Government Working to Implement 5-Year Roadmap: PM

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has stated that the government has already commenced work on implementing a specific action plan (roadmap) for the next five years, in line with its election manifesto.

The Prime Minister shared this on Wednesday (June 10) in a written response to a query from Md. Shamsur Rahman Shimul Biswas, Member of Parliament for the Pabna-5 constituency, during a parliamentary session chaired by Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmed.

Tarique Rahman noted that all ministries and divisions have formulated specific action plans for the next 180 days, the 2026-27 fiscal year, and the upcoming five years to execute various programs pledged in the election manifesto. The government has already initiated necessary measures accordingly, with several crucial programs being prioritized.

Social Safety Nets & Agriculture
The Prime Minister emphasized that the government is operating under the philosophy of "not individuals, but the family is the core unit of development" to protect marginal and low-income families. As part of this initiative, a program has begun to provide monthly allowances of 2,500 BDT to female-led households through "Family Cards." In the piloting stage, 60,048 families across 36 units have received these cards.

Furthermore, to boost agriculture and ensure unique identities for farmers, the "Farmer Card" distribution was inaugurated on April 14. This program aims to provide agricultural inputs at fair prices, government subsidies, incentives, low-cost irrigation, and agricultural machinery on easy terms. Currently, in the pre-piloting phase, the project is active across 11 agricultural blocks in 11 upazilas under 10 districts across the country's eight divisions, with 20,748 Farmer Cards distributed so far.

Additionally, to fulfill election pledges, the government has waived agricultural loans up to 10,000 BDT in the crop, livestock, and fisheries sectors. A budget allocation of 1,567.96 crore BDT has been made for this purpose, benefiting approximately 1,317,500 farmers nationwide.

Religious Affiliation & Healthcare
The Prime Minister shared that under the Ministry of Religious Affairs' 180-day priority program, monthly honorariums are being provided to staff at 4,908 mosques, 990 temples, 144 Buddhist monasteries or pagodas, and 396 churches. The government plans to phase this benefit out to all religious places of worship nationwide.

In the healthcare sector, initiatives have been taken under the 180-day program to issue "E-Health Cards" to citizens, a project currently awaiting approval. During the first 180 days, medical services will be provided via E-Health Cards to residents in five districts: Khulna, Noakhali, Bogura, Sirajganj, and Narsingdi. The card will be integrated with the Electronic Patient Referral System and the Electronic Patient Management System.

Environment & Infrastructure
Under the government's 180-day environmental and infrastructural program, a canal excavation and re-excavation drive commenced on March 16. According to data up to May 31, a total of 666 canal excavation and re-excavation projects—spanning a total length of 1,635.04 kilometers—are currently underway through the Ministry of Water Resources, Local Government Division, Ministry of Agriculture, and Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief.

An afforestation initiative has also been launched to plant 250 million trees over five years to generate green employment. Around 31.4 million saplings will be planted during the upcoming monsoon season in coordination with local government bodies and NGOs.

Education & Digitalization
To modernize the education system, the government plans to distribute free school uniforms to 200,000 children in government primary schools during the next fiscal year. Alongside this, the phased implementation of the "One Teacher One Tab" initiative has begun in various schools.

To modernize technical and madrasa institutions, free Wi-Fi will be launched in 2,336 technical and 8,232 madrasa institutions nationwide within the next 180 days.

Furthermore, to facilitate higher education for youth, the existing collateral-free loan limit for language student visas has been raised from 3 lakh BDT to 10 lakh BDT. This loan facility has been streamlined specifically for Japan-bound students based on their Certificate of Eligibility (CoE) prior to obtaining a visa.

Sports & Youth Development
A central committee is currently working on designating playgrounds and developing infrastructure across urban and rural areas to boost the country's sports and entertainment sectors. The government plans to establish open playgrounds measuring 8 bighas and 10 bighas in every union and upazila, respectively.

A sports allowance has been introduced for national athletes, with initial plans to cover 500 sportspersons; so far, 300 have received allowances and 325 have been issued sports cards. Additionally, to scout sports talent among children aged 12-14, the Ministry of Youth and Sports launched the "Nuton Kuri Sports-2026" program on May 2, encompassing eight sports including football, cricket, kabaddi, athletics, badminton, chess, swimming, and martial arts.

IT, Energy & Employment
In the IT and employment sectors, a committee has been formed to effectively manage Hi-Tech/Software Parks and ICT centers, as well as to take necessary steps to initiate PayPal operations in Bangladesh.

To ensure sustainable development in the power sector with a target of 20% renewable energy generation by 2030, a total of 35 MW of electricity has already been integrated into the national grid through the National Rooftop Solar Program and net metering.

Finally, the Prime Minister stated that the government has decided to recruit 500,000 public servants to generate employment. As part of this decision, the recruitment of 2,879 people against vacant posts is currently underway within the Ministry of Public Administration and its subordinate offices and agencies alone.