Social Welfare Minister Professor Dr. A.Z.M. Zahid Hossain has said that if women develop and advance, the country will move forward. He said that when the girls in a family are educated and able to work, that family’s financial capacity increases.
The minister made the remarks as chief guest at an event held Friday, August 28, at the Ghoraghat Upazila Parishad auditorium in Dinajpur, distributing grant checks from the welfare fund for destitute, helpless and meritorious students, abused women and children, along with bicycles for girl students.
The social welfare minister said that when the girls in a family are educated and able to work, that family’s financial capacity increases. He said this is why the government continues to provide financial support and encouragement to mothers and daughters in various ways. He said women make up half the country’s population, and that if these women and girl students can be moved forward, Bangladesh’s future will change in the years ahead.
He further said: “We want a Bangladesh where everyone thrives. Without holding anger in our hearts, we must all come together to build a society based on mutual cooperation. Our goal is to build an inclusive social system regardless of religion or ethnicity.”
The minister said the various grants the government provides at different levels to advance the country’s development must be put to proper use. He said that if grant money is invested in income-generating activities such as vegetable farming, gardening or poultry rearing, a family’s financial situation will gradually improve. This will make it easier to cover children’s education, ensure food security and pay for medical costs. He said the government continues to provide this kind of support to girls in families across the country, so that government assistance increases every family’s financial stability. He said empowering one woman creates a pathway to empowering an entire family.
Speaking at the event, presided over by Ghoraghat Upazila Nirbahi Officer Rubana Tanzin, were upazila BNP president S.M. Shamim Hossain Chowdhury, general secretary Abu Sayed Ahmed, and municipal BNP president Abdus Sattar Milon.
Also present at the event were Ghoraghat and Hakimpur Circle Assistant Superintendent of Police Md. Harez Uddin, the minister’s PS Dr. Jabed Hossain, Upazila Social Services Officer Md. Masud Rana, municipal BNP general secretary Muktar Hossain, and local dignitaries and leaders and activists from various social and political organizations.
At the event, the minister distributed one bicycle each to 60 students from Ghoraghat upazila. Grant checks worth roughly 15 million taka were also distributed for 11 people suffering from cancer and kidney disease, 96 students, 106 destitute individuals, 64 indigenous people, and development work for 18 mosques and 6 temples.