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Chittagong Correspondent/

Obaidul Quader, Minister of Road Transport and Bridges and General Secretary of Awami League commented that Bangladesh is passing through a difficult time considering the current global situation.

He made this comment in an exchange meeting with journalists at the circuit house conference room of the city on Friday at 11:30 am.

Obaidul Quader said, “We are going through tough challenging times. Russia and Ukraine war on one side, European and American sanctions and counter-sanctions on the other. As a result, a third of the world’s countries are now heading for the Great Depression, according to the IMF. The cost of living in Europe has broken 40-year records. With our neighboring country Sri Lanka’s reserves at the bottom, Pakistan’s reserves are also in critical condition. There is no doubt that the prices of all commodities including fuel oil have increased in our country. However, due to the visionary leadership of the Prime Minister, Bangladesh’s reserve position is still good considering the global situation.

Expressing optimism at this time, he said, ‘The reserve of a developing country like Bangladesh is now 34 billion dollars. The country still has reserves to import for five months. There is a solid outlook amid the ongoing trend of the country’s economy. In the future, the per capita income and GDP of the people of the country will increase.

Obaidul Quader said, “There are two parts to the historic speech of the father of the nation on March 7. One part is freedom, and the other is economic freedom. Bangabandhu’s daughter Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has taken the responsibility of giving economic freedom to the people of the country. When the World Bank turned its back on the Padma Setu project, that grand edifice of economic emancipation, the Padma Setu dream was surrounded by despair. Just then, Bangabandhu’s brave daughter stood in Parliament and announced the construction of Padma Bridge with the country’s money. That Padma Bridge is not a dream today, but a visible reality.

Awami League Office Secretary and Special Assistant to Prime Minister Barrister Biplab Barua, Chittagong Metropolitan Awami League President and General Secretary Mahtab Uddin Chowdhury, former Mayor Azam Nashir Uddin, South District Awami League General Secretary Mofizur Rahman, Chittagong North District Awami League General Secretary were present in the exchange meeting. Sheikh Ataur Rahman, Chittagong Development Authority Chairman Zahirul Alam Dubash, Zilla Parishad Chairman ATM Payrul Islam, District Commissioner Abul Basar Mohammad Fakhruzzaman and others.