Nation welcomes New Year 2024

The nation bade adieu to the outgoing year 2023 forgetting all odds and sorrows of the past and welcomed 2024 with new hopes at midnight last night amid different programmes along with the global community.

Jubilant people, particularly youngsters, joined different New Year programmes when the clock strikes 12am.

President Mohammed Shahabuddin and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina issued separate messages on the occasion.

In a message, on the eve of the New Year, the President wished happiness and welfare for all in 2024.

He said though the celebration of Bengali New Year has merged with the national culture, the English New Year influences everything because of the widespread use of the English calendar in daily activities.

Every year, people across the world celebrate the New Year through various colourful programmes, he said, adding that the mistakes, failures and disappointments of the past should be pushed away in this New Year and moved forward.

Be ready to accept new and positive changes, the head of the state added.

He hoped that the New Year would bring new hope and new possibilities to everyone.

He urged all to extend their helping hands to each other as many people are suffering from the corona epidemic and the global financial crisis.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in her message, wished that the New Year would bring happiness, peace, and prosperity for the countrymen.

The Premier said today, all are going to leave the time behind and emerge in the light of the new day, all the achievements of that time are working as a strong platform for all's journey that will go beyond.

Therefore, this New Year's moment should be an inspiration to face all the challenges and use the new possibilities to create a platform to climb to new heights of progress, she added.

The 22nd/Special Session of National Parliament was held on April 6, 2023 marking National Parliament's 50th anniversary, she said, adding that in that session, the great leader and Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was recalled with deep respect.

The year 2023 is a golden age of infrastructure development in Bangladesh, she said.

After inaugurating the self-financed Padma Bridge on June 25, 2022, the government inaugurated the rail link on the bridge on October 10, 2023, she added.

"After launching metro rail on Uttara-Agargaon route on December 28, 2022, we have extended metro rail service to Motijheel on November 4, 2023. On September 2, I launched the first elevated expressway in Dhaka. On October 5, we supplied fuel to Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant," she said.

"On October 7, we inaugurated the third terminal of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport and on October 19, we inaugurated 150 bridges and 14 overpasses in 39 districts of the country," she said.

On October 28, the first in South Asia, 'Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Tunnel' under the Karnaphuli River in Chattogram was opened for traffic, she said.

Dhaka-Cox's Bazar direct rail was launched by inaugurating the Dohazari-Cox's Bazar Railway on November 11, she added.

"On August 17, 2023, we launched universal pension for 10 crore people in four categories. Awami League government has been delivering free books to students on the first day of the year since 2010. This book festival has also added a new dimension to English New Year celebrations in Bangladesh," she continued.

"We have established Digital Bangladesh, creating skilled human resources fit for the Fourth Industrial Revolution and strengthening the rural economy," the Premier said.

On the eve of New year-2024, the Prime Minister called upon countrymen to devote themselves to the overall welfare of the people.

She urged all to protect people's lives and property and national resources by resisting fire terrorism.

By maintaining the continuity of democracy and the ongoing development of the country, she sought cooperation of all for building a non-sectarian 'Golden Bangladesh' as dreamt by the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.