Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Dr. Abdul Moyeen Khan has said the government aims to ensure balanced development across the country, prioritizing the interests of people in all upazilas without discrimination based on political affiliation or geographical location.

He said development must be balanced across the country’s 503 upazilas and no particular upazila should receive facilities that remain unavailable to people in neighboring upazilas. As a government elected by the people, it is the government’s responsibility to implement development initiatives considering the interests of people in all areas.

He made the remarks as the chief guest at a discussion titled “Formulating Strategies for Solar Power Installation in Urban and Rural Areas through Cooperative Societies,” organized by the Rural Development and Cooperatives Division at the Multipurpose Hall of the Cooperative Building in Agargaon, Dhaka, on Saturday (October 10). State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Mir Shah Alam was also present.

The minister said government officials are not merely employees but are entrusted with serving the country’s 180 million people. The government has considered properly evaluating their work and adjusting salaries and allowances in line with the cost of living. Although limited resources make it impossible to implement everything at once, efforts will be made to introduce the measures gradually over the next few years.

He also said he had raised with Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, at a Cabinet meeting, the issue of adjusting government officials’ salaries annually in line with inflation.

Emphasizing the role of government officials in implementing development plans at the grassroots level, the minister said their primary objective, along with elected representatives, must be to ensure that ordinary people benefit from all government initiatives. He called on them to play an effective role in implementing Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s grassroots-focused development plans.

Highlighting the potential of solar power, the minister said the country must expand the use of renewable energy as conventional energy resources become increasingly limited. Proper use of solar energy would benefit the people, reduce costs and improve living standards. He urged officials concerned to work responsibly to implement government plans and targets so that the benefits of solar power reach people across the country.

Regarding institutional capacity in the rural development and cooperatives sector, he said the government would consider making the administrative structures, responsibilities and facilities of relevant institutions more effective. Proposals raised by officials, including converting the Rural Development Board into a department, would be reviewed seriously.

On cooperative societies, the minister said increasing the number of registered societies alone was not enough; they must become functional and serve the public interest. Noting that approximately 250,000 cooperative societies are currently registered in the country, he stressed the need to ensure their effectiveness.

He urged officials to assess the activities of cooperative societies in their respective areas and encourage them to work for public welfare. He also called for simplifying the registration process so that ordinary rural people could easily form and operate cooperatives. Collective initiatives through cooperatives, he said, could help advance the rural economy and public welfare.

Speaking as a special guest, State Minister Mir Shah Alam expressed hope that solar power generation would soon become a social movement. He said decisions had already been taken to install solar panels on the rooftops of educational institutions under the Ministry of Education and on buildings and marketplaces under the Ministry of Local Government.

He added that installing solar panels through cooperative societies under the Rural Development and Cooperatives Division could help address the country’s temporary electricity shortages.

The state minister instructed cooperative and rural development officials to encourage rural residents to generate solar power and provide them with the necessary support. He also said Tk 3.9 billion had already been released to local government institutions for installing solar panels and procuring related services.

Addressing government officials and employees, Mir Shah Alam said public servants had faced various financial and family-related difficulties because salaries had not increased over the past 15 years. He expressed confidence that the current government would be able to address their concerns and urged everyone to work together to implement government programmes, irrespective of political affiliation.

The programme was chaired by Rural Development and Cooperatives Division Secretary Dr. Rafiqul E. Mohammad. Officials and employees of the ministry and its departments attended the event.