A press briefing was held in Gopalganj with media personnel to strengthen the development activities and special promotion activities taken to implement the election manifesto of the current government.
In the meeting held at the Deputy Commissioner's conference room 'Swachhta' at 11 am on Wednesday (May 13), the Deputy Commissioner and District Magistrate Md. Arif-uz-Zaman highlighted the ongoing development activities related to the election manifesto of the current government.
It was informed in the briefing that according to the government's manifesto announced in the 2026 general election, work is underway to improve the living standards of the common people, modernize agriculture, ensure social security, preserve the environment and empower women. In continuation of this, the progress of the 'Family Card' program inaugurated by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on March 10, 2026, which is mainly working for the welfare of the poorest and female-headed families in the country, was highlighted in detail.
The importance of the 'Smart Krishak Card' program, which was started on an experimental basis from March and April 2026 under the Ministry of Agriculture, was discussed in the meeting. In addition, the issue of agricultural loan waiver of up to Tk 10,000 to reduce the financial burden of farmers was mentioned as a groundbreaking step by the government.
The work of excavating and re-excavating 25 canals in Gopalganj district for water resource management is currently underway. Deputy Commissioner Md. Arif-uz-Zaman also said that this project is being implemented under the joint supervision of the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) and the Bangladesh Water Development Board. The work of Angul Kata Canal and Vennabari Canal has already achieved a significant 50% progress. The concerned administration is always monitoring to review the progress and implementation of the work.
The briefing also highlighted the tree plantation activities to achieve the government's sustainable development goals and the introduction of special transport facilities to facilitate women's travel. The program was moderated by District Information Officer Md. Sulaiman, and was attended by Additional Superintendent of Police Md. Kazi Humayun Rashid, Deputy Director of the District Social Services Department Asim Kumar Saha, Deputy Director of the District Agricultural Extension Department Dr. Mamunur Rahman, District Civil Surgeon Dr. Abu Sayeed Md. Faruk, Senior Journalist Mozammel Hossain Munna, Journalist Md. Mahmud Kabir Ali, who laid special emphasis on the government's development programs as well as increasing public awareness in creating a drug-free society.
In the open discussion, Gopalganj correspondent of the Daily Accountable newspaper Md. Mahmud Kabir Ali drew the attention of the Deputy Commissioner that when the local office was contacted to get information regarding canal excavation, the concerned authorities were uncooperative. They said that all the information about this project could only be obtained from the Dhaka office and they did not have any information at the local level. The Deputy Commissioner took note of the matter and assured the journalists present that all necessary information regarding the government's development will be provided from all the departments of the district later.
The speakers sought the active cooperation of the media workers to reach the grassroots level and inform the common people about the public welfare projects undertaken by the government and its benefits.
At this time, media workers working in various print and electronic media in the district and leaders of various journalist organizations were present.
