DHAKA, April 16, 2026 (BSS) - Prime Minister Tarique Rahman today said that his government is prioritising restoring peace and security in public life by improving law and order and strictly controlling corruption.  "The new government has started its journey amid a fragile economy battered by corruption and misgovernance, a weak governance structure and a deteriorating law and order situation," he said while addressing the Independence Award-2026 distribution ceremony at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium in the capital this afternoon. "(Now) restoring peace and security in public life by improving law and order and strictly controlling corruption is one of the top priorities of our government," said the Prime Minister. "We achieved an independent Bangladesh in exchange for countless lives. That Bangladesh has now crossed 55 years. Over these years, while we have many achievements, there are also shortcomings," he added.  Stressing unity to build a prosperous country, Tarique Rahman, also ruling BNP chairman, said, "To build our expected self-reliant and prosperous Bangladesh, there should be no revenge, vengeance, or unnecessary disputes." Quoting Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman's remark - "National unity is our strength, division is our weakness" - he said, "Our opinions and paths may differ, there may be debates and disagreements among us on various issues, but our differences must not turn into hostility". He urged all to remain alert, saying, "Anti-Bangladesh elements are still waiting for an opportunity". At the outset of the award distribution ceremony, Tarique Rahman recalled the country’s Liberation War martyrs with deep respect. He also expressed deep love for those who were injured and disabled during the war, saying the courageous role of the freedom fighters is still an inspiration for the freedom-loving people of Bangladesh. The Prime Minister also paid deep respect to those who sacrificed their lives, and who were injured and subjected to repression and torture at every critical moment of the nation from the 1971 Liberation War to the 2024 uprising. About the country’s highest national civil award ‘Independence Award’, he said the proclaimer of the country’s independence Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman introduced the award in 1977 to honour those who have made or will make remarkable contributions to the country and its people. Recalling the contributions of Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman and all other national leaders of the country’s Liberation War, he said, “If we, for narrow partisan interests, hesitate to respectfully remember the roles of our national leaders in history, future history will not forgive us”. “I believe that hesitation to accept historical truth reflects a sense of inferiority,” the Prime Minister added. Congratulating all the distinguished individuals and institutions who received the Independence Award this year, Tarique Rahman said, “Your remarkable contributions to various fields for the country and its people have enriched Bangladesh”. Noting that the contributions of the award winners would remain a source of inspiration for generation after generations in Bangladesh, he hoped that beyond the boundaries of Bangladesh, their contributions and achievements in respective fields would be recognized globally in near future. Turning to the education sector, the Prime Minister stressed that education must be modern and job-oriented to survive in a competitive world.  “Bangladesh currently has a large working-age population. Creating employment for this workforce is the biggest challenge at this moment,” he said. Not only the economy, but also the education system was disrupted during the fascist regime, he said, adding, “Even during the interim government, discipline in the education system was not unfortunately restored”. Since it is essential to make the education system modern and job-oriented to cope with the competitive world, the Prime Minister said his government has already started making the education system more practical. Stressing that development is not possible without ensuring women’s safety, he said, “More than half of the country’s population are women. If we fail to build a safe Bangladesh for women, none of our initiatives will succeed easily”.  In this way, Tarique Rahman said his government has started implementing action plans by identifying each sector. “Even before receiving the public mandate to run the state, we presented our party manifesto in detail before the people. With a commitment to reform the state, we publicly signed the July Charter. The people have supported each of our commitments,” he added. Noting that now it is time to implement those commitments, the Prime Minister said, “We have already started implementing the promises made to the people. We will implement every clause and every commitment word by word that we made in our party manifesto and the July Charter, InShaAllah”. Noting that changing mindset is more important than paper-based change, he said, “The BNP government has proven this every time it had the opportunity to govern the state”. Stating that the government is trying to keep everything normal despite the global war situation, the premier said, “Although fuel prices, including diesel, have increased in all countries across the globe, the current government has not raised prices to avoid public suffering”.  The government is trying to keep the situation stable by providing subsidies of hundreds of crores of taka daily in this sector, he said, adding, his government is continuing all possible efforts to ensure public welfare “as this is a government of people and accountable to them”. “I want to assure that there is no reason for people to be worried. However, I request the people to avoid extravagance in state ceremonies and even at the family level,” Tarique Rahman said. Earlier, Prime Minister Tarique Rahman conferred the Independence Award on 15 distinguished persons, including former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia, and five institutions in recognition of their outstanding contributions to respective fields at the national level. He also took part in a photo session with the award recipients. Cabinet Secretary Nasimul Ghani moderated the award distribution ceremony. Prime Minister's wife Dr Zubaida Rahman, Begum Khaleda Zia's sister Selima Islam, LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed, Opposition Leader in Parliament Dr Shafiqur Rahman, cabinet members, members of parliaments, the chief justice, diplomats, senior civil and military officials, political leaders, and award winners and their family members were present at the event.