Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Thursday called on government officials and the public to look beyond their routine duties to protect the environment and preserve forests for future generations.
Addressing a progress review meeting at the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in Dhaka, the prime minister directed authorities to identify and safeguard the country’s mother trees within six months.
He also ordered increased afforestation across the three Hill Tracts districts – Rangamati, Bandarban and Khagrachhari – alongside proper care and monitoring of planted saplings.
“We all have the capacity, in our respective roles, to do a little more than our assigned duties,” Tarique Rahman said, stressing that while standard nine-to-five work satisfies official requirements, failing to safeguard nature would leave future generations to suffer.
Expressing sharp concern over the capital’s air quality, the prime minister described Dhaka’s frequent ranking among the world’s most polluted cities as a “matter of disgrace”.
He urged ministry officials to step up their efforts, reminding them that holding positions of public service is a privileged opportunity to serve the nation.
Noting that urban residents face limited access to nature, Tarique Rahman advocated for rooftop and school gardening to expand green spaces.
He emphasised that government initiatives must be backed by public awareness drives, noting that public involvement remains vital to achieving lasting environmental goals.
Referring to the government’s ambitious target to plant 25 crore trees over the next five years, the prime minister called for collective efforts to ensure the scheme succeeds.
He instructed the environment ministry to oversee execution closely and make up for any shortfalls in tree-planting targets assigned to other ministries.
Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Abdul Awal Mintoo, State Minister Shaikh Faridul Islam, Special Assistant to the PM Saimum Parvez, Acting Secretary Fahmida Khanom and senior officials attended the meeting.
