PM unveils four programs to tackle economic fallout from Covid-19 NEW DELHI, INDIA – OCTOBER 4: Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina gestures during an India -Bangladesh Business Forum meeting, at Hotel ITC Maurya on October 4, 2019 in New Delhi, India. (Photo by Vipin Kumar/Hindustan Times via Getty Images) 2/6 SLIDES © Getty DHAKA, BANGLADESH – FEBRUARY 25: Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of the Republic of Bangladesh on February 25, 2020 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. (Photo by Ute Grabowsky/Photothek via Getty Images) 3/6 SLIDES © Getty NEW DELHI, INDIA – OCTOBER 5: Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina after bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at Hyderabad House, on October 5, 2019 in New Delhi, India. India and Bangladesh on Saturday hailed bilateral ties as models of good neighborliness” as the two sides signed seven agreements and the two countries’ prime ministers inaugurated three projects to deepen their partnership. (Photo by Mohd Zakir/Hindustan Times via Getty Images) 4/6 SLIDES © Getty DHAKA, BANGLADESH – 2020/04/11: A homeless woman wearing a protective mask waits for relief on an empty street during the government-imposed lockdown amid coronavirus outbreak. Bangladesh has confirmed 482 cases, with 30 deaths due to coronavirus (COVID-19) according to the IEDCR officials. (Photo by Sultan Mahmud Mukut/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) 5/6 SLIDES © Getty Bangladeshi police checking vehicles on the street during a government-imposed lockdown as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 coronavirus in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on April 12, 2020 (Photo by Mamunur Rashid/NurPhoto via Getty Images) 6/6 SLIDES © Getty Bangladesh Army soldiers aware to general people for stay home as they patrolling on the streets during the nationwide lockdown as a preventive measure against the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on April 7, 2020. (Photo by Mamunur Rashid/NurPhoto via Getty Images) 6/6 SLIDES Bangladesh, April 13 — Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday announced her government’s four strategic programmes which will be implemented in three phases until the 2023-24 fiscal year to overcome the possible adverse impact on the national economy due to the global outbreak of Covid-19.

She said the four government programs are increasing public expenditure, introducing fiscal packages, expanding social safety net programs, and increasing the money supply.

Sheikh Hasina said the first phase (immediate phase) programs will be implemented over the next three months of the current fiscal year (2019-20), while the short phase in the next fiscal year (2020-21) and the medium phase in the 2021-22, 2022-23 and 2023-24 fiscal years.

“The shock of the world economic recession has become a cause of concern for our economy. We don’t know how long this crisis will persist and how it’ll affect our economy. But we’re working to face the possible economic adverse impact,” she said.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said this while addressing the nation on Monday evening ahead of Pahela Baishakh 1427.

State-owned Bangladesh Betar and Bangladesh Television simultaneously broadcast the Prime Minister’s address. Private television channels and radio stations also aired the speech. Get updates on the Coronavirus pandemic and more news on the Microsoft News app!

In her around 16-minute speech, Sheikh Hasina said the government has already announced various stimulus packages worth Tk 95,619 crore which is 3.3 percent of the GDP.

She said the government has taken various programs to protect the marginal people.

In this connection, she mentioned that the government has allocated 5 lakh metric tons of rice and 1 lakh metric ton of wheat for distribution free among the low-income group people and the market price of this allocation is Tk 2,503 crore.

For the low-income people living in urban areas, the sale of rice at Tk 10 under the OMS has started and 74,000 metric tons of rice will be distributed under this programme and the government had to allot Tk 251 crore for this, the Prime Minister said.

She said directives have been given to prepare a list quickly with the bank accounts of day-labourers, rickshaw- or van-pullers, transport workers, construction workers, newspaper hawkers, hotel employees and other professionals who have lost their jobs due to the long vacation or partial lockdown. After preparing the list, one-time cash will be sent to the bank accounts. A total of Tk 760 crore has been allocated for this.

Related Slideshow: Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak around the world (Provided by Photo Services)

Slide 1 of 120: The statue of Christ the Redeemer is lit up with the image of a medical scrub and the word “thank you” in different languages during an Easter Sunday event amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil April 12, 2020. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes TPX IMAGES OF THE DAYPrevious SlideNext SlideFull Screen 1/120 SLIDES © Ricardo Moraes/Reuters The statue of Christ the Redeemer is lit up with the image of a medical scrub and the word “thank you” in different languages during an Easter Sunday event amid the coronavirus disease outbreak, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on April 12. 2/120 SLIDES © David McNew/Getty Images An aerial view shows safety signage near the Interstate 5 freeway in the ongoing effort to manage the coronavirus pandemic in Commerce, California, U.S., on April 12.  3/120 SLIDES © Arun Sankar/AFP via Getty Images A policeman wearing a coronavirus helmet takes part with others in a procession to raise awareness about COVID-19 during a government-imposed nationwide lockdown in Chennai, India, on April 12. 4/120 SLIDES © Phil Noble/Reuters A woman runs past posters with a message of hope, in Manchester, England, on April 12. Slideshow continues on the next slide 5/120 SLIDES © Jeenah Moon/Reuters Medical workers react to applause from firefighters, police and members of the public outside NYU Langone Hospital in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S., on April 12. 6/120 SLIDES © Jeenah Moon/Reuters A medical worker holds an Easter bunny balloon to applause from firefighters and members of the public outside NYU Langone Hospital in New York City, New York, U.S., on April 12. 7/120 SLIDES © Peter Summers/Getty Images A woman walks past an NHS graffiti sign at Hilly Fields, London, England, on April 11. 8/120 SLIDES © Loren Elliott/Reuters A pastor leads an Easter service that is live-streamed via the internet for parishioners due to social gathering restrictions implemented to curb the spread of coronavirus, at One1Seven evangelical Anglican church in Sydney, Australia, on April 12. 9/120 SLIDES © U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Cory W. Bush/Handout via Reuters The U.S. Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron “Thunderbirds” fly over Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S., to show appreciation and support for the healthcare workers, first responders and other essential personnel who are working on the frontlines to combat the spread of coronavirus, on  April 11. Slideshow continues on the next slide 10/120 SLIDES © Brendan McDermid/Reuters A woman wears a plastic food container for protection, in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, New York, U.S., on April 11. 11/120 SLIDES © Lee Smith/Reuters Hand-drawn pictures of rainbows and messages are seen on a window, as the spread of the coronavirus disease continues, in Ripon, England, on April 11. 12/120 SLIDES © Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service via AP Photo North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends a politburo meeting of the ruling Workers’ Party of Korea in Pyongyang, North Korea, on April 11. North Korea says it’ll take more thorough measures to guard against the coronavirus, though it has been maintaining a “very stable anti-epidemic situation.”  13/120 SLIDES © Sefa Karacan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images Empty food shelves are seen at a supermarket in Moscow, Russia, on April 11. 14/120 SLIDES © Caitlin Ochs/Reuters Firefighters applaud medical workers outside the Phyllis And William Mack Pavilion in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S., on April 10. Slideshow continues on the next slide 15/120 SLIDES © Willy Kurniawan/Reuters A person walks by an almost deserted road during the imposition of large-scale social restrictions by the government to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease in Jakarta, Indonesia, on April 11. 16/120 SLIDES © Joshua Roberts/Reuters A sign calls for motorists to practice social distancing during the outbreak of COVID-19 in Washington, D.C., U.S. on April 10. 17/120 SLIDES © Juan Carlos Ulate/Reuters A police officer checks the identity card of a vehicle’s occupant following the imposition of restrictions by Costa Rica’s government to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease, in San Jose, on April 10. 18/120 SLIDES © Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters A novice monk wearing a protective mask runs at the premises of a monastery, in Kathmandu, Nepal on April 10. 19/120 SLIDES © James D. Morgan/Getty Images Visitors at Sydney Fish Market have their temperature checked before being allowed access, in Australia, on April 10. 20/120 SLIDES © Heo Ran/Reuters People wearing masks keep social distance as they wait to cast their absentee ballots for the parliamentary election at a polling station in Seoul, South Korea, on April 10. 21/120 SLIDES © Ishara S. Kodikara/AFP/Getty Images Special Task Force (STF) personnel wearing protective gear spray disinfectant outside the Presidential Secretariat in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on April 10. 22/120 SLIDES © Jadwiga Figula/Reuters A woman wears a self-made protective body covering with built-in mask in Gdynia, Poland, on April 9. 23/120 SLIDES © Eduardo Munoz/Reuters People walk at Times Square in New York, U.S., while some screens are seen illuminated in blue to honor healthcare workers, on April 9. 24/120 SLIDES © Rodrigo Abd/AP Photo Policemen stand guard during an operation to ensure the curfew declared by the government in El Callao, on the outskirts of Lima, Peru, on April 8. 25/120 SLIDES © Money Sharma/AFP via Getty Images A yoga instructor leads a yoga class for homeless people at the Yamuna sports complex, which has been converted into a temporary shelter for those in need, in New Delhi, India, on April 9. 26/120 SLIDES © Sam Yeh/AFP via Getty Images Soldiers wearing face masks stand in formation in front of a U.S.-made M110A2 self-propelled howitzer during Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen’s visit to a military base in Tainan, Taiwan, on April 9. 27/120 SLIDES © Noel Celis/AFP via Getty Images People wearing face masks peek from windows of the Wuhan Jinyintan Hospital in Hubei province, China, on April 9. 28/120 SLIDES © Heo Ran/Reuters A teacher records an online class at a school in Seoul, South Korea, on April 9. 29/120 SLIDES © Juan Carlos Ulate/Reuters A woman prays during a live streamed mass as photos of the faithful are displayed on the benches at the Nuestra Senora de Fatima in San Jose, Costa Rica, on April 8. 30/120 SLIDES © Willy Kurniawan/Reuters A woman puts cloth face masks on a string to dry before distributing it for free in the neighborhood in Tangerang, Indonesia, on April 9. 31/120 SLIDES © Lucy Nicholson/Reuters Friends of Lily Haines (not pictured) drive by her apartment with signs and balloons to celebrate her 16th birthday in Los Angeles, California, U.S., on April 8. 32/120 SLIDES © Aly Song/Reuters Medical workers walk by a police robot at the Wuhan Tianhe International Airport in China, after travel restrictions to leave the city were lifted, on April 8. 33/120 SLIDES © Fiona Goodall/Getty Images A girl puts her completed drawing of an Easter egg on the window of her home in Auckland, New Zealand, on April 8. New Zealanders are being encouraged to draw and display Easter eggs on their windows to create an Easter egg hunt that children can participate in during the COVID-19 lockdown. 34/120 SLIDES © Jung Yeon-Je/AFP via Getty Images A member of the palace guard wears a face mask along with his traditional Korean dress, at the Deoksugung palace in Seoul, South Korea, on April 8. 35/120 SLIDES © David Ryder/Reuters Employees of Harborview Medical Center pose for photos while accepting pizzas donated by basketball player and Seattle native Isaiah Thomas in Seattle, Washington, U.S., on April 7. 36/120 SLIDES © Bernadett Szabo/Reuters A resident of a nursing home waves at an elderly woman as the MAV Symphony Orchestra plays classical music recordings on the loudspeakers of a car going around the city to cheer up people under lockdown in Budapest, Hungary, on April 7. 37/120 SLIDES © Sam Mooy/Getty Images Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison delivers a ministerial statement on COVID-19 in the House of Representatives in Canberra, Australia, on April 8. 38/120 SLIDES © Aly Song/Reuters Travelers line up with their belongings outside the Hankou Railway Station after travel restrictions to leave Wuhan, China, were lifted, on April 8. 39/120 SLIDES © Carlos Jasso/Reuters A city employee, wearing protective gear, poses for a photograph as he disinfects an area of Paseo de la Reforma avenue in Mexico City, Mexico, on April 6. 40/120 SLIDES © Ricardo Moraes/Reuters Men dressed up as superheroes Spider-Man and Captain America stand with a banner reading “Stay at Home” in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on April 6. 41/120 SLIDES © Czarek Sokolowski/AP Photo Workers wearing protective suits spray disinfectant at a subway station in Warsaw, Poland, on April 6. 42/120 SLIDES © Willy Kurniawan/Reuters A healthcare worker wearing protective gear is seen during a test for the coronavirus (COVID-19) outside a stadium in Bogor, Indonesia, on April 7. 43/120 SLIDES © Lee Smith/Reuters An artist paints a mural on a wall in Pontefract, England, on April 6. 44/120 SLIDES © Kevin Lamarque/Reuters Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, departs after the daily coronavirus task force briefing at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on April 6. 45/120 SLIDES © Moises Castillo/AP Photo A resident picks up a box with food given to them by the army, at the Santa Rosita neighborhood on the outskirts of Guatemala City, Gautemala, on April 6, during a stay-at-home curfew designed to slow the spread of COVID-19. 46/120 SLIDES © Jeanty Junior Augustin/Reuters Food is distributed from a truck as part of a government program in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on April 6. 47/120 SLIDES © Musa Sadulayev/AP Photo Municipal workers wearing protective suits spray disinfectant in Grozny, Russia, on April 6. 48/120 SLIDES © Kai Schwoerer/Getty Images

German tourists queue up to enter Christchurch International Airport in New Zealand, on April 6. Air New Zealand is operating a number of special charter flights on behalf of the German government to repatriate German travelers stranded in New Zealand due the COVID-19 pandemic.49/120 SLIDES © Rupak De Chowdhuri/Reuters

Staff members of a hospital carry candles and oil lamps to show solidarity with people who are affected by the coronavirus disease, and with doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers from all over the world during a 21-day nationwide lockdown, in Kolkata, India, on April 5.50/120 SLIDES © Vahid Salemi/AP Photo

A volunteer woman wearing a face mask and gloves to curb the spread of the coronavirus sews face masks in a mosque in Tehran, Iran, on April 5.51/120 SLIDES © Alberto Pizzoli/POOL/AFP/Getty Images

Pope Francis celebrates Palm Sunday mass behind closed doors, during a lockdown aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19, in St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City, on April 5.52/120 SLIDES © Ezra Acayan/Getty Images

A devotee stands next to palm fronds and religious icons placed on a table outside her home, as part of Palm Sunday celebrations in Quezon City, Philippines, on April 5.53/120 SLIDES © Eduardo Munoz/Reuters

A person wearing a personal protective equipment (PPE) suit exits the Elmhurst Hospital center, as the outbreak of coronavirus disease continues, in New York City, New York, U.S., on April 5.54/120 SLIDES © Amir Cohen/Reuters

A man wearing a mask looks on in Bnei Brak, Israel, on April 5. The ultra-Orthodox Jewish town was declared a “restricted zone” due to its high rate of infections on April 3.55/120 SLIDES © Arun Sankar/AFP/Getty Images

A motorist rides through a disinfection tunnel during a government-imposed nationwide lockdown as a preventive measure against  COVID-19, in Chennai, India, on April 5.56/120 SLIDES © Edgar Su/Reuters

Residents receive free reusable masks distributed by the government at a community center, as stricter measures are announced to combat the outbreak of the COVID-19 in Singapore, on April 5.57/120 SLIDES © Dale De La Rey/AFP/Getty Images

People wearing face masks, amid concerns of the COVID-19 disease, commute on a train in Hong Kong on April 4.58/120 SLIDES © Adnan Abidi/Reuters

Migrant workers and homeless people rest inside a sports complex turned into a shelter, during a 21-day nationwide lockdown to slow the spread of the COVID-19, in New Delhi, India, on April 4.59/120 SLIDES © Steven Watt/Reuters

A woman wearing a protective mask is seen checking her cell phone in Woolwich district of London, England, on April 4, as the spread of the COVID-19 continues.60/120 SLIDES © WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Ali Khara/Reuters

A view of beds at a shopping mall, one of Iran’s largest, which has been turned into a center to receive patients suffering from the coronavirus disease, in Tehran, Iran, on April 4.61/120 SLIDES © Abubaker Lubowa/Reuters

Members of Local Defence Unit (LDU) offload relief food during a distribution exercise to civilians affected by the lockdown, implemented to prevent the potential spread of COVID-19, in Kampala, Uganda, on April 4.62/120 SLIDES © Hannah McKay/Reuters A man walks in the middle of empty Westminster Bridge, as the spread of COVID-19 continues, in London, England, on April 3. 63/120 SLIDES © Alex Brandon/AP Photo U.S. President Donald Trump speaks about the new coronavirus in the James Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House, in Washington, D.C., U.S., on April 3. 64/120 SLIDES © Kham/Reuters A resident wearing a protective face mask waits for coronavirus testing at a makeshift rapid testing center in Hanoi, Vietnam, on April 3. 65/120 SLIDES © Dolores Ochoa/AP Photo A couple, wearing masks to prevent the spread of the new coronavirus, is seen waiting at Independence square in Quito, Ecuador, on April 3. 66/120 SLIDES © Juan Karita/AP Photo City workers fumigate a street to help contain the spread of coronavirus in La Paz, Bolivia, on April 2. 67/120 SLIDES © Phil Noble/Reuters NHS workers applaud on the streets outside Royal Liverpool University Hospital during the Clap for Our Carers Campaign in England, on April 2. 68/120 SLIDES © Jim Davis/Pool via Reuters A New England Patriots Boeing 767-300 jet with a shipment of over one million N95 masks from China arrives at Logan International Airport in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S., on April 2. 69/120 SLIDES © Jose Cabezas/Reuters A volunteer sanitizes a bus passenger before he enters his municipality in Panchimalco, El Salvador, on April 2. 70/120 SLIDES © Ahn Young-joon/AP Photo A currency trader checks the temperature of his colleague at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, on April 3. 71/120 SLIDES © Mohammad Ponir Hossain/Reuters Women maintain social distance as they wait to receive relief supplies provided by local police authority in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on April 2. 72/120 SLIDES © Aly Song/Reuters People wearing face masks wait for a supermarket to open in Wuhan, China, on April 2. 73/120 SLIDES © John Locher/AP Photo Hotel room lights spell out “Vegas Strong” at the Wynn hotel-casino along the Las Vegas Strip in Nevada, U.S., on April 1. 74/120 SLIDES © Lim Huey Teng/Reuters Workers wearing protective suits pray before a disinfection operation in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on April 1. 75/120 SLIDES © Mohammad Ponir Hossain/Reuters Women stand in a queue to receive relief supplies provided by the local community in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on April 1. 76/120 SLIDES © Heo Ran/Reuters Employees from a disinfection service company sanitize a subway car depot amid coronavirus outbreak in Seoul, South Korea, on March 11. 77/120 SLIDES © James Gourley/Getty Images An aerial view of a notice dug into the sand reading #StayHome on Tamarama Beach in Sydney, Australia, on April 2. 78/120 SLIDES © Office of Mayor Eric Garcetti via AP Photo Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti wearing a protective face mask during his daily news conference in Los Angeles, California, U.S., on April 1. 79/120 SLIDES © Aly Song/Reuters Residents pay for groceries by standing on chairs to peer over barriers set up to ringfence a wet market in Wuhan on April 1. 80/120 SLIDES © Karina Hessland/Reuters A baker presents sweets in the shape of the “coronavirus” (R) and antibodies with a face mask and eyes, in Erfurt, Germany, on March 31. 81/120 SLIDES © Pavel Golovkin/AP Photo Police officers walk across an empty Red Square in Moscow, Russia, on March 31, 2020. 82/120 SLIDES © Eddie Keogh/Reuters A young man cuts another man’s hair on top of a closed hairdresser, in Oxford, England, on March 31. 83/120 SLIDES © David Mercado/Reuters People follow social distancing as they line up to enter a supermarket, amid the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, in La Paz, Bolivia, on March 30. 84/120 SLIDES © Eduardo Munoz/Reuters The One World Trade Center is illuminated in red, white and blue in recognition of the ongoing nationwide effort to combat coronavirus in New York City, as it is seen from Exchange Place, New Jersey, U.S., on March 30. 85/120 SLIDES © Hassan Ammar/AP Photo A security man walks along an empty Foch Street before a nighttime curfew imposed by the government to help stem the spread of the coronavirus in Beirut, Lebanon, on March 30. 86/120 SLIDES © Aly Song/Reuters People wearing face masks practise social distancing as they wait outside a Postal Savings Bank of China branch in Wuhan, China, on March 31. 87/120 SLIDES © Ciro De Luca/Reuters A man reaches to a basket, that was hung up so people can donate or take for free food, as Italy struggles to contain the spread of coronavirus, in Naples, on March 30. 88/120 SLIDES © Yves Herman/Reuters A medical personnel reacts in the COVID-19 unit of the Erasme Hospital in Brussels, Belgium, on March 30. 89/120 SLIDES © Mohd Rasfan/AFP via Getty Images A bird flies past a drone spraying disinfectant during a demonstration during the Movement Control Order, limiting the activities of people in Malaysia as a preventive measure against the spread of the coronavirus, in Kuala Lumpur on March 31. 90/120 SLIDES © Steve Marcus/Reuters Homeless people get settled in a temporary parking lot shelter at Cashman Center, with spaces marked for social distancing, in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S., on March 30. 91/120 SLIDES © Chalinee Thirasupa/Reuters Buddhist monks wearing face shields and masks to protect themselves from the coronavirus disease collect alms in Bangkok, Thailand, on March 31. 92/120 SLIDES © Jeenah Moon/Reuters A healthcare worker sits on a bench near Central Park in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S., on March 30. 93/120 SLIDES © Marco Bertorello/AFP via Getty Images Nurses work to prepare the intensive care unit in the new COVID-19 hospital in Verduno, Italy, on March 29, on the eve of its official opening. 94/120 SLIDES © Jason Redmond/Reuters An emergency triage tent is seen at Harborview Medical Center as efforts continue to help slow the spread of COVID-19 in Seattle, Washington, U.S., on March 29. 95/120 SLIDES © Emilio Morenatti/AP Photo People applaud from their houses in support of the medical staff that are working on the COVID-19 virus outbreak in Barcelona, Spain, on March 29. 96/120 SLIDES © Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images Environmental activists wearing masks symbolizing the coronavirus attend a prevention campaign as people take measures to protect themselves against the spread of COVID-19 in Seoul, South Korea, on March 30. 97/120 SLIDES © Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters A police officer maintains distance as he detains a man defying the lockdown imposed by the government amid concerns about the spread of coronavirus disease in Kathmandu, Nepal, on March 29. 98/120 SLIDES © Issei Kato/Reuters

A man walks past on a nearly empty Tokyo street amid snowfall during the first weekend after Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike urged Tokyo residents to stay indoors in a bid to keep the COVID-19 from spreading, on March 29.99/120 SLIDES © Anushree Fadnavis/Reuters

Migrant workers crowd up outside a bus station as they wait to board buses to return to their villages during a 21-day nationwide lockdown to limit the spreading of COVID-19, in Ghaziabad, India, on March 28.100/120 SLIDES © Jason Redmond/Reuters

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan speaks during a press conference at the CenturyLink Field Event Center, where a field a hospital for non-COVID-19 cases will be built, as efforts continue to help slow the spread of coronavirus disease, in Seattle, Washington, U.S., on March 28.101/120 SLIDES © John Locher/AP Photo

Medical and physician assistant students in personal protective equipment listen during a meeting before screening for possible coronavirus cases at a makeshift camp for the homeless in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S., on March 28.102/120 SLIDES © Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana/Reuters

Indonesia’s Red Cross personnel wearing protective suits spray disinfectant on the road to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Jakarta, Indonesia, on March 28.103/120 SLIDES © Manaure Quintero/Reuters

China’s ambassador in Venezuela Li Baorong (L) and Venezuela’s Vice President Delcy Rodríguez are seen after the arrival of humanitarian aid from China at Simón Bolívar International Airport during the national quarantine, in Caracas, Venezuela, on March 28.104/120 SLIDES © Sebastien Bozon/AFP/Getty Images

A violinist plays on her balcony to support health workers in Mulhouse, France, on March 28, 2020.105/120 SLIDES © Charles Platiau/Reuters The message “Merci” (French for “thank you”) is displayed in tribute of those on the frontline to fight the coronavirus disease, on the facade of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, on March 27. 106/120 SLIDES © Jonathan Ernst/Reuters U.S. President Donald Trump (C) signs the $2.2 trillion H.R. 748 Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on March 27. 107/120 SLIDES © Jose Luis Saavedra/Reuters A man plays his accordion to lift his parents’ spirits after they started practicing social isolation in their house to prevent themselves from catching the coronavirus disease, in Concepción, Chile on March 26. 108/120 SLIDES © Alberto Pezzali/AP Photo The London Eye is lit up as part of a nationwide salute to the doctors, nurses and staff of the National Health Service (NHS) in London, England, on March 26. 109/120 SLIDES © Tony Ashby/FP via Getty Images The MV Artania cruise ship with passengers tested positive for the coronavirus is seen berthed at the Fremantle Harbor near Perth, Australia, on March 27.  110/120 SLIDES © Matt York/AP Photo Members of the Arizona National Guard pack and sort food items at a food bank in Mesa, Arizona, U.S., on March 26.  111/120 SLIDES © Ebrahim Noroozi/AP Photo A person in protective clothing walks through a temporary 2,000-bed hospital for coronavirus patients set up by the Iranian army at the international exhibition center in Tehran, Iran, on March 26. 112/120 SLIDES © Caitlin Ochs/Reuters A young girl attends a ballet class from home while practising social distancing during the outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, U.S. on March 25.  113/120 SLIDES © STR/AFP via Getty Images A staff member sprays disinfectant at a cinema as it prepares to reopen to the public after closing due to coronavirus (COVID-19), in Shenyang, Chin on March 25.   114/120 SLIDES © Ramon Espinosa/AP Photo A barber, reflected in a mirror wearing a protective face mask as a precaution against the spread of the new coronavirus (COVID-19), styles a customer’s hair in Havana, Cuba on March 25.   115/120 SLIDES © Jewel Samad/AFP via Getty Images A policeman checks motorists at a roadblock during the first day of a 21 day government-imposed nationwide lockdown as a preventive measure against coronavirus (COVID-19) in New Delhi, India on March 25.   116/120 SLIDES © Darko Vojinovic/AP Photo A soldier inspects beds for treatment of possible COVID-19 infected patients inside the Belgrade Fair, Serbia, on March 24. 117/120 SLIDES © Sakchai Lalit/AP Photo People practice social distancing as they sit on chairs spread apart in a waiting area for takeaway food orders at a shopping malls amid coronavirus (COVID-19) scare in Bangkok, Thailand on March 24.  118/120 SLIDES © Ishara S. Kodikara/AFP via Getty Images People wearing facemasks queue outside a shop at Pugoda on the outskirts of Sri Lanka’s capital city Colombo on March 24, as the authorities briefly lifted a curfew to allow residents to stock up on essentials amid concerns over the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).  119/120 SLIDES © Joel Carrett/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Football Federation Australia (FFA) Chief Executive Officer James Johnson speaks to the media during a press conference in Sydney, Australia, on March 24. Johnson said that the rest of the A-League soccer season has been suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic. 120/120 SLIDES © Kate Munsch/Reuters A man plays guitar and sings to his neighbors from his balcony two days after California’s Governor Gavin Newsom implemented a state wide “stay at home order” in Oakland, California, U.S., on March 21. 120/120 SLIDES

The Prime Minister said the net of ‘old age allowance’ and ‘widow and husband-abandoned women allowance’ will be widened to cent percent under the social safety net programmes in 100 highest poverty-stricken upazilas. The budget for this programme is Tk 815 crore.

She said quick implementation of the programme to provide homes for all homeless people of the country will be done which was taken as one of the programmes to observe the birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. “For this purpose, Tk 2,130 crore will be allotted and no-one will remain homeless,” she said.

‘Don’t lose morale’: PM to health workers

Pointing at physicians, nurses and other health workers, the Prime Minister asked them not to lose their morale during this crisis, saying the whole nation is there with them.

“Doctors, nurses and other health workers continue to provide treatment to Covid-19 patients from the frontline, ignoring the constraint of resources and the risk of death. Your profession is of such a challenge. Don’t lose the morale during this crisis. The people of the country are beside you,” she said. News to stay informed. Advice to stay safe.
Click here for complete coronavirus coverage from Microsoft News

The Prime Minister on behalf of the people of the country thanked and hailed the health workers, saying the government has already directed all those concerned to prepare a list of the health workers who directly deal with the coronavirus-infected patients.

Special honorarium and health insurance

The health workers will be given special honorarium as an amount of Tk 100 crore is being allocated to this end.

Sheikh Hasina said a process is underway to introduce a special health insurance for physicians, nurses, other health workers, field-level administration officers, members of law enforcement agencies, Armed Forces and BGB, and other government employees directly engaged in this regard.

If anyone gets contacted with Covid-19, then there will be health insurance of Tk 5-10 lakh for the person depending on the rank and position. In the case of death, one will get five times of the insurance amount. The allocation of Tk 750 crore is being kept aside for the health insurance and life insurance in this regard, she said.

No scarcity of safety equipment

Noting that there is no shortage of safety equipment, the Prime Minister said the health workers will continue to provide the optimum services keeping themselves protected-this is the expectation of the people of the country.
Noted: in this time MBBS in Bangladesh program is closed.

At the same time, she urged every public and private hospital authorities to keep eye so that the normal (non-Covid) patients are in no way get deprived of healthcare services.

The Prime Minister extended her sincere thanks to those who are deployed in ensuring social distancing – the members of police, other law enforcement agencies, Armed Forces, government officials-and media workers, and the persons who are engaged in carrying Covid-19 patients and the funeral process of Covid-19 deceased.

Don’t leave a piece of land uncultivated

Sheikh Hasina said the continuation of regular agricultural production will not only be enough as it will have to be boosted in this time of dire crisis. “Don’t leave any piece of land uncultivated so that the country doesn’t see any food crisis in the days to come.”

She said the government has taken measures so that all sorts of agricultural inputs, including seeds, fertilisers and pesticides reach the farmers in time.

In order to ensure the fair prices of Boro paddy for the farmers, the government will procure extra 2 lakh metric tons of paddy and rice compared to the last season, the Prime Minister said, adding that Tk 200 crore has been allocated for the procurement of agricultural machinery.

She said a fund of Tk 5,000 crore is being created to provide running capital to the agricultural sector. From this fund, loans will be disbursed at 4 percent interest rate among the small and medium farmers in agriculture, fisheries, dairy and poultry sectors. Besides, an allocation of Tk 9,500 crore is being kept as the subsidy to the agriculture sector.

No food crisis now

She said there is no food crisis now in the country as adequate food grains are there remain in government godowns (warehouses) and the houses of farmers.

Noting that it had a bumper yield of Aman crops in the season, she said it is expected that there’ll also be a bumper production of Boro paddy in the ongoing season. Special measures have been taken to maintain the supply and distribution of foods and agricultural products, she added.

Distribute reliefs through proper channels

The Prime Minister said many philanthropist individuals and organisations have come up with relief materials for the poor during this crisis. In a bid to ensure the order, these relief materials and assistance need to be distributed through local government bodies and law enforcement agencies, no separate disbursement, she said.

She urged the rich to continue to provide their assistance for the poor.

Sheikh Hasina said the government keeps its eyes on the situation and takes measures timely whatever necessary to check the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Pahel Baishakh

The Prime Minister said the government has imposed a ban on all outdoor programmes to celebrate Pahela Baishakh due to the deadly coronavirus.

“It has been done thinking the greater public health condition. Because, this virus, meanwhile, has started putting its appalling claws in our country, too.”

Don’t panic, govt with you

The Prime Minister urged all not to plunge into fear and panic as it weakens human’s resistance power. “Don’t spread panic, we all have to face the situation with courage and the government is always beside you,” she said.

She also mentioned that some vested quarters are trying to mislead people through spreading rumours which is not desirable at all at this crisis moment. “Please, don’t get confused.”

Sheikh Hasina asked the media to publish authentic information with responsibility to support the government to face this pandemic. “The darkness that has engulfed us will fade away one day,” she said.