PM Slams Profit Mongers for Price Hike during Ramadan

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday came down heavily on a section of businesspeople for their unethical act of increasing the prices of essential commodities during Ramadan inflicting suffering on the common people, reports UNB.

“Holy Ramadan is coming, we know that during this month some businesspeople try to hike the prices of the essentials. This is an absolutely flagitious act,” she said.

The prime minister said this while inaugurating 50 model mosques along with Islamic cultural centres in parts of the country in the third phase.

She inaugurated the mosques joining virtually from her official residence Ganabhaban.

Hasina said that the holy month of Ramadan is a time for austerity and all have to pay attention to ensure people can do their religious activities properly during the month.

“During this month this kind of profit mongers increase the prices making people suffer. This should not happen,” she said.

The prime minister said that the government has already distributed special cards for the low-income group of people.

She mentioned that the government is providing rice at a lower price (Tk 30 per kilogram) after buying that at a higher price.

“Keeping the holy Ramadan in mind, the government will provide Tk 15 per kilogram of rice to additional one crore people,” she said.

She also said that for those who are not eligible for work, the government is providing 20 kilograms of rice each month.

“Like this way we are giving people rice, edible oil, lentil, sugar, and other necessary items at a fair price through fair price cards,” she said.

She urged the affluent people to extend their assistance to needy people during Ramadan.

She requested all to remain vigil so that none can adulterate food, resort to hoarding, black marketeering, and create an artificial crisis of essential items.

In this connection, she urged Imams to talk about this during the Khutba in the Jummah prayer on Friday.

“Food adulteration, hoarding, and black marketeering are illegal jobs and unnecessary give sufferings to people. You should speak on these matters more to the people and you can say during the Khutba to make people aware regarding this,” she said.

State Minister for Religious Affairs Ministry Md Faridul Haque Khan and secretary Kazi Enamul Hassan also spoke at the programme.

Later, she exchanged views with the cross-section of people of Agoiljhara of Barishal, Fulbaria of Mymensing, and Tentutial of Panchagar.

A documentary on model mosques was screened in the programme.

Earlier, on June 10, 2021, and January 16, 2023, PM Hasina inaugurated 100 model mosques in the first and second phases, out of a total of 564, simultaneously across the country. The project aims at spreading the true messages of Islam for removing misconceptions about the religion.