Govt doing its best to rein in prices of essential commodities: PM

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday said her government is doing its best to control the prices of daily essentials in the country amid the high global inflation rate.

“We’ve been trying our best to keep the prices of essentials under control,” she said while inaugurating 40 new fire stations in different places of the county, reports UNB.

The prime minister also directed the authorities concerned to take proper actions against the hoarders of essential items and those who play with their prices.

She made the directive while inaugurating 40 new fire stations constructed in different places of the country.

She joined the inaugural function at the Fire Service and Civil Defence Headquarters in the city’s Fulbaria through a videoconference from her official residence Ganobhaban.

Hasina said the coronavirus pandemic has caused economic recession throughout the world, deepened by the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war.

There is a food crisis even in many developed countries and the inflation rate went up to 17 per cent in some places. The inflation rate is 7-9 per cent in many European countries, she added.

Noting the difficulties to import some goods due to the ongoing war, the prime minister asked the people not to keep an inch of land uncultivated and ensure the optimum use of the soil for food autarky.

Ensure fire-fighting facilities in project

Sheikh Hasina asked the authorities of development works –architects, engineers or project planners of different ministries– to keep the provision of fire-fighting facilities in every development project.

She called for ensuring wide roads for smooth movement of fire service vehicles and water sources at nearby places.

“During designing a project, everyone has to keep one thing in mind that it’ll have to ensure modern fire extinguishing systems in the institutions and the availability of water for firefighting,” she said.