Minister urges harnessing youth innovation and technology for self-reliant Bangladesh.
Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hassan Mahmood today emphasised the need to utilise the innovative ideas and technological capabilities of talented young people across the country to build a self-reliant Bangladesh.
“There are brilliant students in our country and we must utilize their excellence and potentials in innovation and technological advancement to take our country forward and make it self-reliant,” he said.
He said this while addressing as the chief guest the exhibition and evaluation programme of the Rajshahi divisional round of the national science and technology competition titled ‘In Search of Future Scientists’ held at the Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College ground here this afternoon.
Urging proper management and coordination to advance the country, the minister said,” The country cannot move forward without proper management. Everyone must demonstrate the same level of responsibility to bring the country out of the misrule and economic irregularities of the past 17 years.”
Referring to Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman, Iqbal said, “Ziaur Rahman had emphasised domestic production and agriculture, believing that products made by the country's own people were the best.”
“He had prioritized agriculture and took initiatives to make Bangladesh self-sufficient in food. At one stage, rice was also exported from the country,” he noted.
At the time, he urged utilizing and making use of AI in increasing productivity, ensuring product quality control and improving production processes.
Referring to the shortage of budgetary allocations for research and development, he said, “Although conventional development activities continued, opportunities to develop new technologies and utilize domestic ideas remained limited due to shortage of research budget.”
He called on further increasing research budget and urged capable institutions to invest in the sector to overcome the situation.
BNP Acting Secretary General Advocate Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, BNP Standing Committee Member and Executive Director of the Ziaur Rahman Foundation Professor Dr Farhad Halim Donar, among other guests, attended the programme.
Organised by the Ziaur Rahman Foundation, the competition featured students from educational institutions in different districts of the Rajshahi division, who participated with their own innovative science- and technology-based projects.
The exhibition began in the morning, with students presenting their projects to the guests. Following the daylong exhibition and exchange of views, prizes were distributed among the winners in the afternoon.
