Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today said that her government's key target in the current tenure will be to cut down extreme poverty rate to zero.

The prime minister said this while ambassadors and high commissioners of 12 countries paid a courtesy call on Hasina at her official residence Gono Bhaban in Dhaka.

Prime Minister's Deputy Press Secretary MM Emrul Kayas briefed the reporters after the meeting.

He said the premier told the envoys that her government has prioritised ensuring the development at the grassroots level across the country.

"If they [people of grassroots level] are included in the development, the whole country will be developed, and the people will get its benefit," said Kayas quoting the prime minister as saying.

The poverty rate in Bangladesh has declined to 18.7 percent and extreme poverty to 5.6 percent, according to the latest data from the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS).

Earlier, the poverty rate was more than 42 percent in December, 2020.

Regarding women empowerment, Hasina said women are directly participating in parliamentary election and other local government elections alongside in the reserved seats.

About the healthcare facilities, she said women and children are receiving treatment from community clinics and maternal and child mortality rates have declined significantly.

The premier also mentioned her government's social safety net scheme for destitute women, especially widows and those left by husbands.

Hasina called upon the envoys to come up with investments as there are 100 special economic zones in Bangladesh.

She told them that the government is also working to ensure a business-friendly atmosphere and communication here for foreign investors.

At the outset of the call on, the non-resident ambassadors and high commissioners of Botswana, Cambodia, Gambia, Hungary, Jamaica, Macedonia, Mongolia, Luxembourg, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Peru, and Venezuela congratulated Hasina on her reelection as prime minister of Bangladesh for the fourth consecutive and overall fifth term.

The envoys said that they were overwhelmed and inspired after seeing the development and progress of Bangladesh, and it has been possible due the far-sighted leadership of Hasina.

Ambassador-at-large M Ziauddin, PM's Principal Secretary M Tofazzel Hossain Miah, and Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen were present at the event.