Dhaka: Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith on Thursday said that there will be no poor people in the country by 2024.

‘Bangladesh will be able to end poverty by 2024 though the international deadline for poverty reduction is 2030,’ he said.

The Minister came up with the hope at a seminar arranged by the Sadhana Sangsad, a research and development organisation, marking its silver jubilee at a city hotel.

He said some special kind of people like autistic people, senior citizens always depend on the government in every country and the lowest rate of this dependent people is in Malaysia.

‘Only 7 percent people in Malaysia depend on government and I believe that by 2024 our country will become able to reach that ratio,’ said Muhith.

The Minister also said the way the country is now moving ahead, it will become a developed country by 2041.

Sadhana Sangsad secretary general Delwar Hossain Bhuiyan presented the keynote paper titled ‘Potential risks of travel abroad, increase in remittance and role of agent banking and Sadhana Sangsad’ in the seminar.

In his keynote paper, Delwar placed some proposals including creating skilled workers and entrepreneurs in the agricultural sector and building employment in abroad by giving them training, investing forex in profitable sector, making the bank management system easier for the proper use of forex sent by the expatriates, maintaining good relations with the recruiting agents and others.

Sadhana Sangsad president Prof Mohammad Ali Ashraf, MP, presided over the seminar.