DST News: Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Wednesday proposed turning the Amar Ekushey Book Fair into an international fair in the future to help introduce readers to world literature and promote multilingual and cross-cultural understanding.

Speaking at the fair’s inauguration at Bangla Academy, he said Amar Ekushey—now observed globally as International Mother Language Day—deserves an expanded global dimension. He also stressed the need to build a knowledge- and merit-based society, encouraged learning multiple languages alongside Bangla, and reiterated efforts to seek official-language recognition for Bangla at the United Nations.

The premier distributed the Bangla Academy Literary Award-2025 to eight writers and suggested holding book fairs year-round across the country, with government support for publishers.