Corona adds new dimension in Bangabandhu’s Birth Centenary activities: Hasan
Information Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud
today said new dimension would be added in the activities of
Bangabandhu’s Birth Centenary programmes due to the COVID-19
situation.
The minister stated this at a meeting of the subcommittee of Media,
Publicity and Documentation of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh
Mujibur Rahman Birth Centenary Celebration at the meeting room of his
ministry at Secretariat here.
Dr Hasan Mahmud presided over the meeting while Textiles and Jute
Minister Golam Dastagir Gazi, State Minister of Foreign Affairs Md
Shahriar Alam, State Minister for Information Dr Murad Hasan,
Information Commissioner Dr Abdul Malek and Information Secretary
Kamrun Nahar were present in the meeting.
The information minister said many programmes which were taken
marking the Bangabandhu’s Birth Centenary were suspended for about
seven months due to the coronavirus situation.
“So, in the rest of the time, we are in the process of taking
decision through a detailed review of what we can do realistically in
the context of the country and the world as well. The Mujib Year will
be ended March 17 in next year and our 50th anniversary of
independence falls in next year. We also discussed about it,” he
added.
The minister said activities are being reviewed that the programmes
which could be done without public gatherings and can be implemented
through online considering the global epidemic situation.
“Such as, we have decided to make many documentations and short
films and the works of making of those are going. But, the works were
hampered due to COVID-19 situation. Discussions are going on how to
complete the works,” he added.
Hasan said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has limited and suspended
many programmes of the Mujib Year due to COVID 19 situation.
“Although preparations have been made for a long time, including
the inaugural ceremony of the Mujib Year, the primer canceled the
inaugural ceremony of the Mujib Year in an attempt to keep the people
of the country free from coronavirus as possible. Many other events
have also been canceled,” he added.
The information minister said the situation of Bangladesh is much
better than other countries in tackling the Coronavirus pandemic.
“Bangladesh is one of the countries across the globe where the
death rate is less among the people infected with the coronavirus. It
was possible due to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s time-befitting and
pragmatic steps,” said Hasan.
The premier, he said, has kept the country’s economy afloat by
combining life and livelihood and Bangladesh has also lagged behind
almost of all countries in Asia in terms of achieving GDP growth.
The GDP growth of Bangladesh is 5.2 percent while the GDP of most of
the countries are minus as per the Asian Development Bank, he added.
Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) Managing Director and Chief
Editor Abul Kalam Azad, senior journalist Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury,
Bangladesh Television director general SM Harun-or-Rashid, Bangladesh
Betar director general Hosne Ara Talukder, Press Institute of
Bangladesh director general Jafar Wazed, Mass Communication Department
director general Akther Hossain, director general (external publicity)
of Foreign Ministry Samia Halim, Ekattor Television director general
Mozammel Babu, Jatiya Press Club general secretary Farida Yeasmin,
journalist Naimul Islam Khan, and other members of the subcommittee
took part in the meeting through online.