Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday pledged more subsidy to farmers for attaining food autarky.

“If necessary, we will increase subsidy to farmers to Tk 5,000 crore from existing Tk 3,000 crore to attain food autarky," she told a meeting of senior officials at the Circuit House to review the situation in the Sylhet division.

While seeking investment by the expatriates of the Sylhet region, Hasina asked the officials to induce the affluent expatriates with offers of incentives to invest in the productive sector. She assured all out cooperation from the government to the entrepreneurs.

"We want expatriates put more money in the country while the government will give all kinds of support for the investment,” she said keeping in mind that a large number of people from greater Sylhet live in the UK and the USA

The prime minister urged the officials to discharge their responsibilities

to speed up the implementation of the development projects.

Hasina pointed out various problems in Sylhet including low literacy rate, inadequate teachers, especially female teachers, and lack of infrastructure.

Hasina wondered that the region is lagging behind despite finance minister had been from Sylhet over the decades.

She said Sylhet is endowed with fertile lands but most of those remain out of cultivation. People of other areas come to this region during the harvestingseason.

She noted with satisfaction at the huge potentials of Sylhet and said owners of the private tea gardens should take more care of the gardens and fishes that are abundant in haors could be processed and exported.

She urged the boulder traders not to extract those from the river by using machine that leaves adverse impacts on environment. The government, she said, will formulate a policy for extracting sands and shingle.

Unveiling some development

programmes in Sylhet, Hasina said facility of refueling for international flights at the Osmani International Airport will be in place with the assistance of the Kuwait government.

Besides, she said university for general education would be set up in Sylhet and steps are on to develop Sylhet as an attractive tourist spot.

She said since flash flood is a cause of misery for Sylhet, rivers will be dredged to resolve the problem. She assured that a master plan will be prepared for planned urbanisation of Sylhet.

On border problem with India, the prime minister said efforts are on to resolve through demarcation of the border.

Hasina reiterated that the government would decentralise the administration, transferring some sectors like education and law and order to the local bodies.

Finance Minister AMA Muhit was present in the meeting with Sylhet Divisional Commissioner Golam Rabbani in the chair.