The Prime Minister yesterday asked the public relations officers (PROs) to use their profession in awakening the people for mobilising resources aixl making their best ulili sation for rapid development in the loiinlry, reports I MB.

Publk relations is a dependable process to create consciousness among the people to integrate them in nation building activities. This is essential for a developing country like Bangladesh' she said

Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia was inaugurating the 8th bieiutial national conference of the Bangladesh Public Relations Officers' Association (BPROA) at a local hotel in llx morning

She said public relations can play an important role in building social infrastructure and for proper coordination among political, economic and administrative activities.

The Prime Minister stressed the ixxd for improved training to acquire skills for PROs to face the challenge of the twenty first century.

llx- importance of the public relations profession has increased due to the nourishment of democracy in the world and unprecedented ad vancement of communication technology, she said

Begum Zia said the PR men have a vital rok in administrative trans pareiKy in a democratic society and they can contribute a Jot to mass communication.

Six further said that the PROs can contribute to development by projecting tlx image of their concerned institutions and real picture of the country before the countrymen and ilx world community.

The Prime Minister said her gov eminent has undertaken allout measures to ensure administrative trans parency since the establishment of the devixx ratio system in the cvxintry in 1991.

It has also implemented uplift programmes in all fields, including educ ation, health, communication, agriculture. investment industry and empkiyment sectors, she said adding. 'People have started repaying the benefit of these programmes.

She called upon the PR( M to high light the development programmes implemented in last tour and a fialf years.

The inaugural func tion was ad dressed by Information and Commerce Minister M Shamsul Islam. BPR( >A President Mohammad Nurul Islam and General Secretary M 1 Khalequt Bhuiyan.

Minister. MPs. diplomats and PROs from all over the country at-xnded the inaugural function.