London, 22 January 2019

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has asked her new Cabinet colleagues to work with sincerity and honesty to fulfill the expectations of people who have voted Awami League to the power again with a huge mandate. The Prime Minister made the directive in her speech at the maiden cabinet meeting of her newly formed government at the PMO yesterday.

The Cabinet in its meeting yesterday approved the draft speech of President Md. Abdul Hamid to be delivered at the inaugural session of the 11th Parliament, which will begin on January 30. The cabinet also endorsed a proposal of reconstituting the cabinet committee for reviewing the Ninth Wage Board Award Report 2018 for journalists and employees of newspapers and news agencies.

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council this morning in its maiden meeting of the present government formed through the 11th Parliamentary Election will consider a Tk 368.87 crore project to upgrade the Jatrabari–Demra highway into four-lane. ECNEC Chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will preside over the meeting to be held at the NEC Conference Room in Dhaka.

President Md. Abdul Hamid has said, the country's naval force is now more capable of facing any challenge in the defence sector. The President said this when outgoing Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Mohammad Nizamuddin Ahmed met him at Bangabhaban yesterday. The Navy Chief expressed his sincere gratitude to the President for giving necessary directives and extending cooperation to him during his tenure.

President Md. Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina issued separate messages marking the birth anniversary of pioneer of Bengali Sonnet Poet Michael Madhusudan Dutta. The weeklong 'Madhu Mela', an annual festival marking the birth anniversary of the poet, begins at his birthplace in Sagardari of Keshabpur upazila in Jashore today.

A high-level delegation of Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) led by its President Lee Mikyung met Finance Minister A H M Mustafa Kamal at his ministry in Dhaka yesterday. During the meeting, KOICA President said, his organization would convince the giant Korean companies like LG, Daewoo, Hyundai and Samsung to invest in Bangladesh.

Newly-appointed stands for United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Representative in Bangladesh Steven Corliss called on Foreign Minister Dr. A K Abdul Momen at his ministry in Dhaka yesterday. While exchanging views, the Foreign Minister urged the international community including UNHCR to put utmost efforts for the early repatriation of Rohingyas with dignity and safety.

The government is working on expansion of the planned metro rail network for a coordinated modern public transport management system in Dhaka metropolis and its surrounding areas. Media reports quoting Road Transport and Highways Division sources said, four metro-rail routes would be constructed to connect capital Dhaka from surrounding areas for better traffic management in the mega city.

Press Wing