Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has urged the youth to take over from their elders and work to make Bangladesh a developed country.

Speaking at Let’s Talk, the flagship programme of the Awami League’s Centre for Research and Information, she said Bangladesh has achieved the status of a developing nation.

“Now we’ll need to make that achievement effective and take the country forward to become a developed nation. We must not stop,” she said.

Hasina asked the youth to prepare with skills and knowledge.

“No one can ignore Bangladesh. Instead, the country is a development role model with its limited resources.

“We need to continue this trend. And I’m giving this duty to the youth. You’re the future and you can do it.”

The programme, recorded last Friday, was aired on Thursday night.

The prime minister also took questions from the young audience and listened to their views.

Asked about how she felt meeting so many young people, Hasina said: “My grandchildren live abroad. I don’t get to have them close to me all the time. Now I’ve got a lot of grandchildren here. It feels good.”

Hasina said the government’s Digital Bangladesh initiative brought a lot of opportunities for the youth, especially those working as freelancers.

The government has also worked to ensure that freelancers get respect in society, she said

“I myself started talking about freelancers in my speeches to make the profession more popular.”

Hasina said she wanted every child to use digital devices, learn and establish a Smart Bangladesh by 2041.

Food blogger Iftekhar Rafsan asked if Hasina gets the chance to dine out at restaurants.

“Actually I’m imprisoned in the name of security. I can’t say if there is a good restaurant in Dhaka. It’s the same when I go abroad,” Hasina said.

“And I need to work all the time, read files. I wish I had known I would have to read this much. If I had read this much in school, I would have been top of the class all the time.”

Engineer Shubhashish Bhowmik said he would take steps to make brilliant students study here in Bangladesh instead of going abroad if he were the prime minister.

Hasina said she did not think going abroad for study was a bad thing. “I’ve seen many youths who returned home, which is a good thing. And your mind becomes more open when you travel abroad.”

Sadia Roshni Suchona, a student of the Institute of Paediatric Neuro Disorder and Autism, said she would ensure education for specially abled children at all levels if she becomes the prime minister.

Hasina said Bangladeshis’ ideas about autism have changed in such a way that parents do not have to be shy about their autistic children.

“They [autistic children] have a place in society now. I think this mentality will change further.”