Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr. Hasan Mahmud said, at the end of BNP's tenure, the foreign exchange reserve was less than 3.5 billion dollars in 2006, which has increased 12 times during Sheikh Hasina's tenure and now stands at about 37 billion dollars. Bangladesh is now the 31st economy in the world on Purchasing Power Parity or PPP basis.
He said that almost all the countries of the world are breaking the reserve savings due to Coronavirus and the war situation. A country has enough foreign exchange reserves to cover 3 months of import expenses, we have 5 months of reserves. So there is no scope to talk about reserve. The minister said this in the contemporary context in the chief guest's speech at the DRU Sahitya Award-2022 and member writer awarding ceremony at Dhaka Reporters Unity Auditorium at Segunbagicha in the capital on Wednesday afternoon. DRU President Nazrul Islam Mithu presided over and General Secretary Nurul Islam Haseeb delivered the welcome speech on the occasion.
The Information and Broadcasting Minister said, 'BNP leaders talk about reserves, but when BNP left power in 2006, the reserves were less than three and a half billion dollars, 3.46 billion dollars. And when the caretaker government left power, the reserve was $6.1 billion. From there Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina took it to 44 billion dollars and then imports were stopped due to Coronavirus. Now that Coronavirus has subsided a little, investment has started, imports have increased, due to which the reserve has decreased slightly to 36.8 billion dollars.
However, where the country has enough foreign exchange reserves to cover 3 months of import expenses, we have 5 months of reserves. Almost every country in the world is now breaking savings, i.e. spending from reserves, Hasan Mahmud said, "India, the world's fifth economy, has the lowest amount of reserves in the last two years. Pakistan is breaking the reserve. We knew that the economy of Bhutan, a country of only 500,000 people, is standing on a solid foundation, but Bhutan and even the United Kingdom, including various European countries, are consuming reserves. The United States that never uses reserve fuel, always uses imported fuel, is consuming its reserve fuel because it does not have enough money to buy fuel. 'These are documented and published everywhere', if you search on the internet, you will also find this information. So we are better than many countries in the way Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is managing the country in this global context.
Regarding inflation, the Broadcasting Minister said, 'I came from Turkey the day after yesterday, there is 80% inflation, in Pakistan 30% inflation, in the United States more than 10%, in the United Kingdom about 20% inflation in food, that situation did not happen in our country, it has increased a little compared to a few months ago. As many people are trying to mislead people by taking advantage of this world situation, then I request the journalist brothers to present the world situation in front of people. Under the leadership of People's Leader Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh is moving forward and will go even in this situation.
The minister said that if there is a crisis in the world, if there is a disaster in the country, one party will do this, that will happen, they are trying to spread fear among the people. At the beginning of Corona, they said 'millions of people will die without food, dead bodies will be lying on the streets'. By God's grace not a single person died without food. Again when corona vaccine was brought from serum institute, BNP openly spread rumors in front of public that this Indian vaccine will not work, don't accept it. What can a responsible opposition say! I have not seen criticism of it. Later they took the vaccination, some secretly, some openly.
Dr Hasan Mahmud said, those journalists, who work as the fourth pillar of the state, who work as the mirror of the society, who work to keep the mirror of the society moving, need to present these issues before the people. Because, you work as the conscience of the nation, give correct information to the society, direct the society to the right direction.
Congratulating the DRU for institutionalizing the literary award by forming a jury, the minister said that in view of this initiative, the writing of journalists will be encouraged. Many traditional writers have done journalism at some point in their lives. The Information Minister presented the DRU Literary Award to journalist Rajeev Noor in the story-novel category, Hasan Hafeez in the poetry-rhyme category and M Mamun Hossain in the essay and research category. 35 journalists received the writer award.
In the afternoon, a three-member delegation led by Jami Spykerman, director of the Asia-Pacific region of the United States' National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI) visited Bangladesh and met with the minister. Awami League Deputy Propaganda Secretary Aminul Islam Amin was present at this time.
