No one will be spared in drive against graft

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said no one indulging in corruption will be spared, irrespective of their identity, and vowed to continue the ongoing drive against graft.

“We will catch the corrupt,” she said during the discussion on the proposed 2024-25 budget in parliament.

The comments came at a time when former and current government officials facing allegations of corruption are making headlines.

Responding to criticisms of the scope to legalise black money, she said, “Everything is pricier now. Someone owning one katha of land in Dhaka has a few crores of taka… They can neither show the money nor pay income tax. Sometimes these opportunities are given in order for them to pay income taxes and join the mainstream… and not do such things anymore.”

The PM said, “The country will not go backwards. No matter how many efforts they make, no one will be able to destroy the country.”

Stating that the power and energy sector was highly subsidised, she said, “Why do we subsidise this sector? I will do everything necessary to change the fate of the people of the country. Those who consume more must pay the cost of production. But we are not doing that overnight. It is being done slowly and patiently. We are providing uninterrupted electricity and energy.”

Referring to power outages, Hasina said she asked the authorities to ensure that the villages do not suffer.

She said outages should be in the wealthy neighbourhoods of Gulshan, Banani and Baridhara so that the well-off are reminded that the comfort of air conditioning, cars, elevators, come at a cost

Regarding quick rental power plants, Hasina said, “I am also hearing criticism about the special law that we enacted. My question is, what if we did not have this special law? If you had not built power plants, would there be electricity today?”

Referring to the economy, she said, “Some so-called intellectuals criticise everything. There is a lot of talk about loan defaults, a lot of talk about bad debts.”

The GDP in 2009 was $102 billion, she said. The loan was only Tk 22,000 crore then, while bad loans were 10.5 percent, she informed.

“GDP size in 2023 is $460 billion. The loan amount is Tk 1 lakh and 55 thousand crore. The bad debt ratio is 9.9 percent. That means it has decreased.”

She urged the “so-called intellectuals” not to mislead people.

If the construction of MRT Line-1, Line-2, Line-4 and Line-5 is done by 2030, there will be no traffic congestion in Dhaka city and people will be able to commute easily.

There are plans for metro rails in all divisional cities.

Speaking on the universal pension scheme, she said from July 1, 2025, new government officials and employees will be included under the scheme.

The PM said there will be an opportunity for all citizens to participate in the scheme and secure their future financially.

The Leader of the House said some termed the budget as highly ambitious, and a while ago, the opposition leader said this budget is not feasible.

“Taking challenges is our job… I do not think the budget is highly ambitious at all. We set goals. A target is never reached 100 percent. It’s not possible. Yet, we have specific goals that we will achieve.”

Referring to rising prices, Hasina said, “The results of the steps we have taken to control inflation will be in the market soon. We will be able to lower [inflation] according to our expectation.”

LondonGBDESK//