National
PM: Young generation to be key-force in building Smart Bangladesh
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina emphasized the pivotal role of the country’s young generation in shaping a Smart Bangladesh during her speech at the Bangladesh Startup Summit-2023 held at Hotel InterContinental. As the chief guest, she expressed confidence that the youth would be equipped with the necessary skills to lead the nation’s progress across all sectors. With a vision to transform Bangladesh into a smart country by 2041, the Prime Minister commended the young generation’s innovation and adaptability to implement new ideas.
To prepare for the challenges posed by the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), Prime Minister Hasina highlighted her government’s initiatives to develop skilled human resources. These efforts include establishing vocational and technical educational institutions in every upazila and providing training facilities for future professionals. Acknowledging the importance of advanced technologies like artificial intelligence, internet of things, blockchain, robotics, big data, medical scribes, and cyber security, she stressed the need for skilled professionals in these fields.
Focusing on promoting entrepreneurship and innovation, the Prime Minister outlined her government’s target to create five unicorn startups by 2025 and 50 unicorns by 2041. These unicorn startups are expected to generate significant employment opportunities for millions of people, contributing to the nation’s economic growth. She urged both domestic and foreign investors to invest more in startups, assuring them that the government has formulated necessary policies to safeguard their investments.
The event also witnessed the inauguration of the “Smart Bangladesh accelerator,” the “India-Bangladesh Startup Bridge” networking platform, and the “Smart Bangladesh Startup Fund.” These initiatives aim to foster a conducive ecosystem for startups to thrive and contribute to the country’s growth. Furthermore, several startups were recognized for their outstanding performances, receiving awards in different categories, including Shopup, Pathao, bkash, 10-minute school, UNDP Youthco lab, Nagad, SBK Tech Venture, and funded next.
Prime Minister Hasina also distributed grants from the Bangabandhu Innovation grant to two entrepreneurs, underlining the government’s commitment to supporting innovative projects. The ceremony concluded with the screening of audio-visual documentaries showcasing the Bangladesh Startup Summit, the Bangabandhu Innovation Grant, and the vision of Smart Bangladesh.
Overall, the summit served as a platform to inspire and encourage the youth to lead the way in building a Smart Bangladesh, leveraging technology and innovation to drive progress and prosperity. The government’s proactive measures to nurture skilled professionals and promote entrepreneurship demonstrate a clear commitment to embracing the opportunities presented by the 4IR and securing a bright future for the nation.
Leaders of the quota reform movement have resolutely refused to negotiate with the government, insisting that their movement will persist until their demands are met.
In a Facebook post, Hasnat Abdullah, a coordinator of the movement, declared, “No discussion through stepping onto blood.”
Asif Mahmud, another prominent leader, echoed this sentiment, stating, “There can be no dialogue with bullets. I would prefer death over this betrayal.”
He further elaborated, “On one side, there are bullets. On the other, there is a call for dialogue. We can’t sit for dialogue while stepping onto the blood of our brothers.”
Earlier, leaders of the quota reform movement accused the government of escalating the law and order situation towards violence, asserting that their movement was peaceful until the government’s intervention.
Vowing to continue their struggle, Asif Mahmud stated, “We will continue our protests till we achieve our demands for reformation of the quota system, reopening of the halls and campuses, making university campuses terror-free, withdrawing political forces from the campuses, and punishing the killers and attackers.”
He added, “The people of the country have encircled those who tried to corner us. No conspiracy will be able to derail our movement.”
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today urged both local and international investors to invest in the extraction of marine resources from Bangladesh’s extensive sea areas.
“In order to fortify the blue economy through the diverse utilization of our marine resources, I call upon local and foreign investors to seize the opportunity to invest in Bangladesh. This will enable us to harness more of our marine resources,” she announced.
The Prime Minister made these remarks during the inauguration of the Bangladesh International Aquaculture and Seafood Show-2024 at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) in Dhaka.
She emphasized the importance of adhering to proper standards in the collection, distribution, and processing of fish to boost exports, aiming to make fish the country’s second-largest source of foreign currency.
Sheikh Hasina pointed out that her government has made limited progress in harvesting fish and other sea resources from the deep sea due to a lack of interest from local investors.
“Therefore, we need foreign investment to advance in this area. This is the reality we must face,” she noted.
She also suggested that both local and foreign investors can collaborate in joint ventures or invest separately in this sector to achieve better results.
The Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) has forecasted light to moderate and moderately heavy rainfall or thundershowers, accompanied by temporary gusty winds, across all eight divisions of the country over the next 24 hours, starting from 9 am today.
In its weather bulletin issued this morning, the BMD stated, “Light to moderate rain or thundershowers with temporary gusty wind is expected in a few places over Rangpur, Mymensingh, Chattogram, and Sylhet divisions. Additionally, one or two places in Rajshahi, Dhaka, Khulna, and Barisal divisions may experience similar conditions, with moderately heavy falls anticipated at several locations in Rangpur, Mymensingh, Chattogram, and Sylhet divisions.”
The bulletin also highlighted that the current mild heat wave sweeping across the Rangpur division and the districts of Tangail, Chuadanga, Rajshahi, Pabna, Bogra, and Netrokona may persist.
Daytime temperatures are expected to rise slightly, while nighttime temperatures are likely to remain nearly unchanged throughout the country.
On Wednesday, the highest recorded temperature was 36.7 degrees Celsius, observed in Rajshahi, Rangpur, and Rajarhat. The lowest temperature recorded today was 26.0 degrees Celsius, noted in Bandarban and Teknaf.
Over the last 24 hours, rainfall amounted to 16 mm in Bandarban.
For the capital, the sun will set at 6:48 pm today and rise at 5:21 am tomorrow.
