Youth Empowerment and Smart Bangladesh

After successfully implementing the promise of building Digital Bangladesh, Bangladesh is moving forward with a new program. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is working relentlessly to implement SDGs by 2030 and build a Smart Bangladesh by 2041. Today's students will one day face the challenges of the fourth industrial revolution and build a smart Bangladesh. A cost-effective, sustainable, intelligent, knowledge-based, innovative Smart Bangladesh will be built on these four main foundations: Smart Citizen, Smart Economy, Smart Government, and Smart Society.

The twelfth parliamentary election was held with festivity and excitement. By creating enthusiasm, the new generation gave theirfirst vote in life and turned the election mood into a festival. Sincethe announcement of the schedule for the 12th National Assembly elections, there has been a lot of enthusiasm and a festive atmosphere among the country's people. The mood of the new voters was wildly different. According to the information of the Election Commission, the number of new voters in this year's national elections has increased to 1 crore 54 lakh 52 thousand 956 people.

Those who voted for the first time in the national elections chose the country's legislators for the next five years. According to statistics, one-fourth of the country's total population is youth, which is around 5 crore. The youth vote acted as a key factor in the election. The current government is a youth-friendly government. Sheikh Hasina is working to build Smart Bangladesh from Digital Bangladesh to harness the power of youth.

Bangladesh Awami League announced the manifesto ahead of the 12th national parliament election. The slogan of this year's manifesto is 'Smart Bangladesh: Where Development Shines and Accelerating Employment'. Awami League has prioritized 11 issues by promising to build a smart Bangladesh. Creation of employment, keeping the price of goods within the purchasing power, establishing consistency between incomes, keeping the youth and youth society involved in the transformation and development of the country, taking measures against capital smugglers, eliminating bribery and corruption, bringing debt-tax-evasion and confiscating the illegal assets of the corrupt, the party promised.

Apart from this, in agriculture, service, economic, and industrial production sectors, ensuring the fundamental rights of third-genderpeople have also been given importance. Bangladesh is committed to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 and becoming a developed country by 2041. For this, the government is creating various job opportunities for the youth and taking essential steps to ensure specific jobs. Everyone should come forward for employment and self-employment. It is now imperative for us to do this.

They are transforming unemployed youth into manpower through skill development training and creating employment opportunities. Bangabandhu has implemented various steps to establish Bangladesh as Sonar Bangla by providing youth training in multipleprofessions and their employment. Following the footsteps of the father of the nation, the Awami League government is working tirelessly to make Bangladesh a developed country by 2041.

Bangladesh has become a dynamic and fast-growing economic power in a decade and a half. In coming to government, the party has taken more steps to improve the overall economy, including high-income, sustainable, and inclusive development. To implement that, Awami League has a unique action plan for youth employment. Sheikh Hasina recently participated in the 'Let's Talk' program with the youth, organized by CRI because of the elections. She answered various questions from the youth—Prime Minister's speech on giving a pivotal role to youth and youth in building Smart Bangladesh.

Keeping in mind that 11 issues have been given special priority in the election manifesto of the Bangladesh Awami League, the second number has been said to be employable education and employment of the youth. It is a joy for a youngster. As young people, they talk with other young people about the various aspects of the country. Everyone's opinions, desires, needs, and dreams about Bangladesh are slowly being realized. Everyone supports this overwhelming progress in Bangladesh. How was Bangladesh before, and how is it now? To those born now, it is natural that the words of the past may seem like stories in this modern society.

Today's Bangladesh is a role model for world development. Bangladesh is now a wonderful country. Bangladesh is keeping pace with the world's developed countries regarding development progress. People's living standards are improving. In all indicators, the government is moving forward as an indomitable Bangladesh. Now, people's basic needs are fulfilled. The education rate is increasing. The country is coming under a hundred percent electricity. Not only in the country's history but also in South Asia's history, the best mega projects have been implemented in Bangladesh, and many projects are being implemented.

To build a smart Bangladesh, the government is giving importance to developing the young society as highly skilled manpower in education, knowledge, and technology, as well as smart citizens, smart government, smart economy, smart society, and digital devices. Due to the availability of the internet and smartphones, all government services are available quickly and at home. What used to take a lot of money, labor and time can now be done at home with a single click.

Youngsters' energy is the main representation of smart and modern Bangladesh. The cooperation of the youth in building a Smart Bangladesh hopes for the continuation of the present government. The youngsters will act as the vanguard of the implementation of the grand plan given by Sheikh Hasina to achieve the status of a high-income country in 2041. The glorious event or chapter in the history of the thousand years of the Bengali nation is the liberation war of 1971.

The fresh blood of 3 million martyrs and the unlimited sacrifices of millions of mothers and sisters have earned our freedom through 9 months of war in 1971. After 23 years of agitation and 9 months of armed war, the victory was won by defeating the Pakistani invaders on 16 December. Bangabandhu made the dream of Bengal a reality. The war of liberation is the war to free the Bengali nation from the chains of exploitation. The spirit of the liberation war is the eternally cherished dream of our Bengali nation, the dream of the consciousness of a country.

This dream has stirred our hearts and inspired our dream to establish a sovereign state. It helped us realize the dream and accelerated it, accelerating a new hope. It is the spirit that united the Bengali nation to establish a democratic and non-exploitative society. We need to do more to spread this consciousness among the new generation. This consciousness has to be sharpened for the new generation.

Youngsters are a life force, and Bangladesh's dream is full of endless possibilities and colorful dreams. The thoughts of the youth will be the thoughts of Bangladesh, the thoughts of opening up new horizons about Bangladesh, and the radical thoughts of the youth will be about Bangladesh. Bangladesh will always exist. The work of the youth will be the work of Bangladesh. All dreams should be about Bangladesh. Youngsters have a glorious role in all the democratic struggles and liberation wars of Bangladesh.

Demographic changes in 2041 will see nearly half of the population under 30 years of age; the number of youths in the age group of 15-29 years will be more or less two crore. Awami League will keep these young people involved in the transformation and development of Bangladesh. Employment opportunities will be expanded for able-bodied, qualified youth and youth. Training will be given to 3.1 lakh youth in the district and upazila, and the program will continue supporting their self-employment. Steps have been taken to create employment for an additional 1.5 million people by 2030.

Highlighting the statistics of unemployed youth, Sheikh Hasina said that the rate of unemployed youth will be reduced from 10.6 percent to 3.0 percent by 2028. Adequate technical training is being provided to illiterate and low-educated youth, and youths are being provided with a continuation of micro-credit facility on easy terms for trained self-employed entrepreneurs and increased loan amounts. The National Service Program will be gradually expanded to all upazilas of the country to create employment for the youth. Sheikh Hasina said that youth training and employment centers will be established in every upazila to strengthen the training program at the grassroots level.

The proportion of 17.8 percent of youth out of education, training,and employment will be reduced to below 7 percent in the next fiveyears. In the next five years, 750 crore youth loans will be distributed among 2 lakh youth, and 2 lakh 50 thousand youth will be self-employed. In the fourth industrial revolution era, polytechnic and vocational institutes are being organized by creating new technology education opportunities to exploit the developing employment opportunities at home and abroad. For the intellectual development of the youth, libraries will be established in each upazila, as well as democratic, cultural, and physical training centers, and 'Smart Youth Hubs' will be developed.

Through the Youth Development Department's revolving loan fund, entrepreneurs will be assisted by setting up special cells to provide loans on easy terms and low interest from various commercial banks, specialized banks, and financial institutions. Schemes will be undertaken to bring underprivileged and physically challenged youths under educational and medical assistance. The work of developing the Sheikh Hasina National Youth Development Institute as a center for excellence will continue through the development of infrastructure and the recruitment of adequate manpower. Loans on soft terms, necessary subsidies, technical advice, and policy support will be provided to set up commercial dairy and poultry farms for employment generation.

More than 2 million people are rejoining the labor force in the country every year. One of the goals of the Awami League is to create employment opportunities for each of them through the development of the industrial sector and the establishment of new industries. Cottage, small, and medium industries can create the most employment opportunities. The sector will be made stronger, well-organized, and dynamic by removing barriers, providing training for management skills, and reducing dependence on foreign human resources. This year's manifesto has given maximum importance to industrialization and employment to attract the country's youth.

Awami League has adopted a special action plan to employ youth and youth. Self-employment measures will be taken in the village to reduce the tendency of the village's young people to go to the city. The government will give all possible support to encourage the youth in agriculture, industry, and business. At the village level, agricultural machinery service centers and workshops will be set up to expand rural mechanization services, including machinery repair, and through these, productive employment programs will be expanded by training rural youth and agricultural entrepreneurs.

In addition, investment assistance in loans and materials to private sector marginal and small entrepreneurs to manufacture and market light machinery will continue. Employment opportunities will be expanded for able-bodied, qualified youth and youth. 31 lakh youth in the district and upazila will be trained, and the program will continue supporting their self-employment. Steps have been taken to create employment for an additional 1.5 million people by 2030. The youth unemployment rate will be reduced to 3.0 percent by 2028 from 10.6 percent last time.

Adequate technical training is provided to illiterate and less educated youth and youth—continuation of micro-credit facility on easy terms for trained self-employed entrepreneurs and increasedloan amount. To create employment for the youth, the National Service Program will be gradually expanded to all upazilas of the country. To strengthen the training program at the grassroots level, the 'Youth Training and Employment Center' will be established in every upazila. The proportion of 17.8 percent of youth out of education, training, and employment will be reduced to below 7 percent in the next five years. In the next five years, 750 crore youth loans will be distributed among 2 lakh youth, and 2 lakh 50 thousand youth will be self-employed.

To ensure the overall welfare of the youth, programs have been launched in all the districts and upazilas of the country to motivate the youth, provide training and self-reliance by taking post-training self-employment projects, providing youth loans, poverty alleviation, etc. Therefore, intending to build a smart Bangladesh by 2041, the young people have voted in the election to create a smart Bangladesh by leading the country in the hands of Bangladesh Awami League.

Authored By: Hiren Pandit

Hiren Pandit, is an essayist, columnist, and research fellow based in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

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