Gopalganj, Jan 26: Stressing the need for expanding scouting activities in every school from primary to secondary level, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday assured that her government is always ready to take more effective and sustainable measures to support Bangladesh Scouts.
"Our government is always ready to take more effective and sustainable measures to support Bangladesh Scouts to grow up future generation as efficient human resources through scouting," she said while inaugurating the weeklong 11th National Rover Moot at Manikdah Housing Area here today.
The Prime Minister also hoped that the Ministry of Primary and Mass Education would take steps for expanding cub scouting in primary schools.
"Every educational institution will have at least two cub-scout teams, two scout teams and two rover scout teams," she said urging the scout leaders to take steps to increase the number of scouts side by side maintaining their standard.
She said that the present number of scouts in the country is 15 lakh and Bangladesh Scouts has set target to raise this number to 21 lakh by 2021.
Hasina suggested the scouts to motivate people and create more awareness among them in adopting economical use of water, electricity, gas and other services saying, "The scouts could play a special role in this connection,"
She said that the gathering of scouts in Gopalganj is like 'thousands of flowers are blossoming on the soil of Gopalganj'
The 11th National Rover Moot has begun here with the theme "Shantimoy Jibon, Unnata Desh" (Peaceful Life, Developed Country) and participated by as many as 10,000 rover scouts from Saarc and the Asia-Pacific region.
An attractive parade of scouts was held on the occasion and the prime minister took salute of the parade.
Sheikh Hasina said participation of girls in scouting activities should be strengthened and in view of this, standard girl-in scouting unit have to be introduced in all girls schools and institutions of co-education. She made her fervent call to the scouts to expand their service oriented activities and involve them with massive tree plantation campaign to protect the ecological balance side by side expanding their other service oriented programmes.
Pointing out the steps taken by her government to energize the scout movements in the country, she said the government has already approved a Tk 122.10 crore project for construction of the Scout Satabdi Bhaban.
The government has given permission for using 95 acres of forest land for training of scouts in addition to allocation of land in Chittagong, Panchgarh, Sirajgonj, Bogra and Manikgonj for construction of scout training centres and camp sites.
She appreciated the services of the rover scouts for downtrodden people at the time of natural calamities, cyclones, fire incident and severing winter.
Earlier, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina arrived here this morning on a two-day visit to open the National Rover Moot, the biggest gathering of the Rover Scouts.
The main venue of the Moot has been set up in Manikdah Housing Area in Gopalganj town while the "camp-in-camp" has been set up in Tungipra.
The "main arena" of the moot has been named after Bangabandhu and the "camp-in-camp" named after Bangamata Fazilatunnesa Mujib.
The entire rover moot area has been divided into four villages and those have been named after four national leaders-Syed Nazrul Islam, Tajuddin Ahmed Captain M Mansur Ali and AHM Qamaruzzaman.
National Commissioner of Bangladesh Scouts and Secretary of the ministry of Public Administration Mozammel Haque Khan, Chairman of the organizing committee of the National Rover Moot and Disaster Management Secretary M Shah Kamal spoke among others on the occasion chaired by president of Bangladesh Scout President and principal coordinator for SDGs at the Prime Minister's Office Md Abul Kalam Azad.
Later the prime minister unveiled a commemorative postal stamp and first day cover on the occasion of the 11th National Rover Moot. UNB
