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WB to help boost social safety net

UNB, New York
The World Bank offered to provide Bangladesh necessary supports for creating its social-safety net, alleviating poverty and developing infrastructures.
The assurance came from WB President Robert B Zoellick when he paid a call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her suite at Hotel Grand Hyatt on Wednesday.
During the meeting, the Bangladesh prime minister and the World Bank president discussed a wide range of issues of national, regional and international development, including the challenges arising out the global climate change.
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PM's Press Secretary Abul Kal am Azad briefed newsmen after the meeting, saying that the premier told the WB president the new democratic government of Bangladesh is working round the clock to ensure better living standards of the people.
Hasina said her government has taken various measures and chalked out plans to create a social-safety net for the people by alleviating poverty, generating more employment opportunities, ensuring quality but cheap health services for the masses and quality education facilities for them.
"But, unfortunately, global climate change has become a serious obstacle to implementing the development projects in Bangladesh, though it contributes little to
emission of the greenhouse gases," the PM said.
She told Zoellick that the Bangladesh government has planned to launch massive capital and maintenance dredging, reclaiming lands, building more embankments and creating forest net along the coastal belts as some ways of tackling the climate challenges.
Hasina said her government is doing everything possible to save people from natural calamity, which increased in frequencies nowadays due to global warming, but without combined efforts it is not possible to tackle the global challenges.
In reply, the WB president assured the prime minister of providing necessary supports in attaining its goal for creating social-safety net and implementing the develop-
mentagenda.
Development of transport infrastructures in Bangladesh was discussed with high importance at the meeting, as the new government plans a number of massive projects.
The PM mentioned her government's steps to build the much-expected Padma Bridge between the country's south-western and eastern parts.
As the WB chief raised the issue of corruption in the road communications sector during the past governments, the Bangladesh PM emphatically said her government has further strengthened the country’s Anti-Corruption Commission to "root out corruption from society."
"All stakeholders have been strongly and clearly told by the government that corruption on any scale and at
any level will not be tolerated during the rule of Bangladesh Awami League-led government," she said.
She told the chief of the multilateral funding agency that now every person in government is working relentlessly to ensure a better life for the people.
The WB president highly praised leadership of the Bangladesh prime minister and hoped that her government would be able to give people the long-cherished economic emancipation.
Hasina'sson, SajecbWazed Joy, Foreign Minister Dipu Moni, Cabinet Secretary M Abdul Aziz, Foreign Secretary Mijarul Quayes, Alternative Executive Director of the World Bank Qazi Aminul Islam and Deputy Press Secretary to the PM Mahbubul Hoque Shakil were present.