Awami League General Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader said implementing their party's election manifesto is the main challenge for the 47 new cabinet members who were sworn in today.

Talking to reporters at Bangabhaban just after the oath-taking ceremony of the cabinet members, he said, “Now our main challenge is to implement the manifesto that our party presented before the election. We’ll work at various stages for implementing it.”

Quader said he could have understood through discussions with their party President Sheikh Hasina that the new cabinet would have big surprises. “But, I think, nobody is going to lose anything. Nobody is dropped, but there’re changes in responsibilities.”

He said many ministers of the last cabinet were not included in the new one in the interest of the party. “We would like to make our party smarter and stronger further under their leadership.”

“We don’t want our party to end up in government. To maintain the separate entities of both the government and the party, responsible leaders must take the responsibility of the party. So, some of our leaders will now discharge government responsibility while others that of the party. So, it’s a matter of change in their responsibilities,” Quader said.

He said those who become cabinet members cannot properly discharge their due responsibilities of the party. “So, we must streamline the party and make it stronger to face the challenges of implementing our election manifesto.”

Quader renewed his call to Jatiya Oikyafront to show respect for people’s verdict by sending their elected MPs to parliament.

Replying to a question, he said though no MP of their party’s alliance partners is inducted in the cabinet, the 14 alliance partners are united and working together with Awami League. “It can’t be said our alliance has got split based on whether there is any representation of them in the cabinet or not.”

During its five-year tenure, the Awami League general secretary said the cabinet will witness expansions and reshuffles. “Some leaders may lose their cabinet portfolios halfway through based on their performances and some leaders may be included afresh the same way.”

He also said those cabinet members will not be able to perform well will lose their positions after evaluation.

Earlier, Awami League President Sheikh Hasina took oath as Prime Minister of the country for the 3rd consecutive term along with her 46 cabinet members following her party’s massive victory in the 11th national election.

Through the oath taking of new ministers, state ministers and deputy ministers, the country gets a cabinet with all members from the AL after 1973 while Sheikh Hasina became the Prime Minister for record fourth time.

President Abdul Hamid administered the oath to the Prime Minister at 3:40pm while to 24 ministers at 3:46pm, to 19 state ministers at 3:53 pm and to three deputy ministers at 3:57pm at Bangabhaban.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today directed the authorities concerned to curb food adulteration in Bangladesh, alongside creating awareness among businesspeople against such offences.

"You'll have to make them [unscrupulous businesspeople] understand the offenses and curb it [offences] with an iron hand. It's essential to take both measures simultaneously," she said.

The prime minister said this while addressing a programme held at InterContinental Dhaka, marking National Food Safety Day-2021. She joined the event virtually from her official residence Gono Bhaban.

This year, the day is being observed with the theme ''Tekshoi Unnayan -- Shomriddho Desh, Nirapod Khadyer Bangladesh".

Sheikh Hasina said unscrupulous businesspeople sell adulterated or substandard food items to earn extra money, harming public health. "They should realise that they can make the same profit by selling safe food," she said.

Mentioning that a central food testing laboratory is being set up in the country, the premier instructed the relevant authorities to take steps for setting up one food testing laboratory in every divisional city as well.

Laboratory testing certification is essential to export agricultural products -- most important for exporting food items -- the prime minister said, adding that there is a scope of setting up food-testing systems at the rural level.

Referring to the safe food plan being implemented in 100 food-related industries, Hasina asked the authorities concerned to execute it throughout the country gradually. "It'll have to be taken up to the village level," she said.