Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday came down heavily on a section of businesspeople for their unethical act of increasing the prices of essentials commodities during the Ramadan inflicting sufferings on the common people.

"Holy Ramadan is coming, we know that during this month  some businesspeople try to hike prices of the essentials. This is absolutely flagitious act," she said.

The prime minister said this while inaugurating 50 model mosques along with Islamic cultural centres in parts of the country in the third phase.

She inaugurated the mosques joining virtually from her official residence Ganabhaban.

 Hasina said that the holy month of Ramadan is the time for austerity and all have to pay attention to ensure

people can do their religious activities properly during the month.

"During  this month this kind of profit mongers increase the prices making people suffer. This should not happen," she said.

The prime minister said that the government has already distributed special cards for the low-income group people.

She mentioned that the government is providing rice at lower price (Tk 30 per kilogram) after buying that  at higher price.

"Keeping the holy Ramadan in mind, the government will provide Tk 15 per kilogram of rice to additional one crore people," she said.

She also said that those who are not eligible for work, the government is providing 20 kilograms of rice each month.

"Like this way we are giving people rice, edible oil, lentil, sugar and other necessary items at fair price through fair price cards," she said.

She urged the affluent people to extend their assistance towards the needy people during Ramadan.

She requested all to remain vigil so that none can adulterate food, resort to hoarding, black marketeering and create artificial crisis of essentials items.

In this connection she urged Imams to tell about this during the Khutba in Jummah prayer on Friday.

"Food adulteration, hoarding and black marketeering are illegal job and unnecessary give sufferings to people. You should speak on these matters more to the people and you can say during the Khutba to make people aware regarding this," she said.

State Minister for Religious Affairs Ministry Md. Faridul Haque Khan and secretary Kazi Enamul Hassan also spoke at the programme.

Later, she exchanged views with the cross section of people of Agoiljhara of Barishal, Fulbaria of Mymensing and Tentutial of Panchagar.

A documentary on the model mosques was screened at the programme.

Earlier, on 10 June 2021 and 16 January 2023, PM Hasina inaugurated  100 model mosques in the first and second phases, out of total 564, simultaneously across the country. The project aims at spreading the true messages of Islam for removing misconceptions about religion.