Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday asked the government officials not to be nervous or worried, seeing anything in the newspapers.

“There is nothing for you to be nervous or embarrassed by seeing what is written in the newspapers. Rather, you should check if there is any authenticity of it (the news). If it has no authenticity, dump it straight to the dustbin and you don't even need to read it,” she said.

The premier said this while addressing the signing ceremony of the Annual Performance Agreement (APA) of the ministries and divisions for the 2024-2025 fiscal year at Shapla Hall of the Prime Minister’s Office.

In the function, the APA Award for FY 2022-23 and Integrity Award for FY 2023-24 were distributed among the government offices for their excellent performance in APA implementation and rendering services respectively.

The Prime Minister also asked the government officials to practise austerity, work to boost food production, complete the implementation of unfinished projects speedily, and enhance monitoring to stop wastage of resources and check corruption.

In the function, Labour and Employment Secretary Md Mahbub Hossain received the Integrity Award 2023-24.