Awami League (AL) General Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader on Thursday said the government would take all kinds of steps to keep the prices of the essentials at the tolerable level in the holy month of Ramadan.

"We want to reassure the people that the government will take all kinds of steps to keep the price of essentials at an affordable level during the holy month of Ramadan," he said in a statement sent to the media Thursday night, reports BSS.

"During BNP-Jamaat regime in 2006, the per capita income was 543 US dollars. Currently the per capita income is 2,765 US dollars. During this period, the per capita income of the people in the country has increased more than five folds," the minister added.

The AL leader further said that during the tenure of BNP, people had to die without food due to drought and calamity.

People had to spend their days half-starved and sometimes without food, he said, adding that whereas, Bangladesh today has been able to increase the overall food production several folds and achieve self-sufficiency in food.

Obaidul Quader said that no one died without food during the tenure of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Rather, homeless people have also been provided with housing and food, he added.

"BNP leaders cannot see these data. They do not speak based on facts. By spreading falsehoods and misinformation, BNP creates confusions," he continued.

About the government's efforts for the betterment of the people, he said it is making all-out efforts to control commodity prices despite facing global challenges.

Bd-pratidin English/Lutful Hoque