Chief whip Nurul Islam Moni today (18 October) said people of all religions enjoy equal rights under the Constitution of Bangladesh, stressing that the state must ensure equal rights, dignity and security for every citizen regardless of religious identity.
"Religion is individual, but the state belongs to everyone," Moni said.
He announced that every temple in Betagi upazila of Barguna would receive one metric tonne of rice and Tk5,000 in assistance.
He made the remarks while addressing a meeting on development activities and law and order with officials of various government departments at the Betagi Upazila Parishad conference room today.
Initiatives would also be taken to construct access roads to temples without proper roads and buildings for those without their own premises, he said.
Chief whip called on people of all faiths to work together to build the country while maintaining communal harmony.
He said protecting the rights and dignity of people of all religions was the state's responsibility and that discrimination or neglect on religious grounds would not be tolerated.
Referring to a statement by Gobinda Chandra Pramanik, Moni claimed that 89% of the property of the country's Hindu community had been grabbed during the ousted Awami League government's tenure.
He also said there was no religious intolerance in the country following the fall of the Awami League government, adding that he had not heard of any incidents of idol vandalism.
Moni said he wanted to develop Betagi into a model upazila, with development activities extended to every union and ward. He called on officials to improve law and order, raise the standards of education and healthcare, and address public grievances.
He ordered strict action against drugs, juvenile gangs, extortion, land grabbing and online gambling. No offender should be spared, regardless of political affiliation, including members of the ruling BNP, he said.
He also directed officials to take legal action against activities of banned organisations.
Emphasising transparency and accountability in development work, the chief whip warned officials against collecting money or engaging in irregularities in his name and asked them to report any such incidents directly to him.
He instructed officials to ensure development projects reached every ward and directed that a show-cause notice be issued to the municipal engineer for being absent from the meeting.
Healthcare, education and public welfare
Moni announced that the Betagi Upazila Health Complex would be upgraded to a 100-bed facility. He also pledged to provide tube-wells as needed to address water shortages.
To prevent dengue, initiatives would be taken to conduct cleanliness drives, destroy mosquito breeding grounds and supply dengue testing kits, he said.
On education, he stressed expanding learning opportunities and working towards free education. He instructed officials to review the performance of schools and madrasas with low pass rates in the Secondary School Certificate examinations, identify the underlying problems and take necessary action.
He asked the education officer to submit a report promptly after inspecting madrasas. The three best-performing educational institutions would receive awards in recognition of their efforts to improve education standards, he added.
The chief whip also called for proper monitoring of fertiliser distribution to farmers and vigilance against irregularities by fertiliser dealers. He stressed transparency in distributing Farmer Cards and Family Cards to ensure that genuine beneficiaries received the assistance.
Commenting on the power crisis, Moni blamed alleged large-scale embezzlement under the previous government through quick-rental power plants for contributing to the problems in the electricity sector. He stressed the need for effective planning and practical measures to address the crisis.
At the meeting, 37 people received financial assistance of Tk10,000 each under social welfare programmes. Moni also announced that he would reward three government officials from his own funds for good performance in the upazila over the next year.
Earlier, he inaugurated the July Memorial Library at Betagi Girls' School and College and planted a tree on the college premises.
The meeting was chaired by Betagi Upazila Nirbahi Officer Muh Saddam Hossain and attended by officials of the upazila administration and various government departments.