"I am monitoring the whole process of the 6th wage board and it will be announced much earlier than expected," the minister told journalists at a meeting at the secretariat in the city.

The meeting was arranged to exchange views on the awareness building campaign of Mass Communication Directorate (MCD) that has been taking place for the last three and half years.

The information minister said the inter-personal communication was an important tool for MCD and the method is being applied in remote areas of the country as the residents of those area do no have access to mass media, including radio, television and newspaper.

"The MCD is engaged to convey different government initiatives to the rural people and persuade them to adopt those," he said.

Apart from this, the directorate is also working to combat ignorance and superstitions prevailing among the common people, he said.

The campaign is on against dowry, child marriage, drug abuse and arsenic menace, he said, adding that the MCD do not provide any financial assistance but conducts advocacy programmes.

The minister also emphasised the positive role of MCD as well as the media to meet the Millennium Development Goals through implementing the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP).

A short documentary on the activities of MCD was projected at the meeting. Information Secretary Dr Muhammad Mahbubur Rahman and MCD Director General M Abdul Mannan were also present.