Serving the people is the primary responsibility of an elected government, said Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Dr Abdul Moin Khan.

He made the remarks while addressing a discussion meeting as the chief guest on the occasion of National Birth and Death Registration Day 2026 at the Grand Ballroom of Hotel Sonargaon in the capital on Tuesday (October 6). The event was organised by the Office of the Registrar General, Birth and Death Registration, and the Local Government Division.

The minister said elected representatives and government officials must work responsibly to fulfil the expectations with which people vote for their government.

He said government officials and elected representatives may follow different procedures, but their fundamental objective should be the same—serving the people.

“The power vested in the government must be used to serve the people,” he said. “State power should be exercised to meet people’s needs and ensure their rights, not to obstruct public services.”

Speaking about birth and death registration, Abdul Moin Khan said the programme is extremely important for national administration. However, there are significant discrepancies between the country’s actual population and the data in the registration database.

“It is concerning that in a country with a population of around 190 million, the registration database contains information on far more people,” he said, stressing the need to eliminate such discrepancies and make the registration system accurate and reliable.

The minister said technology alone cannot ensure public services; the people operating the technology must also be responsible. He stressed that citizens should not have to visit a union parishad repeatedly just to obtain a birth certificate.

He further said even a less-educated person living in a village is a citizen of the state and has the right to receive government services. Therefore, everyone involved in providing services at the grassroots level must be more vigilant, responsible and people-oriented.

At the event, awards were presented in various categories in recognition of excellence and accuracy in birth and death registration. Award recipients included representatives of different government offices, city corporations, municipalities and union parishads.

The programme was chaired by Local Government Division Secretary Md Shahidul Hasan. State Minister Mir Shahe Alam, Information and Communication Technology Division Secretary Md Mamunur Rashid Bhuiyan, Cabinet Division Secretary (Coordination and Reform) Farah Shammi, Head of Development Cooperation at the European Union Delegation in Dhaka Dr Michal Krejza, UNICEF Bangladesh Representative Gillian Mellsop and other officials concerned were also present.