Communal harmony, peaceful co-existence prerequisites for dev: Dr Khalid
Religious Affairs Adviser Dr AFM Khalid Hossain today said communal harmony and peaceful coexistence are essential prerequisites for sustainable development and building a progressive society.
"Bangladesh has enjoyed a long tradition of communal harmony and social amity since time immemorial, but a section of people is trying to exploit communal sentiments to serve their narrow interests," he said.
Dr Khalid was addressing the closing ceremony of a special training programme for project managers and executives as the chief guest this afternoon at the auditorium of the National Academy for Planning and Development (NAPD) at Nilkhet in the capital.
The training was organised under the temple-based child and mass education project implemented by the Hindu Religious Welfare Trust.
The adviser said the government has strengthened patrols by law enforcement agencies, and it remains fully committed to ensuring the security of all citizens, regardless of religion or ethnicity.
Khalid urged everyone to work together to further strengthen unity among people of different faiths, saying, "The Ministry of Religious Affairs has been working to bring marginalised communities and underprivileged women and children into the mainstream of development."
"Alongside the temple-based child and mass education project, the mosque-based child and mass education project is providing both moral and modern education to children," he added.
He called upon all project-related officials to ensure proper and effective implementation of these initiatives and urged vigilance to ensure that
project funds are not misused under any circumstances.
"Our personal affiliations may differ, but when we take on responsibilities, we must work impartially and discharge our duties with professionalism, honesty and sincerity," he said.
He further called for abandoning the mindset of partisanship and groupism to accelerate national development.
Chaired by NAPD Director General (Senior Secretary) Siddiq Zobair, it was also addressed by NAPD Additional Director General Saima Afroz and Deputy Director and Course Director Abeda Sultana.
A total of 25 officials, including project directors, deputy project directors and assistant project directors from the Ministry of Religious
Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Socio-Economic Infrastructure Division, IMED, Hindu Religious Welfare Trust and concerned projects, participated in the five-day training programme.
Temple-based child and mass education project is being implemented at a cost of Taka 365 crore with government funding. Under the project, pre-primary, adult and child education centres are being operated at 7,400 temples across the country.