On being a member, Bangladesh has achieved the voting power to make necessary additions of Bangla letters to be used in various devices of science, information and communication technology (ICT) and to develop the language standard.

Unicode is an internationally recognised system by which any language can be used in different digital devices like mobile phone and computer.

Earlier, only India had the voting right in the consortium about the Bangla language.

The ICT ministry with the personal interest of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has taken the initiative of being a member of the consortium last year.

Bangladesh was declared an institutional member on June 30 this year following an application by the ministry on March 18, 2009.

The Unicode Bangla text has already been initiated in many government offices under the supervision of `Accesses to Information (A2I)’ programme, operated by the Prime Minister’s office.

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Preparation is going on in full swing to hold the census in five days in March next year, said the chief of the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS).

Digital enumeration maps and the computerized geo-coding system will be used to collect the data and disseminate results simultaneously in hard and soft formats as well as on the web
page, BBS Director General Md Shahjahan Ali Mollah told BSS today.

He said over 70,000 maps, made by aerial photographs, containing each mouja and union across the country would be used in conducting the census.

To conduct the census, Bangladesh will be divided into 3,30,000 enumeration areas, each with about 120 households, the BBS chief said adding it will engage 2,700 zonal officers, 530 upazila or thana coordinators, 120 district, 35 regional and 10 divisional coordinators.

There will be 60,000 supervisors to be selected from the local educated youths to work across the country. One supervisor will be engaged for 6 to 7 enumerators in data collection.

The census will be conducted in three phases. The first one will be the main census for collecting basic characteristics of all households and population of the country.

In the second phase, post-enumeration quality check will be
conducted to determine the coverage and content error of the main
census.

Thirdly, a sample census-collection of data from about one percent household with a long questionnaire on detailed socio- economic characteristics will be done to supplement the main census.

Bangladesh has a long history of census. The first one was conducted in this territory in 1872. Since then censuses have
been conducted in every 10 years.

The present government has taken a number of steps to strengthen the capacity of the state-run BBS to conduct the population and housing census.

The Statistics Division has been geared up to produce and provide better data, the DG said. “Everybody will have their photographs, fingerprints in digital format to promote digital Bangladesh by 2021.”

According to the election pledge of the government, he said, the prime minister is keen to establish a national population register (NPR) and citizens’ database for everyone of the country.

Ensuring reliable data, he said, the US Census Bureau is providing modern software and scanner while the European Union (EU) and UNFPA are giving financial assistance side by side with the Bangladesh government.

Of the total funding for conducting the population and housing census-2011, Mollah said the government is providing about Taka 145 crore while the EU and UNFPA Taka 102 crore.

The amount is enough for holding the census-2011, not for NPR activities, he said.

The director general said census is considered a vital mechanism for providing an adequate data set on the population at all levels of the administrative units as it provides the basis for sound and informed policy making.

“Quality data is essential to improve people’s lives,” he said adding that it would provide population size, growth, composition and distribution for the projection of food, education, infrastructure, employment, health care and assessment of various other basic requirements as well as analysis of past, present and future growth of population.

The BBS chief said all types of print and electronic media will be used for census like television tell-off, radio jingle, news paper supplement, discussion, census film, poster and banner and it will continue for six months starting from October 2010.

Geocoding/Mapping System

The? Geocoding/Mapping System is a web-based tool designed to help financial institutions meet the legal requirement to report information on mortgage, business, and farm loans. Geocoding refers to the Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), State, County, Census Tract combination (address information) that must be provided for each reported loan. The system allows institutions to enter a street address, and it then determines the census tract. When an address is not found, the mapping feature enables the user to determine the property location based on known landmarks without resorting to a paper map. The system also provides Census demographic information about a particular census tract, including income, population, and housing data. Institutions use this information to assess whether they are meeting the credit needs of the communities in which they operate.

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Last year, the global economic crisis led to nine months of export contraction, driving growth in gross domestic product (GDP) to a seven-year low of 5.54 percent.

A recovery of exports could help Bangladesh clock its highest ever GDP growth of 6.7 percent this year — up from a previous high of 6.6 percent in 2005 to 2006 financial year — the central bank said in a statement on Monday.

“The growth (of 6.7 percent) targeted by the government this year is not over-ambitious,” the central Bangladesh Bank said.

The bank said this was dependent on the government getting 14 small power-generation units operational in 2010 as planned.

Years of under-investment in the power sector mean Bangladesh now has a daily shortfall of around 2,000 megawatts of power, with rolling blackouts hitting the private sector, particularly manufacturing, hard.

The problem sent manufacturing growth tumbling to just five percent last year — from record double-digit growth four years ago — as factories struggle with long blackouts each day.

Achieving 6.7 percent growth also requires the “quick resolution of ongoing labour unrest in the export-oriented apparel sector,” the bank said in the statement.

Ready-made garments for top Western brands make up 80 percent of Bangladesh’s annual export earnings and employ some 40 percent of the country’s industrial workforce.

But the industry has seen some of the worst ever labour riots in recent months, with tens of thousands of workers battling it out on the streets with police, ransacking factories and demanding immediate minimum wage hikes.

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We envision a democratic system where people choose their government freely and get services from it without hassle, enjoy freedom from fear and intolerance, live with dignity; where every citizen is assured of social justice, environmental protection, human rights and? equal opportunities; and where the rule of law and good governance flourish.? We envision a liberal, progressive and democratic welfare State. Simultaneously we envision a Bangladesh which by 2020/2021, will be a middle income country where poverty will be drastically reduced where, our citizens will be able to meet every basic need and where development will be on fast track, with ever-increasing rates of inclusive growth.

Bangladesh as we want to see it in 2021

1. Democracy?and effective parliament

Democracy and strong democratic institutions will be established for holding reliable election at regular intervals, accountability of government and effective Parliament. All necessary steps will be taken for making Parliament effective.

2.?Political framework, decentralization of power & people??s participation

Local government will be given due importance with a view to effecting radical change of the political system. The local government institutions will play a critical role in development programmes. Self-reliant local self-government institutions will be established at upazila and zila levels to ensure representative, responsive and functional governance at the grassroots levels.

3.?Good governance through establishing rule of law and avoiding political partisanship

Human rights will be established on a strong footing with a view to ensuring the rule of law. Independence of the judiciary will be ensured and the institutions of the state and administration will be freed from partisan influence. The basis of appointments and promotions will be merit, efficiency, seniority, honesty and loyalty to the Republic; political connections will have no relevance.

4.?Transformation of political culture

Terrorism, corruption and use of religion for politics will be eliminated. Steps appropriate to the time will be taken to establish democratic principles in the political parties, transparency of political funding, civility and tolerance.

5.?A society free from corruption

The institutions of the State will be made more effective along with an independent and strong Anti-corruption Commission for curbing corruption. Social resistance to corruption will be promoted along side legal steps. All possible steps will be taken to stop corruption, such as charter of citizens?? rights, right to information, computerization of official documents, and decentralization of power. Adequate checks at every level of public spending would be built into the financial management system of the government.

6.?Empowerment and equal rights for women

The Women??s Policy of 1997 will be revived for ensuring equal right and access for women to the state and social space; laws which discriminate against women will be amended and 100 seats will be reserved for women for direct election.

7.?Economic development & initiative

a.?Meeting basic needs: With a view to providing food, clothing, shelter, education and health care to the citizens in accordance with Article 15 of the Constitution, gross domestic product will be raised to 8% by 2013 and 10% by 2021 which will be sustained thereafter.

b.?Population and labour force: Population in 2021 is estimated at 165m, and labour force at 105m. Programmes will be taken up for employment of at least 85% of the work force.

c.?Alleviation of poverty: We aim not at reduction of poverty, but removal of poverty, through?which we shall try to achieve the Millennium Goals declared by UN by 2015, and by 2017 latest. Beginning in 2021, poverty will be reduced to 15% from 45% now, progressively. Number of poor people will rise from 45 million now to 65m in 2021, and then fall to 25m in 2021. Sustainable safety nets will be established for the extreme poor until poverty is removed.

d.?Food & nutrition: Food deficiency will be removed and self-reliance in food production achieved by 2012, which will enable us to meet the nutrition needs of 85% of the population.

e.?Health care: By 2021, a minimum daily intake of 2,122 kilo calories of food, elimination of contagious disease, primary health care and sanitation for all will be ensured. Average longevity will be increased to seventy years, and efforts will be made for the reduction of child and maternal mortality.

f.?Education: Enrolment at the primary level will be increased to 100% net by 2010. Elimination of illiteracy by 2014, improvement in the quality of education, creation of a generation educated in science and technology, graduation degree level education made free by 2013 and ensuring higher salary for teachers are the other educational goals.

g.?Industry: A strong foundation for industrialization will be established by 2021. Contribution of the industrial sector to national GDP will be doubled. Primacy will be given to agro and labour intensive industries and the highest emphasis will be given to the information technology sector. The investment policy will be geared to implementing a strategy for attracting both domestic and foreign investment.

h.?Energy security: An energy policy will be adopted tapping all sources of traditional and non-traditional energy to ensure an accelerated rate of economic development and industrialization. A three year crash programme will be taken up to meet the existing crisis. By 2015, electricity production will be increased to 8,000 megawatt. By 2021, demand for electricity is projected to increase to 20,000 megawatt. We will take all possible actions aiming at enhancing our generation capacity. To increase gas production, regular survey of gas resources and work on well development will be undertaken. To meet energy demand, efforts will be undertaken for regional energy security through mutual cooperation in addition to exploring internal sources.

i.?Infrastructural development: Road, rail, river and air transport and telecommunication systems will be expanded. Construction of bridges and tunnels for Padma and Karnaphuli rivers, connecting Bangladesh with the Asian highway and Asian railway, improvement of port facilities, building of a deep sea port to open up Bangladesh’s ports to countries of Asia will be implemented. In Dhaka, construction of a metro tunnel, elevated rail and circular rail to remove traffic jams and to solve public transport problems will be studied forthwith in order to undertake a feasible project. The project will then be implemented on a priority basis.

j.?Housing: By 2015, housing for all will be ensured. In every union and upazila, ??growth center?? centric village housing and in towns housing with modern amenities will be implemented.

k.?Environment: All measures will be taken to protect Bangladesh, including planned migration abroad, from the adverse effects of climate change and global warming. Facing natural calamities, planned reduction of air pollution, prevention of industry and transport related air pollution and disposal of waste in scientific manner will be ensured. Steps will be taken to make Bangladesh an ecologically attractive place through retention of forests and water bodies and prevention of river erosion.

l.?Water resources: Bangladesh Awami League will take the initiative to formulate a comprehensive regional water policy along with India, Nepal and Bhutan for regional water security. In addition, in keeping with a comprehensive water policy, articulated earlier by Bangladesh Awami League, measures will be taken for development of our water resources and their rational use.

8.?Bangladesh in the global arena

a.?Achievements of liberation: Multi-pronged measures will be taken to uphold the glorious history and the fruits of our national independence and liberation, to energize the new generation with the spirit of liberation, struggle, patriotism and love for humanity. Highest priority will be given to the development of an?innovative spirit in the younger generations and opportunity will be provided for them to participate in nation building activities.

b.?Culture: Measures will be taken to remove obstacles in the development of Bengali culture, literature, art, music and sport and to provide all opportunities by the state to enable the younger generations to attain international standards and to contribute to the nation.

c.?Foreign policy: In international affairs Bangladesh will follow the policy of ??friendship towards all and malice towards none??.

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It was the first time officers were jailed for a suspected extrajudicial killing in Bangladesh after calls from human rights organisations who accuse law enforcement agencies of killing at least 200 people in custody since January 2009.

The policemen surrendered following a summons over the killing which took place in July, 2008.

The officers will be formally charged on July 27, said a court official at Natore, 230 km (144 miles) northwest of the capital Dhaka.

??We are happy that the suspects were sent to jail. We hope to get justice,?? lawyer Zahir Azad told reporters.

The bullet-riddled body of the suspect was found at a remote area near Natore four days after he had been arrested by police.

Police said he had been killed in crossfire during a raid on a gangster hideout, but his family said he was killed in custody.

Hardly a day passes in Bangladesh without somebody being shot and killed in crossfire between criminals and law enforcement officers, newspapers and officials say.

One suspect died in police custody in eastern Brahmanbaria, 100 km (52 miles) from Dhaka, after being arrested on Saturday.

Police said he died of a heart attack, but his family said officers had tortured him to death. -Reuters

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The World Bank Executive Directors commended Bangladesh for a strong track record of over 6 percent economic growth in recent years, as well as sustained poverty reduction and human development over the past two decades.

It said nonetheless, Bangladesh continues to face daunting development challenges, with around 55 million people below the poverty line and two out of five children suffering from chronic malnutrition.

The World Bank said to reduce the population share living in poverty from 40 percent to 15 percent and to reach middle-income country status by 2021, Bangladesh will need to sustain growth of at least 8 percent per annum.

The new Country Assistance Strategy will support Bangladesh’s ambitions by contributing to accelerated, sustainable and inclusive growth, underpinned by stronger governance at central and local levels.

The strategy proposes support for technical analysis of key development issues, as well as record lending for Bangladesh, totaling more than 6 billion U.S. dollars in four years, based on continued strong country performance.

“This new country assistance strategy proposes a doubling of financial support for Bangladesh relative to the 2006-2009 fiscal years strategy,” said Ellen Goldstein, World Bank Country Director for Bangladesh.

“To deliver this higher volume of support most effectively, we will work with the Bangladeshi government to shift to larger, more strategic interventions that enhance selectivity and leverage priority reforms and investments,” she said.

About the first priority of accelerating economic growth, she said Bangladesh will need a major increase in infrastructure investment and a more conducive business environment. The World Bank will ramp up investments in infrastructure, including power and gas.

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Under the programme, Rangpur-Dinajpur Rural Service (RDRS) has taken a massive plan of farming 3.5 crore GIFT Tilapia fingerlings in paddy fields to produce 700 tonnes additional fish worth Taka 12 crore this season in the country’s 10 northern districts.

The reputed NGO has been implementing the programme after the poor and marginal farmers achieved tremendous successes by producing 293 tonnes additional fish and 1.2 crore fingerlings in paddy fields to improve their livelihoods last year.

The NGO with 11 partner organisations distributed the broods for producing quality fingerlings in Boro paddy fields this year to help the poor earning profits, tackling poverty and meeting their nutrition demand by GIFT Tilapia farming and selling fingerlings.

The 3-year project of ‘Enhancing Impacts of Decentralized (fish) Seed Production (EIDSP)’ funded by Department of International Development (DFID) of the UK is being implemented and will be completed by June 2011 in Bangladesh, India and Nepal.

This season, a total of 3.5 crore Tilapia fingerlings are being produced involving 8,827 paddy field farmers, who have successfully breaded Tilapia broods in their fields since the last Boro season this year.

To make the programme successful, 2.3 lakh GIFT Tilapia broods fish have been reared in cages at the community levels and those were distributed to the enrolled farmers for breeding in 790 hectares of paddy fields.

The selected farmers had developed small ditches in boro paddy fields and released the Tilapia broods from late March to mid-April, and breeding continued till April- May last when the farmers started selling their fingerlings and the business rose now to its peak.

BOOMING-FISH-PROJECT-TWO LAST

Besides, the project has been supporting 709 seasonal pond farmers for rearing the major carp’s dhani (half-inch sized fries) and 709 kg of dhani are being distributed among them to produce more 3.5 million fingerlings approximately.

Because of availability of the quality fingerlings at community level, the farmers are becoming more interested in culturing fish and requesting for more Tilapia broods this time, Project Coordinator Sattyanarayan Roy of EIDSP told BSS today.

He said that more than 3.5 lakh GIFT Tilapia fingerlings worth Taka 4 crore were produced during the last Boro season in paddy fields and 700 metric tonnes additional Tilapia fish worth Taka 8 crore will be produced before the T-Aman harvest this year.

After completion of the project by the year 2011, a total of 21,000 targeted farmers of these 10 districts will produce six crore GIFT Tilapia fingerlings and 6,000 tonnes additional Tilapia fish worth Taka seventy crore annually, he said.

Like last year, the project is being implemented since last Boro season in Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari, Gaibandha, Dinajpur, Thakurgaon, Panchagarh, Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj and Naogaon districts this year in the region.

Director of RDRS and Team Leader of EIDSP Dr Syed Samsuzzaman told that the proven environment friendly technologies for making available quality fingerlings to the door end of farmers has been helping them to alleviate poverty and getting nutrition.

Renowned fisheries expert Dr Benoy Kumar Barman of the Worldfish Centre told that each of the involved farmer household will be able to produce 2,500 Tilapia fingerlings from their fields of only 20 decimal areas on an average.

Vansi Reddi, Research Associate of National Resource International Ltd recently visited the project in Kurigram and Nilphamari, talked to the farmers and expressed satisfaction over the lowest cost project to facilitate fish farming to combat poverty.

Sattyanarayan today said that the project has been proved very effective when the things have been changed over the decades reducing fish production and two selling centres of fingerlings have been opened in Kurigram and Nilphamari this season.

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Chevron Bangladesh is now?exploring a new Block 7 in Patuakhali. They hope it will be successful in the upcoming year. If they successful the gas production will increase 100 million cubic feet per day.

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It is happening the positive . Goverment are now concious to procure the woman human resource .?who are our 50% manpower. Industries Minister Dilip Barua on Tuesday said the present government is pledged-bound to strengthen participation of women in mainstream business and commerce besides ensuring women empowerment.

Bangladesh Bank Governor Dr Atiur Rahman and Whip of the Jatiya Sangsad Shagufta Yasmin MP addressed the function as special guests. Industries Ministry under its SMESDP Project organized the conference with Industries Secretary Dewan Zakir Hussain in the chair.

The minister said the government since its assumption to power has been putting emphasis on a women-friendly policy and for this women entrepreneurs have made significant progress. For ensuring women development in all development activities including in the rural areas and rural economy, various measures have already been undertaken, he said adding these measures include creating women entrepreneurs, providing soft loans, changing attitude of banks and financial institutes, presenting women- friendly budget.

The government is working with positive attitudes about allotting plots to women entrepreneurs on priority basis at the existing BSCIC industrial areas, allotting plots separately to women entrepreneurs at new BSCIC areas, establishing separate SME bank and other measures.

He said the government has taken special measure for providing trainings to women entrepreneurs and for this a special programme has been undertaken under BITAK for giving training to 10,000 women and men in five years. Pointing to Small and Medium Enterprises Development Programme (SMEDP) under the Industries Ministry, he said, programmes have been undertaken for the development of women entrepreneurs. Directives have been given to the scheduled banks for disbursing at least 10 percent of the SME loans to women entrepreneurs, he said adding directives have also been given from Bangladesh Bank to provide loans to women entrepreneurs at maximum 10 percent interest from Small Enterprise Fund (SEF), he said.

Bangladesh Bank Governor said the central bank has taken steps to overcome the problems in the SME sector, especially for removing obstacles for women entrepreneurs in getting loans. He said minimum 15 percent of the Bangladesh Bank’s refinancing scheme has been preserved for disbursing loans to women entrepreneurs and the interest rate for those loans have been fixed at 10 percent interest rate.

Steps were taken so that women entrepreneurs can avail a maximum Taka 50 lakh loans against personal guarantee and every bank has been asked for setting up Women Entrepreneurs Dedicated Desk, he said. He said a total of Taka 120 crore was allocated for financing women entrepreneurs under the refinancing scheme comprising Bangladesh Bank, IDA Fund and ADB Fund and so far 668 projects have been allocated Taka 49.23 crore loans (42 percent of total fund), which indicate that maximum fund for women has remained unutilized.

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All recommendations find place on gazette notification; fate depends on implementation

“The government had announced the DAP (Detailed Area Plan) for the capital Dhaka to prevent flooding and ease the traffic congestion in the city…this will require us to reclaim about 3,000 acres of land from the real estate companies,” a spokesman of the regulatory Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK) told Media.

He added that they would launch a campaign to reclaim the land marked as flood flow zone and agricultural land in and around Dhaka while out of the total 590 square miles of jurisdiction area in the area plan, 33.35 per cent was kept for urban and rural residential and mixed purposes, which were expected to house 18.53 million people by 2015.

Several real estate companies, however, already raised high-rise residential projects involving crores while several hundred of such plots have already been sold despite media campaigns against land grabbing for unplanned projects exposing Dhaka, the home of an estimated 10.5 million people, to notorious traffic jams and water logging during monsoon rains.

According to earlier newspaper reports several of the housing project areas were occupied also by ruling Awami League leaders.

The Daily Star newspaper, however, feared that despite Tuesday’s government gazette notification approving DAP certain errant land development projects were likely to remain unscathed due to “legal loopholes”.

Quoting the government high-ups, the report said the authorities might need to take a softer stance in certain cases as the Town Improvement Act, Wetland Conservation Act, and DAP itself provide chances of appeal for violators, and discretionary authority for government high officials.

State-minister for public works and housing Abdul Mannan, who earlier declared a crusade against land grabbers calling real estate companies as “land pirates” told the newspaper that the government might need to accept “violations in certain cases”.

“But we will enforce the law sternly in the worst cases of violation,” he added. Such acceptance of errant land use will be considered only in greater public interest, said RAJUK chief Nurul Huda.

RAJUK officials said the DAP followed a principle in identifying the agricultural land, flood flow zones, water bodies and water retention ponds under a 1997 structural plan for the city.

They said several government establishments like Gazipur upazila or sub-district headquarters, Keraniganj upazila headquarters, Sonakanda BSCIC Industrial Area, Dhaka City Corporations dump at Baliarpur and Bhurulia REB office would also need to be relocated to free the flood flow zones

The committee also recommended stopping creation of a proposed military training ground for 14 Shatantra Engineering Brigade in Keranigaj, as the site is in a flood flow zone.

The private housing projects in flood flow zones recommended for abandonment are Modhumoti Model Town, Eastern Mayakanon, Advanced Angel City, Ashulia Model Town, Dhaka Udyan, Bashundhara Riverview in Keraniganj, New Uttara Model Town, BDDL Natundhara, Neptune housing project, Swarnali housing project, Swadesh housing project, Probashi Polli housing project in Gazipur, Prottasha housing project in Tongi municipality area, Shotabdi housing project, and Adarsha Shikkhok Abashik project in Uttarkawndiya. Some of these projects are not even approved.

The projects which were taken up after Dhaka’s master plan had been approved, but do not affect flood flow zones, the environment, and the livelihoods of local people will be allowed to remain untouched under a category titled ‘overlay’.

But projects marked as non-conforming developments, have to move out over a period.

The review committee identified 2,724 light, general, heavy, and noxious industries and factories as non-conforming.

Light industries include weaving and tailoring; general are food manufacturing, textiles, leather, wood products, paper, and metal; heavy industries are manufacturers of chemical products, rubber products, ceramics, plastic, glass, steel, and pharmaceuticals; while noxious ones are dyeing, tannery, fertiliser, industrial chemicals, salt, and petroleum product manufacturers.

Of them, 709 heavy and 174 noxious industries must move out from their present locations, over a period of time, to designated industrial zones, said Prof Jahan.

The rest may remain as ‘overlay’, as those are not environmentally very hazardous, he said.

Consultants hired by Rajuk submitted a draft of DAP in 2008. But urban planners, architects, and environmentalist groups vehemently opposed it, saying, it was grossly flawed with recommendations for accommodating housing projects based on earth-filling of flood flow zones.

Following the outcry, a 17-member review committee, headed by Prof Jamilur Reza Choudhury, was formed in January last year to find out the planning anomalies in the draft. Finally the six-member committee also headed by Prof Reza made final recommendations that were incorporated in DAP.

In absence of DAP on time, the city’s topographic landscape, natural environment, wetlands, flood retention basins, and open spaces have been destroyed recklessly over the past decade, said urban planners

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