Help common people instead of hosting iftar parties: PM

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today called for standing beside the common people as much as possible during Ramadan.

She made this appeal while chairing a Cabinet meeting held at her office in the capital.

Cabinet Secretary Mahbub Hossain briefed reporters after the meeting at the Bangladesh Secretariat.

“Today the prime minister made an appeal. She earlier gave a decision not to arrange iftar parties. [Today] She said those who are eager or have resources should stand by the people as per their capacity. If needed, they should stand by the common people with the money they are eager to spend on the Iftar parties,” said Mahbub.

Besides, the premier issued two directives for the authorities concerned — to develop agriculture-based cooperatives and to construct modern preservation storages in the country’s eight divisions to preserve agro-goods.

She directed the agriculture ministry and the Rural Development and Cooperatives Division to develop agriculture-based cooperatives in line with the dream of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

The construction of modern preservation storages will help control unusual price-hikes of goods and maintain the normal supply of the products in the market during the off-season.

The PM said the modern preservation storages should have separate chambers for different agricultural goods, according to the cabinet secretary.