Moyeen Khan calls for equal development across all 503 upazilas

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Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan has said the government aims to ensure balanced development across all 503 upazilas, regardless of political affiliation or geographical location.

He made the remarks on Saturday at a discussion on strategies for installing solar power in urban and rural areas through cooperative societies, held at the Cooperative Bhaban in Agargaon, Dhaka. State Minister Mir Shahe Alam also attended the meeting.

Moyeen Khan said no upazila should receive development facilities that are denied to neighbouring areas. He stressed that all government initiatives must prioritise public welfare and that officials should play an active role in implementing Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s grassroots-focused development plans.

The minister also said the government was considering proper performance evaluations for public servants and adjustments to their salaries and allowances in line with living costs. Given limited resources, improvements would be pursued gradually over the coming years.

Highlighting the importance of renewable energy, he called for wider use of solar power as conventional energy sources become increasingly limited. He urged officials to ensure that solar energy benefits people nationwide by reducing costs and improving living standards.

Moyeen Khan said the government would also review the administrative structures, responsibilities and facilities of institutions involved in rural development and cooperatives. Proposals from officials, including upgrading the Rural Development Board to a directorate, would receive serious consideration.

On cooperatives, he said increasing the number of registered societies was not enough. Although around 250,000 societies are registered nationwide, their effectiveness and contribution to public welfare must be strengthened. He called for closer monitoring of their activities and a simpler registration process to help rural people establish and operate societies.

State Minister Mir Shahe Alam expressed hope that solar power generation would develop into a nationwide social movement. He said plans were in place to install solar panels on educational institutions under the Ministry of Education, as well as on institutions, markets and bazaars under the Ministry of Local Government.

He added that solar installations through rural development and cooperative societies could help ease temporary electricity shortages. He urged officials to support rural communities in generating solar power and said Tk 390 crore had already been released to local government institutions for installing solar panels and procuring related services.

The programme was chaired by Rural Development and Cooperatives Division Secretary Dr Rafiqul I Mohamed and attended by officials and employees of the ministry and its departments.