The people are the owners of the state; we are merely their servants : Minister Zahir Uddin Swapan

Mar 4, 2026 21:33

The government's primary objective is to govern the state with respect for the people's mandate. The Information and Broadcasting Minister, Zahir Uddin Swapan, reiterated the commitment to strengthen the institutional state system, learning from the mistakes of previous governments.

The minister made these remarks on Wednesday, March 4th, while addressing officials from various departments at divisional and district levels during an exchange of views at the Chittagong Circuit House conference room, as the chief guest.

The Information Minister stated that the government's main goal is to govern the state respecting the people's mandate. He mentioned that the Prime Minister, in the first cabinet meeting, clearly instructed to ensure government operations are accountable to the people. The government is committed to building an institutional and robust administrative structure, refraining from partisan alignment or misuse of the executive branch.

The Minister said that the government has already started working to implement its election pledges. A pilot project for the Family Card scheme has been undertaken, and he expressed hope for visible progress in this initiative before Eid. He urged the relevant administrative units to take advance preparations for this.

Simultaneously, the Minister highlighted the Farmer Card scheme, stating that fertiliser, seeds, pesticides, agricultural machinery, agricultural loans, and various services will be delivered directly to farmers through smart cards to eliminate middlemen and opportunities for corruption. He also mentioned that the decision to waive interest on agricultural loans up to Tk 10k is already underway.

He further added that an allowance programme for Imams, Muezzins, and Khadems of mosques has been launched, and a transparent, card-based management system will be developed in this area as well.

A discussion meeting was held under the chairmanship of Divisional Commissioner Dr. Md. Ziauddin, with the Director General of the Department of Mass Communication, Md. Abdul Jalil, Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Zahidul Islam Mia, and officials from various district and divisional level departments of Chattogram participating.

Prior to this, the Minister delivered the keynote speech as the chief guest at a discussion meeting organised by the Chattogram Press Club and Chattogram Metropolitan Journalists Union at the Press Club auditorium.

In his speech, the Information Minister said, "We have taken responsibility as servants of the state. Therefore, we want to remain servants to empower the people." He added, "Martyred President Ziaur Rahman had installed the nameplate of the Chattogram Press Club for development, but it was kept hidden for a long time. By reinstalling that nameplate, everyone must work together to move the Press Club forward."

The meeting, moderated by the General Secretary of the Press Club, Golam Maola Murad, included speeches from Abu Sufian MP, Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Zahidul Islam Mia, President of the National Press Club Hassan Hafiz, Secretary-General of BFUJ Kader Gani Chowdhury, journalist Md. Shahnewaz, President of Chattogram Press Club Zahidul Karim Kochi, and Mia Mohammad Arif, among others.

Director General of the Department of Mass Communication Md. Abdul Jalil, Deputy Principal Information Officer of Chattogram PID Md. Sayeed Hasan, along with the Director General of Bangladesh Betar and senior officials of BTV, were present at the event.

DBTECH/MIH/MUIM