Gazipur Correspondent

Simin Hossain Rimi, Awami League (AL) candidate for the Gazipur-4 constituency (Kapasia upazila) for the 12th national election, has said she wants to build an agriculture-based green economic zone in the upazila if she wins the election.

“My main goal will be to ensure an investment-friendly environment required for producing agricultural products, which will general employment opportunities for educated unemployed people of the area. The 231 villages in Kapasia would be turned into ideal villages,” Simin, a praesidium member of the AL, told the Daily Sun in a brief interview.

At the same time, maximum efforts will be made to encourage the youths to acquire knowledge and be smart citizens so that they can contribute to building Bangladesh a developed country with their talent, said Simin, also the daughter of Tajuddin Ahmed, the first prime minister of the Bangladesh government during the Liberation War.

This is the fourth time Simin Hossain Rimi is contesting in the Gazipur-4 constituency. She became a Member of Parliament (MP) in the 2013 by-election after her younger brother Sohel Taj resigned. She also won in the constituency in the national election in 2014 and 2018.

“Kapasia constitutes a reservoir of fruits with various fruit orchards spread all over the area. Many families live only on fruit cultivation. By utilising these, we want to create a ‘green economy’ in Kapasia and build it as a model upazila,” she added.

Simin Hossain said she wanted to work with everyone, irrespective of political parties and beliefs, for the development of the area. “We want to see everyone happy. Not only Awami League, but the people of other political parties and different beliefs too, will be the beneficiaries of the development of the area.”

If she is elected, she will continue her efforts to build a safe Kapasia by making it free of drugs and terrorism. “To this end, students will remain active in various sports and reading books besides developing themselves as skilled manpower.”

A database will be created with people’s education and skills so that they can be employed as per their capability. In the era of ICT, entrepreneurs will be generated to make a living through outsourcing on the Internet.”

She said Kapasia has achieved zero maternal mortality after many efforts and the upazila has set an example in the country.

“To implement the Kapasia model to reduce maternal mortality, a database software has been developed with 27 types of information, including the risk and age of pregnant mothers, which is known as the pregnant mirror. There is also a health guide called Garvabatir Goina,” she added.

A fund called the “Humanitarian Aid Fund” has been formed for the medical assistance of poor pregnant women. At the same time, union-based “Pregnant Mothers Rally” is organised every six months to ensure health services, including free blood group tests, and essential medicines for would-be mothers in the upazila, she added.