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Khaleda Zia visits affected northern districts

Relief operations till next harvest
RANGPUR. Oct 22 : Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia today said rellcr operations, including test relief under food-for-work programme (FWD) would continue till' the next harvesting season in the flood affected areas of northern district, reports BSS.
The Prime Minister was addressing spontaneous gatherings at Jikarbarir Ghat and Purbapyerpur Government High School in Ku rigram and Galbandha of Rangpur district today. She flew into the northern district of Rangpur to see the relief and medicare work being carried out In the
flood-affected areas of the district.
Begum Zia said the government would take up permanent measures to save the people in this calamity-prone country.
She called upon all. Irrespective of political opinion, to help the government realise its plans to set up permanent measures against the calamities.
The Prime Minister said, 'we want to become a self-reliant nation through Implementing our various development programmes. We do not want the nation to remain de-
pendent on relief."
Begum Zia said with satisfaction that no report of corruption regarding relief operations was received because of the sincere services rendered by the ministers, mepibers of Parliament. Armed Forces personnel. government officials, local people's representatives and the general people.
Earlier, on her arrival at the Rangpur, the Prime Minister was briefed at the Relief Coordination and Control Room In Rangpur cantonment on the overall relief and medicare operations being carried out in the post-flood areas of
the Rangpur. Kurigram. Nil-phamari, Lalmonirhat. Gaib-andha. Panchagarh. Dtnajpur and Thakurgaon.
Relief. Coordinator of greater Rangpur district Wing Commander (Retd) Hamldullah Khan MP. and Area Commander Major General Asma Amin conducted the briefing.
The Prime Minister was informed that In the month of Ashwin and Kartik the economic hardship of people living In some areas of the northern districts was not an unusual phenomenon. Moreover because of hailstorm and
flash floods in the areas crops had been damaged.
The Prime Minister was told that the situation was not graver than what it was in the past years. The situation cannot be termed 'famine condition' in any way
Begum Zia was informed that adequate relief has been provided and test relief work was in full swing in the affected areas. Apart from foreign relief and the food supplied under VGD cards, relief worth more than Taka 6.69 crore had been distributed by the Relief Ministry alone.
Ninety thousand VGD cards have already been distributed among the affected people. Two lakh sarees and lungis and winter clothes were also dis-trlbuted among the people.
The Prime Minister was informed that 576 medicare centres had been set up in the affected areas and adequate treatment was being provided to the diarrhoa affected people.
The ignorance of people regarding primary health care was causing diarrhoea in the district. But it is not in an epidemic form, she was told.
Later, the Prime Minister visited different places of Rangpur. Nilphamari. Gaiba nd ha and Kurtgram districts to see the on-going test relief work.
In Rajarhat under Nilphamari district the Prime Minister was received by Awa mi League member of Parliament Azharul Islam and Communist Party MP Shamsuddoha. The MPs told the Prime Minister that adequate relief was distributed in their constituencies. The Prime Minister urged them to work unitedly to mitigate the suffering of the distressed humanity of the areas.
The Prime Minister was accompanied by Health Minister C^howdhury Kamal Ibne Yusuf. Social Welfare Minister Tariqul Islam, State Minister for Land Kabir Hossain and State Minister for Communication Fazlur Rahman Patal. local members of Parliament. PSO to the Supreme Commander Brigd MSA Bhuiyan.