President, PM greet nation on New Year's Eve
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in her message, wished that the New Year would bring happiness, peace, and prosperity for the countrymen. She said the year 2023 is a golden age of infrastructure development in Bangladesh.
President Mohammed Shahabuddin and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today greeted the countrymen on the eve of the New Year 2024 in the English calendar.
In a message, on the eve of the New Year, the President wished happiness and welfare for all in 2024.
He said though the celebration of Bengali New Year has merged with the national culture, the English New Year influences everything because of the widespread use of the English calendar in daily activities.
Every year, people across the world celebrate the New Year through various colourful programmes, he said, adding that the mistakes, failures and disappointments of the past should be pushed away in this New Year and moved forward.
Be ready to accept new and positive changes, the head of the state added.
He hoped that the New Year would bring new hope and new possibilities to everyone.
He urged all to extend their helping hands to each other as many people are suffering from the coronavirus pandemic and the global financial crisis.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in her message, wished that the New Year would bring happiness, peace, and prosperity for the countrymen.
The Premier said today, all are going to leave the time behind and emerge in the light of the new day. All the achievements of that time are working as a strong platform for all's journey that will go beyond.
Therefore, this New Year's moment should be an inspiration to face all the challenges and use the new possibilities to create a platform to climb to new heights of progress, she added.
The year 2023 is a golden age of infrastructure development in Bangladesh, she said.
After inaugurating the self-financed Padma Bridge on 25 June 2022, the government inaugurated the rail link on the bridge on 10 October this year, she added.
"After launching metro rail on the Uttara-Agargaon route on 28 December 2022, we have extended metro rail service to Motijheel on 4 November 2023. On 2 September, I launched the first elevated expressway in Dhaka. On 5 October, we supplied fuel to Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant," she said.
"On 7 October, we inaugurated the third terminal of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport and on 19 October, we inaugurated 150 bridges and 14 overpasses in 39 districts of the country," she said.
On 28 October, the first in South Asia, 'Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Tunnel' under the Karnaphuli River in Chattogram was opened for traffic, she said.
Dhaka-Cox's Bazar direct rail was launched by inaugurating the Dohazari-Cox's Bazar Railway on 11 November, she added.
"On 17 August 2023, we launched the universal pension for 10 crore people in four categories. The Awami League government has been delivering free books to students on the first day of the year since 2010. This book festival has also added a new dimension to English New Year celebrations in Bangladesh," she continued.
"We have established Digital Bangladesh, creating skilled human resources fit for the Fourth Industrial Revolution and strengthening the rural economy," the Premier said.
On the eve of New year-2024, the Prime Minister called upon countrymen to devote themselves to the overall welfare of the people.
She urged all to protect people's lives and property and national resources by resisting fire terrorism.
By maintaining the continuity of democracy and the ongoing development of the country, she sought cooperation of all for building a non-sectarian 'Golden Bangladesh' as dreamt by the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.