Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has said his government is working to establish Bangladesh as a welfare state, with a particular focus on improving the lives of ordinary people and rural communities.

He made the remarks around noon on Sunday at Mirzapur Chairman Bari Ghat area in Pakundia upazila of Kishoreganj, where he released fish fry into the Old Brahmaputra River and distributed fish fry among local fishermen as part of National Fisheries Week 2026. He also exchanged greetings with local residents.

The prime minister said the core objective of BNP’s politics is to ensure the welfare of ordinary and rural people and transform Bangladesh into a welfare-oriented state.

Highlighting the government’s initiatives to expand educational opportunities for women, Tarique Rahman said the government has decided to provide free education for women up to the honours level, with the state bearing all educational expenses.

He recalled that when Begum Khaleda Zia was in charge of running the country, free education for women had been introduced up to the intermediate level.

“Women make up half of the country’s population. If we keep women behind, it will not be possible to move the country forward. That is why the current government has decided to make education free for women up to the honours level. The government will bear all the expenses,” he said.

The prime minister urged female students to concentrate on their studies and prepare themselves to take leadership roles in the country. He also said the government would provide stipends to girls who achieve good academic results.

Speaking about plans for underprivileged children, Tarique Rahman said the government plans to provide school uniforms once a year to children from poor families studying at thousands of primary schools across rural Bangladesh.

“Not only school uniforms, we also want to provide school bags to around 12 million children. Along with new books every year, we want to deliver new school bags and school uniforms to their homes,” he said.

The prime minister also emphasized the importance of making women economically self-reliant. He said initiatives have been taken not only to advance women through education but also to strengthen their economic independence.

Referring to a pre-election pledge, he said family cards would gradually be distributed among women who head and manage households across the country’s four crore families.

“By the grace of Allah, the work on family cards has already begun. Over the next five years, these cards will gradually reach every household in the country,” he said.

He also announced that the nationwide Family Card programme would formally begin in Kishoreganj as part of its national rollout.

Speaking about releasing fish fry into the Old Brahmaputra River, the prime minister said the fish would grow, reproduce and eventually spread into rivers, canals and wetlands, benefiting people across Bangladesh.

He said, “Today, the fish fry released here will grow, lay eggs and spread into different canals and wetlands. Who will benefit from this? People in London or people in Japan? The people of Bangladesh will benefit.”

Tarique Rahman said fish fry would gradually be released into rivers, canals and wetlands across the country. He added that BNP has specific plans to improve the fortunes of the people and that the government is implementing those plans step by step.

He urged people to remain alert against those who seek to mislead the public.

The national rollout of the Family Card programme will formally begin at 4pm today at the Old Stadium in Kishoreganj through a programme to distribute family cards, allowances, grants and awards.

According to the district administration, the prime minister will hand over family cards, allowances, grants and awards to 94 people at the event. Family cards will be distributed to 14 families. In addition, honorariums will be provided to 15 imams, muezzins, khadims and people working at various religious institutions.

As part of his itinerary, the prime minister will inaugurate a tree-planting programme at the historic Sholakia Eidgah ground at 2:30pm. He will have lunch at the Circuit House at 3:15pm before attending the Family Card distribution programme at 4pm. Honorariums will also be provided to religious figures, including imams, muezzins, priests, monks and pastors.

The prime minister is scheduled to leave Kishoreganj for Dhaka in the evening after completing his programme.

Fisheries and Livestock Minister Mohammad Amin Ur Rashid, Fisheries and Livestock State Minister Sultan Salahuddin Tuku, Kishoreganj District BNP President and State Minister for Textiles and Jute Shariful Alam, District BNP General Secretary and Kishoreganj-1 lawmaker Mazharul Islam, Kishoreganj-2 lawmaker Advocate Jalal Uddin, local administration officials, political leaders, fishermen and prominent local residents were present at the event.

Earlier, local leaders, activists and residents welcomed the prime minister when he arrived at the Mirzapur Chairman Bari Ghat area. He later released fish fry into the Old Brahmaputra River.