Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday urged all concerned to present the best creations of Bangla language to the world through their translation into foreign languages.
She said her government was trying to get Bangla enlisted as one of the official languages of the United Nations. "For this, we need your all-out support," she told the audience at the capital's Bangla Academy ground where she inaugurated the Amar Ekushey Boi Mela.
The month-long book fair marking the 1952 Language Movement is taking place on the academy premises and on a part of the Suhrawardy Udyan to accommodate more stalls this year.
Hasina said that following the path shown by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, she gave her speech in Bangla in the UN General Assembly every time.
For the welfare of the writers and publishers and making the publication process easier, the government is formulating a book policy, she said.
The PM also said that in the ninth parliament, her government enacted the" Bangla Academy Act 2013" to expand the working area of the academy.
Hasina said that as per her assurance, the book fair had been extended to a part of the Suhrawardy Udyan to facilitate participation of more publication houses.
Terming the three-volume "Dictionary on Evolution of Bangla Language" a great work by Bangla Academy, she said, "Itwillopen a new horizon in the fields of research on our mother tongue."
Professor Emeritus Dr Anisuzzaman chaired the session, while Cultural Affairs Minister Asaduzzaman Noor spoke as special guest. Director General of Bangla Academy Shamsuzzaman Khan gave the welcome address.
Earlier, the PM distributed the Bangla Academy Literary Award 2013 to eleven recipients and gave them a crest and cheque for Tk 1 lakh each. She also handed over BanglaAcademy Fellowship Smarak to eminent mime artist Partha Pratim Majumder.
The function began with the singing of the national anthem and the immortal song, "Amar bhaiyer rokte rangano Ekushey February" and one minute of silence for the language martyrs.