Perform duty to society: PM urges Pvt. TV channels

Gb news24 desk//

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has urged the private television channels to perform their duty to the society side by side making profit and giving concentration on broadcasting educative materials to guide the society in right direction.

“People enjoy television particularly for recreation which also can play an important role in educating people many things to build their lives and society,” she said.

So the television channels should perform their responsibility to the society and broadcast more educating materials, she said in a meeting with the leaders of Association of Private Television Channel Owners (ATCO) at her Tejgaon office here today.

“Our goal is to take forward the country through using modern technology. Side by side we want to keep the country out of the influence of any evil force,” she said adding that the mass media particularly the television channels have to a due role to play for flourishing education, literature, culture and sports.

Television channels also play role in educating people for increasing food production, building an enlightened society and carrying out cleanness programme, the prime minister said adding that habit of the people is positively changing as many channels are telecasting such programmes.

Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu and State Minister for Information Tarana Halim were present.

Chairman of ATCO Salman F Rahman, Director Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury, ATCO Senior Vice Chairman Mozammel Babu, Nazmul Hasan Papan of Independent Television represented the ATCO delegation.

PM’s Principal Secretary Md. Nojibur Rahman, Information Secretary Abdul Malek, PM’s Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim and Principal Information Officer Quamrun Nahar were present.

The prime minister also sought a strong role of visual media for containing militancy and terrorism saying that the government is always careful so that the evil force cannot raise its head again.

Sheikh Hasina said her government has given licenses to 41 private television channels out of which 30 channels went on operation. Privatisation of mass media was a part of overall privatisation policy of the government to create employment in this sector and promote cultural activities, she said.

Highlighting the overall socioeconomic progress of the country over the last 10 years, the prime minister said rural people are watching so many television channels as their economic condition got better.

“Number of television viewer are increasing as they have food in their house and economically they are becoming solvent to purchase a television,” she said adding that the more country’s economy would get better the more purchase capacity of the people would increase.”

The prime minister said a well thought out plan of her government and pragmatic measures for its implementation made it possible to move forward the country tremendously.

“We had done some work after coming to power in 1996. But the pace of development became standstill with the change of government in 2001,” she said adding that proper plan and sincere work of her government was the key of Bangladesh’s tremendous success in every sector over the last 10 years.

Seeking more role of private sector for country’s development, the prime minister said a government cannot solve every problem of the people. Every individual particularly the new generation must keep in their mind his/her own responsibility for development of the country as well as society.

“As far as the development issues are concerned the people must have confidence in their own strength and capacity instead of being dependent on the government,” the prime minister said.

Sheikh Hasina said she has immense confidence in people as their support and cooperation is very important for running the country. Awami League assumed power in 2009 when inflation was double digit, which now came down to
4.8 percent in rural areas and 5.4 in cities, she aid.

Sheikh Hasina said the poverty rate has come down to 21 percent now from 40 percent in 2008 while the number of extreme poor declined to 11 percent from 22 percent thanks to government’s many social safety net programmes.

“We have to do more work to reduce poverty further,” she said adding that her government is working with a goal to make Bangladesh completely free from poverty by 2021.

The prime minister said her government has also targeted the 2041 to build Bangladesh as a developed country in South Asia. “Despite scarcity of resources, the current pace of development we will be able to do it,” she hoped saying the government has prepared the Delta Plan-2100 to ensure a sustainable development.

The PM’s press secretary said the prime minister in an open discussion with ATCO leaders talked about the Digital Security Act, 2018 assuring that the act in no way would harm objective journalism.

The ATCO leaders have expressed their full support to the law and underscored the need for a proper guideline to make the online media accountable, the press secretary said.