Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Saturday pledged prompt measures to improve the welfare of persons with disabilities, reaffirming his government’s commitment to ensuring their right to live with dignity and receive necessary support.
He made the remarks during a meeting with the Bangladesh Protibondhi Kallyan Samity (BPKS) at the Prime Minister’s Office in Dhaka’s Tejgaon area.
Participants raised demands for increased financial assistance, jobs, skills training, political participation and improved accessibility.
The prime minister said everyone in society had the right to live with dignity and assured persons with disabilities and those requiring additional support that his government would stand beside them.
He said he had engaged with persons with disabilities and listened to their concerns even before forming the government and had continued doing so since taking office.
Around 30 persons with disabilities and representatives of organisations working for their welfare spoke at the meeting, moderated by BPKS Founder and Executive Director Abdus Sattar Dulal.
The participants called for increased budget allocations, skills development, greater political participation, involvement in decision-making and expanded employment opportunities.
They particularly stressed the need to appoint sign-language interpreters at government institutions, hospitals and courts to improve access to essential services.
Responding to their demands, Tarique immediately accepted several proposals and assured participants that prompt and effective measures would be taken to introduce sign-language interpretation services at courts and hospitals.
He also pledged to issue instructions to the ministry concerned to ensure cooperation from local administrations for persons with disabilities seeking to engage in agriculture.
On employment, the prime minister said the government would consider relaxing the age limit for persons with disabilities applying for jobs.
He also promised initiatives to introduce accessible, disability-friendly public transport, at least in major cities, and take effective steps to create employment opportunities for persons with disabilities in educational institutions.
Noting that most demands raised during the meeting concerned training, Tarique said he would instruct the relevant authorities to introduce suitable and effective training programmes for persons with disabilities.
On financial assistance, he said the government had already increased allowances for persons with disabilities to some extent since assuming office.
Further increases would be considered in the future, depending on the government’s financial capacity, he added.
During the programme, para-athlete Md Mohsin told the prime minister that he had brought a cap as a gift.
Tarique stepped down from the stage to receive the gift personally and assured Mohsin that he would support his team’s participation in sporting events abroad.
Social Welfare Minister AZM Zahid Hossain, State Minister Farjana Sharmin and Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister ABM Abdus Sattar also spoke at the programme.
At the participants’ request, the prime minister joined them for a group photograph at the end of the meeting.
