Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Chairman Tarique Rahman said that farmers, healthcare, expatriate workers and the young generation must be taken forward in a coordinated manner for the country’s economic development. He said that BNP’s future economic plan has been formulated focusing on these sectors.
He said these things at a view-exchange meeting with editors and journalists of national-level media outlets at the Grand Ballroom of Hotel Sheraton in Banani, the capital, on Saturday (January 10, 2026).
Highlighting the condition of farmers, Tarique Rahman said that the number of landowners directly involved in agricultural work in the country is about one crore. He said, ‘The previous BNP government had taken various effective steps for farmers. In the future, we will introduce “Agricultural Card” to help farmers. Through this card, various benefits including subsidies on fertilizers, seeds and agricultural inputs will be ensured.
Emphasizing the need to bring the health sector to the doorsteps of the people, the BNP Chairman said, keeping in mind the principle of ‘Prevention is better than cure’, health workers will be appointed in Bangladesh like in European countries. He said that there is a plan to appoint about one lakh health workers, of which 80 to 85 percent will be women.
Tarique Rahman said that these health workers will go door to door and advise people on health awareness, nutritious diet and lifestyle. At the same time, they will play an important role in population control. ‘Our resources are limited, so it is important to keep the population at a reasonable level,’ he added.
The BNP Chairman also outlined a detailed plan to improve the skills of expatriate workers. He said that about 8 to 1 million people go abroad every year, a large part of whom are unskilled. ‘If they can be sent with language and technical training, then the income from manpower export will increase manifold,’ he said.
He said that vocational and technical institutes will be modernized and language and skill training will be provided according to the needs of the labor markets of the Middle East, Japan, Europe and China. Tarique Rahman also announced plans to introduce special bond facilities for expatriate entrepreneurs.
Highlighting BNP’s plans for youth employment and development of the IT sector, he said that the country’s IT parks will be effectively utilized. Small office spaces and free WiFi facilities will be provided to young entrepreneurs so that they can work on a larger scale.
Stating that work has begun to solve the problems of international payment gateways including PayPal in bringing income of freelancers and content creators to the country, Tarique Rahman said that this will increase the income of the youth and the flow of foreign currency to the country.
Mentioning the need for more realistic discussions on economic and social issues in politics, the BNP chairman said that it is important for political parties to have specific plans not only for political debates, but also for the daily needs and wants of the people.
Expecting constructive criticism from journalists, he said, “If we can form a government with the support of the people, then we want such discussions and criticisms that will help solve the problems of the people of our country.”
Among the BNP leaders at the meeting were party Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Standing Committee Member and Election Steering Committee Chairman Nazrul Islam Khan, Standing Committee Member Major (Retd.) Hafiz Uddin Ahmed (Bir Bikram), Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, Salahuddin Ahmed, Dr. Abdul Moin Khan, Mirza Abbas and Gayeshwar Chandra Roy.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir delivered the welcome speech at the meeting. Other speakers included journalist Rezaul Karim Rony, Amar Desh editor Mahmudur Rahman, teacher and political analyst Zahedur Rahman, New Age editor Nurul Kabir, Kaler Kantho editor Hasan Hafiz, bdnews24.com editor-in-chief Toufique Imroz Khalidi, Manabzamin editor Matiur Rahman Chowdhury, Jugantor editor Abdul Hai Sikder, journalist Momtaz Bilkis, Dhaka Stream editor Iftekhar Mahmud, Inquilab editor AMM Bahauddin, The Daily Star editor and publisher Mahfuz Anam, veteran journalist Shafiq Rehman and several journalists from BNP BIT.
