CHT minister stresses sustainable tourism, modern agriculture development
Chattogram Hill Tracts (CHT) Affairs Minister Sa Ching Prue has stressed the need for sustainable development of the region’s tourism industry and modernisation of its agriculture sector.
“The government is committed to expanding coffee and cashew nut cultivation in the hill districts while ensuring access to modern farming methods and education, as these crops can bring significant long-term economic benefits,” he said.
He also stressed the importance of cultivating red mushrooms, conserving water resources and increasing water flow by developing water sources based on the model adopted by Nepal’s International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD).
The minister made the remarks while addressing a review meeting on the Annual Development Programme (ADP) of the Ministry of CHT Affairs held today at the conference room of the CHT Complex in the capital.
State Minister for CHT Affairs Barrister Mir Mohammad Helal Uddin attended the meeting as the special guest, while Secretary of the ministry Mohammad Mizanur Rahman chaired it.
The State Minister placed the highest priority on education, saying students in the hills must be brought to a level comparable with their counterparts in the plains through e-learning and modern education.
He also emphasized ensuring safe drinking water in every upazila and installing solar panels in remote areas to ease the long-standing hardship faced by women in the hills in collecting water.
Calling for environmentally friendly and planned tourism initiatives as well as employment-generating projects to help address natural disasters and landslides, he said the government is creating opportunities for talented young people from the hills to become doctors, engineers and researchers and contribute equally to the country’s economy.
CHT Development Board Chairman Major General (Retd.) Anup Kumar Chakma; Joint Secretaries of the Ministry of CHT Affairs Kongkon Chakma and Atul Sarkar; CHT Development Board Vice-Chairman Sheikh Saleh Ahmed; Bandarban Hill District Council Chairman Mamya Ching; Rangamati Hill District Council Chairman Dipan Talukdar; Khagrachhari Hill District Council Chairman Mra Sa Hwai Marma; CHT Regional Council member K. S. Mong; Rangamati Hill District Council Chief Executive Officer Khondaker Mohammad Rizaul Karim; and Khagrachhari District Council Chief Executive Ilias Mehedi, among others, were present at the event.
