Youth are the main driving force of national progress: PM in National Youth Day message

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has said the youth are the lifeblood of any nation and the main driving force of its progress. The contribution of the youth to establishing an independent and sovereign Bangladesh, overcoming national crises and advancing the country's development is undeniable.

He said this in a message given today on the occasion of National Youth Day-2026 tomorrow, Sunday (November 1). The theme of National Youth Day-2026 is 'Skilled youth will build the country, Bangladesh for all'.

The prime minister said the country's youth have played an important role from achieving independence to facing various crises and advancing development. He recalled that martyred President Ziaur Rahman, realising the immense potential of the youth in nation building, took initiatives to organise them. On his instruction, the Ministry of Youth Development was established in 1978, which later became known as the Ministry of Youth and Sports.

He said the Directorate of Youth Development was established in 1981 to implement youth development activities at the grassroots level. The prime minister also recalled that former prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia in 1991 took the initiative to establish youth training centres in all districts of the country to expand employment opportunities for the youth and make them self-reliant through technical and practical training.

The prime minister said the Directorate of Youth Development has so far provided skills development training of various durations to more than 8 million young men and women. Among them, about 2.5 million have become self-reliant through self-employment.

He said youth loans worth Tk 2,861 crore 87 lakh were disbursed up to June 2026 to assist young entrepreneurs. Calling the National Youth Award a commendable initiative, he said 546 self-employed men and women and youth organisers have so far received the honour in recognition of their contribution to nation building. He congratulated this year's award recipients.

Tarique Rahman said the government took up a training project on artificial intelligence (AI) soon after assuming office. Through freelancing and AI projects, trainees are gaining skills as well as opportunities to earn foreign currency by working online.

Highlighting the participation of the youth in environmental conservation, the prime minister said young people are contributing to protecting the environment by setting up biogas plants under the Impact project. He emphasised launching more training programmes in smart agriculture, export-oriented packaging and food processing, foreign language education and new promising sectors. He expressed hope that through these initiatives it will be possible to build a modern, skilled and competitive workforce.

The prime minister called on the youth to devote themselves to national development by developing their talent, innovative capacity and technological skills. He said the government has announced a startup fund of Tk 500 crore to support young people's innovative initiatives. A startup budget allocation has been made for the first time in the country so that promising initiatives do not fail for lack of money.

The prime minister expressed hope that the youth will play an effective role in the country's development, leadership and future progress. He wished overall success to all programmes organised on the occasion of National Youth Day-2026.