Poverty reduction despite Covid, war a great achievement

Despite the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the poverty rate in our country has seen a significant decline, which is a noteworthy achievement. The prime minister is delighted with this news. While many countries across the globe have experienced negative growth due to the pandemic, our nation has managed to achieve positive growth and reduce poverty.

Bangladesh took some bold initiatives during the pandemic, which involved taking a significant risk. Unlike many other countries, we did not impose a complete lockdown; instead, we opted for a partial lockdown that allowed factory production and agricultural work to continue.

Additionally, the government provided incentives of more than Tk1.20 lakh crore to mitigate the impact of the pandemic. These measures paid off, as our nation was able to achieve growth even during that difficult time.

The government provided free rice, cash assistance, and food aid to the people. In addition, the resilience of our economy has played a vital role in reducing both our poverty and growth rates.

Our literacy rate has reached 74%, which is a remarkable achievement. We are also proud that 99.34% of our population now has access to electricity. Furthermore, we have made significant strides in providing clean drinking water and proper toilet facilities, which is a positive development for our nation.

The long-standing economic theory that suggests inequality increases along with development is no longer acceptable. We need to address the issue of inequality and work towards reducing it.

Moreover, there is a concerning trend of unequal distribution of state resources, such as water reservoirs being leased out by depriving the poor people. This is an issue that needs to be addressed urgently.

We see that development activities are focused solely on the cities. It is unjustifiable that universities and hospitals are exclusively established in Dhaka. Thankfully, the current government is now prioritizing rural development, which will help to reduce discrimination.

Planning Minister MA Mannan spoke at the launching of the Household Income and Expenditure Survey report on Wednesday.