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Dhaka Thursday,  Mar 28, 2024

Another nuclear power plant in country s southern part: PM

DHAKA, April 30, 2014: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today expressed her wish to build another nuclear power plant in the southern part of the country after successful completion of first one in Rooppur.
“We have many isolated coastal islands in the country’s southern part. I have envisaged building another nuclear power plant to meet our growing demand for electricity,” she said.
“In this regard we need to take preparation from now as the whole process takes a long time,” she added.
The Prime Minister said this while addressing the officials of the Ministry of Science and Technology at Bangladesh Secretariat during her first visit to the ministry after taking office in January last.
“The land was earmarked for Rooppur Nuclear Plant in 1962. Many decades have gone. Many powerful countries locked in conflicts centering our nuke plant,” she said.
“After overcoming many those obstacles, we have finally taken the decision to build the nuclear power plant as electricity is very crucial for our advancement. So if we want to build another nuclear power plant it will certainly take time,” she added.

State Minister for science and technology Yafes Osman also spoke on the occasion.

Principle Secretary to the Prime Minister Abdus Sobhan Sikder, secretary of the ministry Khandakar Asaduzzaman and senior officials of the ministry were present.

The Prime Minister said, she intended to visit all ministries to know about the problems of the ministry and share new ideas and opinions on development through exchange of views.

“It’s also done as part of my accountability to the people as the head of the government,” she said.

“We have achieved freedom with huge sacrifice to materialize a basic spirit and build us as a dignified nation in the world,” she said, adding, economic prosperity is must to live in the world keep our head high.

Sheikh Hasina said, “We have the ability, efficiency and power to make us prosperous. We have always got this inspiration from the Father of the Nation.”

Laying importance on promotion of science education and research, the Prime Minister said science is very important for country’s progress and every aspects of development is linked to science.

“So the work of the ministry of science and technology is enormous despite the ministry in terms of manpower is small in size,” the Prime Minister said urging the ministry officials to execute the projects of the ministry with sincerity and devotion.

She said, her government always attached due priority to scientific research and studies. Her government had given first allocation for scientific research after formation of the government in 1996.

Apart from this, Sheikh Hasina said, her government for the first time has taken decision for establishing a bio-technology institute, maritime institute and marine aquarium.

She said, “The youths of the country once lost their interest in studying science. Then we had taken decisions for establishing 12 science and technology universities in different districts and laboratories in schools at upazila levels after taking office in 1996 to encourage the youths to study science.”

“But the initiatives fell in a massive debacle after change of power in 2001 when BNP came to power,” she said.

The Prime Minister said, the nation needs available modern technology for development of their standard of living. “The government is pledged bound to build such a science and technology- based society,” she said.

Pointing out the introduction of Bangabandhu Fellowship on Science and ICT, she said the fellowship is being awarded for M. Phil, PhD. and post-doctoral studies and research.

The fellowship would help creating more scientists in the country, she said, adding, “the amount of the fellowship would be increased in future to attract to research work and higher studies on science and technology.”

Extending her sincere thanks to the officials of the ministry for formulation of the necessary laws for ICT ministry, the Prime Minister said, “Bangladesh has progressed a far in using information technology with expansion of internet service across the country, making people’s life easy and administrative system more transparent.”

Sheikh Hasina said, people of Bangladesh even the illiterate persons like to use technology and they can quickly adapt them with any new technology. “Bangladesh is one of the countries where mobile phone density is very high and about 4.86 crore people use internet,” she said.

Pointing out the discovery of genome sequence of jute, the Prime Minister said, study is going on many other fields. “We have very brilliant people and we want to broad up our youths to lead in the scientific arena,” she said.

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