Govt is building Coast Guard into a powerful force: PM

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said that the government is building the Coast Guard as a strong force to use the immense potential of marine resources, to keep the sea-dependent economic activities dynamic, safe and secure.

The premier said this while addressing a function marking 29th founding anniversary of the BCG and the BCG Day-2024 at the Coast Guard Headquarters in capital's Agargaon area on Sunday (March 10).

She said that the father of the nation made the country independent with the aim of improving the quality of life of the people of this country and built every institution of the later. He was the first to demand that there should be a seaport in Bangladesh when he put 6-point demand.

The prime minister said Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman enacted "The Territorial Waters and Maritime Zones Act" in 1974 to establish the legal rights of the countrymen over the sea and marine resources. The United Nations (UN) formulated such a law in 1982. Bangladesh is the first in South Asia to enact such a law.

She also said that her government has established rights on a vast maritime area after winning legal battles with neighbouring India and Myanmar maintaining friendly relations following the path of Bangabandhu. The wealth we have in this vast maritime area will contribute significantly to our economy. We have already announced Blue Economy.

Sheikh Hasina said, "We have already given approval to purchase two helicopters and formed an aviation wing for the coast guard to make it a three-dimensional force."