Government Is Determined To Ensure A Safe Future Of Every Children: PM

"Killing of a child like Russell at point blank range is a most tragic side of the August 15 carnage. We don't want death of any child in this manner," she said adding, "We want to give them a safe future and build up each of them as worthy citizens of the country to enable them to lead the country in all spheres."

The Prime Minister was distributing prizes among the winners of chess, drawing and cultural competitions organized by Sheikh Russell Jatiya Shishu Kishore Parishad marking the 50th birth anniversary of Sheikh Russell.

Addressing a gathering of children and juveniles at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) here, the Prime Minister said, "You have to always keep in mind that you are the citizens of a victorious nation. A victorious nation can never bow head to anybody except the Almighty."

Recalling the memories of youngest brother Sheikh Russell, the Prime Minister got emotional saying, "Russell is much younger than me. I had took care of him in his early age. I don't want to see similar fate in the life of any children."

"Russell always deprived of fatherly affection since his birth as Bangabandhu was mostly busy with politics or was in jails for years. Russell visited the prisons in his very tender age with us, my mother and relatives to see his father, and he could clearly realize that he is deprived of his father's affection," Sheikh Hasina, eldest daughter of Bangabandhu said.

The Prime Minister said the carnage of August 15 was not only aimed at annihilating a family. The conspiracy was hatched with a view to destroy the spirit of the war of liberation, distort the history, divert the country to another direction and put forth the country to the hands of the defeated force.

PM's advisor Dr Towfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury, secretary general of the Parishad Mahmudus Samad Chowdhruy, MP, advisor of the Parishad Sirajul Islam Mollah, MP president of Dhaka chapter K M Shahidullah and member of Parishad Israt Jahan Ema also spoke on the occasion while president of the Parishad Raqibur Rahman was in the chair.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said her government is distributing free text books to lessen the burden of the parents of poor families. Students are given scholarship and steps were taken to help the student get easy access to education.

She said steps were taken for inter-school sports and cultural competition. "Students should be devoted for study, sports, culture and history. They have to know the real history of the nation," she said.

She urged the children to know the country's history and how the Pakistani forces had suppressed us for 24 years and how the country got liberation through a long struggle under the leadership of Bangabandhu.

The Prime Minister said, every people of Bangladesh would live with full rights and particularly the rights of every children should be safeguarded. "The government has taken special measures for the children with disability," she said.

Sheikh Hasina said children are the future of the country. So children have to acquire knowledge to run the country efficiently in future and take forward the nation towards prosperity. "We want to build up the children in this way," she added.

Praising the role of Sheikh Russell Jatiya Shishu Kishore Parishad in reorganizing the pro-liberation people during military regime, the Prime Minister said at that time politics was banned and leaders and workers conducted their activities under the banner of the Parishad.

Sheikh Hasina said, it was unfortunate that our children for a long time could not know the country's real history inside the country. They had to go abroad to know the history.

"But now the spirit of the war of liberation is now implanted in the hearts of new generation. None would be able to misguide them in future," the Prime Minister said.

The Prime Ministers reminded the children about the remarks of Bnagabandhu that Bangladesh, our motherland, needs golden son to build a golden nation. "You are the golden son of the soil," she said urging them to devote them in studies, obey the guardians, teachers and extend helping hands to the poor.

"Never neglect the blinds, physically disabled and helpless people. See them as a human being. And in this way we would be able to bring forward our country," she said.

-Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS)