Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Wednesday visited the Ministry of Cultural Affairs as part of his regular activities and held a meeting with officials to review its ongoing programmes and future plans.

The meeting was held at the Ministry of Cultural Affairs at the Secretariat.

During the meeting, officials briefed the Prime Minister on various programmes and plans centred on the Lalon Festival and Nazrul Year. They also informed him about the ministry’s ongoing and proposed activities for the winter cultural festival scheduled to take place from December to May.

The planned winter festival will feature circus performances, rural cultural traditions, boat races, kite festivals, horse racing, puppet shows, diverse cultural events and programmes involving persons with special needs, officials told the meeting.

Representatives of the July Museum, the Department of Archaeology, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, Bangladesh National Museum, Bangla Academy, the National Book Centre and other departments and agencies under the ministry also presented their ongoing activities and future plans.

The Prime Minister directed the authorities to take necessary steps to make the Shilpakala academies more active.

He also called for initiatives to develop a reading habit among the younger generation. Suggesting that mobile libraries could be used to bring books to children, he asked officials to explore the possibility.

He emphasised the importance of promoting reading through book clubs, reading competitions and other similar initiatives.

“Our culture is thousands of years old. But we may not be presenting it properly to our younger generation. Thanks to technology, we are becoming attracted to foreign cultures and getting acquainted with new things. But that does not mean we should forget our own culture,” the Prime Minister said.

He stressed the need to explore ways to present the country’s culture and heritage more effectively to young people.

Addressing the officials, Tarique Rahman said everyone present had some form of competence and urged them to work to the best of their abilities.

“If we make our best efforts, together we can realise at least some of the vision we have for the kind of country we want to see. We have the opportunity to do something for the country. We must make use of that opportunity,” he said.

Cultural Affairs Minister Nitai Roy Chowdhury, State Minister for Cultural Affairs Ali Newaz Mahmud Khaiyam, Prime Minister’s Adviser on Information and Cultural Affairs Dr Zahed Ur Rahman, Additional Press Secretary Atikur Rahman Rumon and relevant officials attended the meeting.