No more problems with vaccine supply: PM

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday reassured there will be no more problems with the Covid-19 vaccine supply in the country.

"Vaccines have started coming; more will come. Eighty percent of the people will be vaccinated free of cost," the premier said while delivering her concluding speech at the budget session in the parliament.

She also said the government does not want to put students' lives at risk by opening educational institutions amid the current coronavirus situation.

She urged the countrymen to obey the lockdown regulations and health guidelines properly to stop further spread of Covid-19.

Bangladesh faced some difficulties regarding Covid vaccines for some time, after India stopped export of the Covid-19 jabs in the wake of a massive surge in infections there, said the Leader of the House, adding the problem concerning the vaccine is now over.

Reiterating her pledge to bring 80% of the people under vaccination free of cost, she mentioned 4.50 million jabs of the US's Moderna, China's Sinopharm vaccines have already reached Dhaka while the processes of bringing more inoculates are going on as talks with countries like China, Russia, the USA and Japan are underway.

"We'll import more vaccines.... We'll purchase whatever is required and for that, we've allocated enough money in the budget. Tk32,236 crore has been allotted in the budget for this purpose. Besides, an additional Tk10,000 crore has been earmarked that also can be used if required," she said.

The prime minister, however, said the coronavirus situation wouldn't have worsened in such a manner, had the people followed her call to celebrate the last Eid-ul-Fitr at their present locations.

She also noted that her government has made Covid-19 test free across the country, as it has spread to the district level.

The prime minister said the only way to check the spread of Covid-19 is to wear facemasks, clean hands and maintain distance in such a way that none can be infected afresh with the deadly virus.

"We've announced a lockdown ... I call upon the countrymen to abide by the lockdown guidelines properly to protect themselves and others. Don't let the coronavirus spread further," she said.

Sheikh Hasina, also the president of the Awami League, said her party and its associate bodies alongside the government have tried their best to stand by the people in their hardship during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The prime minister said her government provided stimulus to various sectors and financial assistance to the people (during the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic) to ease their lives and livelihoods alongside keeping the country's economy moving.

Mentioning that people across the board have got government support, she said, "We'll again provide assistance to the best of our capacities, as the coronavirus situation worsens again.... We'll definitely look into the matter so that none can face difficulties in getting food."

A number of opposition MPs, including Jatiya Party Chairman and Deputy Leader of the Opposition Golam Mohammad Quader, criticised the government for keeping educational institutions closed for such a long time.

In response, the prime minister said some people are talking about reopening the schools, colleges and universities amid the pandemic, but many parents are not interested in sending their children to the educational institutions amid the pandemic.

Mentioning that the coronavirus pandemic took a dangerous turn all over the world after the government had decided to reopen the educational institutions, which also affected Bangladesh, she said, "Now even children are being affected by the coronavirus. We need education. But I ask the hon'ble deputy leader of the house and the members of parliament to ponder whether we will knowingly push students' lives at risk for education."

The prime minister said that the government will reopen educational institutions after students have been vaccinated.

"The teachers have already been administered with the Covid-19 vaccine, while students will also be inoculated following the guidelines of World Health Organisation (WHO) and then the educational institutions will be opened."

The premier further said, "We are providing education scholarships at all levels. We are giving books for free. We have kept aside money in the budget to resume schools during the coronavirus time – for the purchases of school dresses, shoes, bags and school feeding of students. Schools are closed but television is on so that studies are not stopped… Learning activities are also going on through the radio. We're being able to continue teaching activities in whatever way we can."

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina told the parliament that the government has placed a Tk6,03,681 crore national budget for the current fiscal year amid the pandemic mainly to tackle the coronavirus aftermath and offset the economic fallout of the pandemic.

Mentioning that giving a budget amid the pandemic was a big challenge as the coronavirus has stalled economies across the globe, the prime minister said the goal of placing the budget is also to take healthcare services to the people's doorsteps, generate more employment and bring more poor people under the social safety net programme.

She credited the government's timely measures with the country's economic progress, increasing the per capita income to $2,227, maintaining the inflation rate at a tolerable level, and the GDP growth which is the highest among the South Asian countries.

The Leader of the House also said Bangladesh has now become a developing nation as the Awami League is in power for the third straight time.

Noting that her government has formulated a plan up to 2041 to make sure the advancement of Bangladesh towards development and prosperity, she further said, "We've adopted the Delta Plan-2100 so that generation after generation can take Bangladesh ahead."

Referring to the United Nations Sustainable Development Network's annual Sustainable Development Report, the premier said Bangladesh has successfully implemented the MDGs (millennium development goals).

"Now we're executing the SDGs properly, although we're facing some difficulties due to the pandemic. Bangladesh features among the top three countries that have progressed most on the SDG Index score," she said.

Saying that the Awami League government has always worked for the welfare of the people, Sheikh Hasina mentioned her government has taken every economic policy giving priority to the deprived people following the footsteps of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to build his "Golden Bangladesh" free from poverty and hunger.

Citing the forecast of possible flooding in the country due to the ongoing heavy rainfall, the prime minister said her government has been continuing the dredging of the rivers alongside constructing embankments to face floods effectively.

In this connection, she said, "We've to live with the floods as they come time and again. But, we're taking appropriate measures for dredging the rivers and stopping river erosion."