Dhaka: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday asked the newly elected District Council chairmen to perform their duties with honesty, sincerity and devotion.

‘I want you to perform your respective responsibilities with honesty, sincerity and devotion....your main aim will be to serve people,’ she said.

The Prime Minister said this while addressing the District Council chairmen after administering their oath at the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

She said the government since coming in the power is working to ensure the service of the mass people through the decentralisation of the power. ‘There will be enough power in the hand of District Council to ensure the service for the people and overall development of the respective districts,’ she said.

Earlier, the 59 chairmen of the District Council took oath. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina administered the oath.

Cabinet members, PM’s advisors and leaders of different political parties and senior officials were present.

The election was held on December 28. Elections to Kushtia and Bogra district councils could not be held due to legal complications. While elections to three hill districts are being conducted under another law.

The Prime Minister also asked the Zila Parisad chairmen to be vigilant so that development programmes of the government in their respective districts are implemented properly.

She advised them to find out the problems and submit development projects to the government.

Hasina said although elections were held to union and upazila parisads regularly, the elections to zila parisads were held for the first time in the country.

As the number of population is very high in a limited territory, she said, the decentralisation of local government is a must to ensure services to people and the government is working to this end.

After assuming of office in 2009, Hasina said, her government restored discipline in all sectors.

The continuity of the government has been maintained after the reelection of her party in 2014 and the country has made a significant progress over the last eight years.

Only the elected representatives of other local government bodies ‐ upazila councils, union councils, municipalities and city corporations—are the electorates of the District Council elections.

As many as 63,143 voters, including 14,800 female ones, franchised their voting rights at 915 centres across the country to elect a chairman and 20 members including five in reserved women seats, for each District Council in a district.

A total of 3,938 candidates —146 for the post of chairman, 806 reserved women seats and 2,986 general members— contested in the much‐talked District Council election.