The seminar on 'National Budget and People's Rights' was organised jointly by Satkhira units of Campaign for Good Governance and Manursher Jonya, two NGOs.

Local political leaders, officials, NGO representatives and local elite took part in the seminar, held at the Sadar Upazila Parishad auditorium on Monday with AKM Anisur Rahman in the chair.

The speakers included Sadar UNO SM Ashrafuzzaman, Satkhira Awami League (AL) general secretary Md Nazrul Islam, Chamber of Commerce and Industries president Sheik Azhar Hossain, Kazi Reaz, SM Shawkat Hossain, Sudhanghu Shekhar Sarkar, Madhab Dutta, Kalyan Banerjee, Kamruzzamna, Abdus Sabur, Aparesh Pal, Prof. Pabitra Mohon Das, Ashraf Ali Siddique and Momtaz Ahmed Bappi.

Former minister Dr Aftabuzzaman presented the key-note paper.

In his paper Aftabuzzaman said, about 60 per cent of exportable shrimps are produced in Satkhira, which earns the country over Tk 2000 crore annually. But the district is deprived of its due share of development funds, he said. Successive governments did little for development of the district.

The speakers demanded more development projects in Satkhira and allocation of funds for their implementation.

They urged the government to fulfil the 18-point demand of 20 lakh people of the district. The demands include setting up an agriculture college, pipeline gas supply, turning Bhomra custom station into a full fledged land port, creation of a tourist spot at Munishiganj near the Sundarbans and steps for conservation of the forest, adequate support for scientific shrimp cultivation, re-excavation of silted Kobadak river and rail link with the district.