Be vigilant against food hoarding: PM to countrymen

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday asked all to be vigilant against the hoarding of foods and the black marketing of these commodities during the upcoming fasting month of Ramadan.

“We all will have to be alert so that no one would ever be able to hoard food and do black-marketing of these items,” she said.

The PM was addressing a discussion arranged in the city, marking the 103rd birth anniversary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the National Children’s Day-2023.

Bangladesh Awami League organised the discussion at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in Dhaka.

Hasina, also AL president, said her government has taken all necessary measures so that the people do not suffer during the month of Ramadan.

Talking about the food support programmes for the poor, she said the government provides rice at a subsidised rate of Tk 30/kg to one crore people through family cards and gives rice at Tk 15/kg to 50 lakh other people.

The PM said the government has decided to provide rice to 50 lakh more people (at Tk 15/kg), if needed so that the people do not suffer.

Alongside rice, she said the government is also providing some other essential commodities including pulse, edible oil, sugar and chickpeas during the Ramadan at subsidised prices for the poor.

AL general secretary Obaidul Quader delivered the introductory speech, while its presidium member Matia Chowdhury, joint secretary Dr Hasan Mahmud, organising secretaries Ahmed Hossain and Afzal Hossain, Health and population affairs secretary Dr Rokeya Sultana, its central working committee members Nurul Islam Thandu and Prof Merina Jahan Kabita, AL Dhaka city south unit president Abu Ahmed Mannafi and Dhaka city north unit president Sheikh Bazlur Rahman, spoke on the occasion.

AL publicity and publication secretary Abdus Sobhan Golap and deputy publicity and publication secretary Syed Abdul Awal Shamim jointly conducted it.

On March 17, 1920, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was born at a village in Tungipara of Gopalganj.