Prime Minister Tarique Rahman today called for collective efforts to solve social problems and assured full government support to private-sector initiatives aimed at social welfare.
“If everyone in society comes forward a little, it is possible to solve many major problems,” he said, while formally inaugurating a programme to distribute 20,000 raincoats to tea garden workers in Sylhet division to protect them from adverse weather conditions, with support from private-sector Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds.
The premier launched the programme at the Prime Minister’s Cabinet Division office in the Bangladesh Secretariat here this afternoon by handing over raincoats to 10 tea workers from Sreemangal and Kamalganj upazilas from Moulvibazar district, said Prime Minister’s Assistant Press Secretary Shahriar Pamir.
On the occasion, Tarique Rahman enquired about the workers’ overall wellbeing.
Under the initiative of the Ministry of Social Welfare, the raincoats are being distributed among tea workers employed in tea gardens in Sylhet, Moulvibazar and Habiganj districts. The Bangladesh Association of Pharmaceutical Industries (BAPI) is providing 10,000 raincoats, Chevron Bangladesh 5,000 and Pandughar Group 5,000.
The Prime Minister assured the private sector of the government’s full cooperation in humanitarian and social initiatives.
“Those who want to participate in such public welfare activities will always have the government by their side,” he said.
Speaking on the occasion, representatives of the private sector said supporting disadvantaged and working people alongside business activities is part of corporate social responsibility (CSR).
They expressed their commitment to working with the government in future to improve the quality of life and ensure safer working environments for tea workers and other marginalized communities.
While receiving the raincoat, Santuki Roy, a worker of Mazdehi Tea Garden in Sreemangal, presented tea leaves to the Prime Minister as a gesture of goodwill from tea workers.
On behalf of the tea workers, Shanti Uria, Munni Kurmi, Jyotsna Akhter, Rina Tanti, Shashika Banerjee, Kabita Karmakar, Sujata Biswas, Rita Rani Bauri and Afkhatun Nahar expressed gratitude to the Prime Minister and the institutions involved in the initiative.
Social Welfare Minister Abu Zafar Md Zahid Hossain, Commerce Minister Khandakar Abdul Muktadir, Labour and Employment Minister Ariful Haque and State Minister for Social Welfare Farzana Sharmin were present on the occasion.
Lawmakers Emran Ahmed Chowdhury (Sylhet-6), Nasir Uddin Ahmed (Moulvibazar-1), Md Showkatul Islam (Moulvibazar-2), Nasser Rahman (Moulvibazar-3), Md Mujibur Rahman Choudhury (Moulvibazar-4), Alhaj Md. G.k. Gouse (Habiganj-3) and SM Faisal (Habiganj-4) were also present at the event.
Among the private-sector representatives attending the event were BAPI Senior Vice President Mosaddek Hossain, Adviser Tapan Chowdhury, Executive Member Miz Simin Rahman and Executive Director Md Saiful Islam; Chevron Bangladesh Director Md Imrul Kabir, Ashik Shehzad Rahman and Head of Community Engagement AKM Arif Akhtar; and Pandughar Group Chief of People and Corporate Affairs Golam Habib.
