 

Stating that the first meeting of the committee was held on 28 September, he said more meetings are needed. "Before finalisation, it [manifesto] will be submitted to the Awami League President, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, for approval." 

The 2018 election manifesto will serve as a foundation for the upcoming one, Salim Mahmud said, adding, "It will incorporate strategies that leverage the country's resources to address current global challenges and guide the nation's progress."

The Awami League's previous manifesto, titled "Bangladesh on the march of prosperity", outlined plans for a developed and prosperous Bangladesh by 2041 and a secure delta by 2100. 

Bangladesh is now on course of becoming a developing country from a least developed country.

However, the implementation of the 2018 manifesto has been somewhat hampered by these two global crises [pandemic and Ukraine war], party sources said. Future manifesto plans will be taken keeping in mind the issue of dealing with such a crisis.

Several other AL leaders associated with the manifesto said that the election pledges would be formulated with several generations in mind and containing details of various types of plans for the short, medium and long terms. 

Among these are the Second Perspective Plan (2021-2041), Delta Plan 2100, Ninth Five Year Plan (2026-2030), Tenth Five Year Plan (2031-2035), and Eleventh Five Year Plan (2036-2040).