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Question Time

PM replies to queries from 5 MPs in JS

By Staff Correspondent
"Prime Minister's Question Time" was introduced in the Jatiya Sangsad yesterday with Sheikh Hasina answering five questions, one from a ruling party member and two each from opposition BNP and Jatiya Party.
The Prime Minister will reply to questions from MPs for 15 minutes on every Tuesday. This was decided by the Business Advisory Committee on January 26.
During the 15-minute time yesterday the Prime Minister read her printed answer to the first question from Mirza Azam of the ruling party on the Micro-Credit Summit held in Washington during February 2-4 last and replied to three sup-plementaries one each from M Saifur Rahman of BNP and Fa-zle Rabbi of JP and one from the questioner himself.
The Prime Minister s written answers to four other questions were only tabled. The questions were on government
plans to set up new power plants, raised by Zafrul Islam Choudhury of BNP. setting up of new post offices, by Abul Kalam Azad of the same party, polls to the Mathbaria Pourasabha. by Dr Rustom Ali Faraji of JP and upgradation of the Rangpur Carmichael College into a university college raised by Anisul Haq Choudhury of the AL.
Introducing the PM's Question Time. Speaker Humayun Rashid Choudhury said it is a new chapter in the country’s history of parliamentary democracy.
The practice exists in a few countries, the Speaker pointed out, "Many of the countries where democracy has been institutionalised have not yet been able to start the practice."
"Introduction of Prime Minister's question time in Parliament indicates our progress in the practice of parliamentary democracy in real terms." Humayun Rashid Choudhury told the House.
The practice through which the MPs can directly ask the prime minister on the government's core policy matters, is the best example of accountability of the government, he observed.
Presence of Treasury Bench members was more yesterday than on any other day while attendance in the Opposition Bench was thin.
The PM was seen replying to the supplementaries smartly and sometimes taking assistance from her cabinet colleagues. The usual scene of competition among the lawmakers to get the floor during the question-hour was almost absent.
Two BNP lawmakers — Maj (Retd) Hafizuddin and Dr Mohammad Ali — however termed the PM's Question Time an arranged game' to face question
from a member of the ruling party.
BSS adds: Replying to Mirza Azam's question Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said that the Micro-Credit Summit had institutionalised the concept of small credit to the poor and enhanced the image of Bangladesh as it played the pioneering role in promoting the concept.
Replying to the supplementary from Saifur Rahman, the Prime Minister said through the summit. Bangladesh is likely to be the most benefited country as "we have been able to draw the attention of the world."
Replying to the supplementary from Advocate Fazle Rabbi, Sheikh Hasina said the main objective of her government is to eradicate poverty. "We will combat poverty in a planned way.” she told the House.
In the written answer to Zafrul Islam's question, the prime minister said the country is likely to get around 2000 megawatt of electricity from various power stations to be constructed under both public and private sectors within the next three and a half years.
The Prime Minister informed the Sangsad that 300 MW electricity is expected to be generated by the next one year in three barge-mounted power stations which would be constructed under private sector. The power stations each having 100 MW capacity would be constructed at Khulna, Sikalbaha (Chittagong) and Haripur (Siddhirgonj).
In reply to another question from Abul Kalam Azad (BNP-Tangail) the Prime Minister informed the House that initiatives have been taken to set up 150 new post offices in the country during the 1996-97 financial year.