CHATTOGRAM, June 25, 2021 (BSS)- Awami League Joint General Secretary and Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud today  said development never becomes sustainable with material development alone.
 
“In addition to material development, people need spiritual development, combined with values, patriotism and love,” he said, speaking as the chief guest at the Rotary International District Conference-2021, held at Radisson Blu here.
 
Rotary International District-3282 hosted the conference. Mohammad Abu Toyub, convener of the conference, presided over the function while representative of the president of Rotary International PDG KM Zainul Abedin, District Governor Dr. Belal Uddin Ahmed and Rotarian Fatema Jebunnesa addressed the inaugural function of the two-day conference.
 
Dr Hasan urged the Rotarians to infuse human values and patriotism into the new generation to make them worthy citizens of the country.
 
“We are making rapid progress in infrastructure development. Now we have to give more emphasis on building a developed nation with its people possessing with human values and patriotism,” he said.   
 
Dr Hasan said that the human beings are also being turned into ‘machines’ by the technological advancement. “We are becoming self-centric. We will have to get rid of this situation,” he added.
 
The minister urged the Rotarians to help developing human qualities among the new generation who will lead the nation in the coming days.
 
Dr Hasan said Bangladesh is moving forward to materialize the dream of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
 
“Our goal is to take the country to its dream address. That is why Bangabandhu's daughter Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has announced the creation of 100 economic zones in the country. Construction work is underway to establish the country's largest economic zone at Mirsarai of the district where several industries have already gone in production. We will be able to change the whole picture of the country once 100 economic zones are established,” he added.
 
Dr Hasan said that Bangladesh has turned into a middle-income country due to pragmatic steps taken by Sheikh Hasina.
 
The Information Minister also said that Bangladesh is moving forward despite all adversities.
“Despite being the most densely populated and less per capita agricultural land in the world, Bangladesh has been turned into a food surplus country from a food deficit one,” the minister added.
 
He said that Bangladesh becomes third in world rice production, fourth in vegetable production, fourth in freshwater fish production and seventh in potato production with 92nd position of land size.
 
“This has been possible due to the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina,” he added,
 
The Information Minister said that Bangladesh has surpassed Pakistan in all indicators including human development, social and economic indexes, and it is has also surpassed India in per capita income.  
 
Even, the per capita income has increased during COVID-19 situation and Bangladesh ranks third among those twenty countries in the world that increased GDP growth, he added.  
 
Dr Hasan said that people of the world have improved a lot, but there is a lot of unrest in the world today. It is very important to establish peace in the world, he added.
 The Broadcasting Minister said that most powerful countries in the world are helpless and the poorest countries are also helpless as well due to COVID-19 pandemic.
 
 It is necessary to focus on protecting the people from future epidemics, he added.