Bangladesh is developing the digital Infrustucture for the Nation .By 2021 the largest sector in Bangladesh is going to be information technology, not textiles and garments.

Globalization is must good for Bangladesh. Bangladeshi as a proud Nation Having the ultimate resources of Nature and human resource can make benificial Bangladesh resulting globaliszation competetion. Bangladesh put entry in the Information Highway.Now to see the better result- The sky is the limit for what can be achieved here

The government of Bangladesh has begun work on an ambitious new scheme to tackle poverty with the help of the internet. It plans to improve schools, hospitals, businesses and government services by linking them to the web by 2021.

At the moment, most villages – and even some communities in the capital Dhaka – do not even have access to electricity.

But the rapid spread of mobile phones to even the most remote and impoverished parts of the country in recent years, has shown what is possible.

“This will be a digitised nation depending on information technology, for information, for services, for all kinds of activities that individuals can do,” the finance minister, Abdul Muhith, told the BBC.

“This is a simple dream, and is really workable.

“It is the ideal solution for Bangladesh’s various problems. I’m sure that by 2021 the largest sector in Bangladesh is going to be information technology, not textiles and garments.”

Power cuts

This marks a big change with the past. Previous governments were suspicious of the internet, and imposed high charges on service providers.

Bangladesh is with a largely rural population, so relatively few people have ever gone online in their lives.

At the moment, the government’s plans are still vague and many Bangladeshis are sceptical of ministers’ boasts of the impending digital revolution, especially as power cuts are only getting worse. The country’s infrastructure is dreadful – gas and water supplies are also drying up – and the bureaucracy is famously corrupt.

But some organisations have already started connecting poor communities to the web, and begun to make a difference to people’s lives – which suggests that the government’s vision may indeed well work.

Aral Bazaar, a three-hour drive from Dhaka, is a typical small Bangladeshi town. Surrounded by paddy fields and banana groves, it is a sleepy place where the men gather to drink tea and the women stay at home to look after the kids.

But in its small row of shops, and sharing room space with a photo studio decorated with pictures of Bollywood actresses, Aral Bazaar now has its very own “Community Information Centre”.

It is one of 500 set up by Grameenphone, Bangladesh’s largest mobile phone provider, which was founded with the help of Muhammed Yunus, the Nobel Peace laureate and micro-credit pioneer.

“The sky is the limit for what can be achieved here,” says Mahbub-el-Elahi Prince, owner of the centre, which is little more than two computers connected to the web.

E-farmers

A consultation on the web, is better than a two-day trip to meet an expert face-to-face

“People can come and communicate with their relatives who live abroad, but most of my customers are farmers who want advice on their crops.”

Prince is able to connect them to a Dhaka-based website called E-Krishok (E-farmer).

Faruque Mia, for example, wanted to know what was wrong with his pumpkin plant. He brought two brown leaves and a diseased looking fruit into the centre, where Prince’s assistant took digital photos. He submitted these to E-Krishok, where an expert was able to examine them and then send back advice on treatment.

“We used to go to a government-employed agriculture officer for this kind of help, but he works a long way away and it sometimes took two days to get anything from him. The CIC is close to where we live – that’s why everyone prefers to come here,” he said.

A more dramatic success story is taking place in an anonymous-looking hospital for diabetics in Faridpur, half a day’s drive and a river ferry ride from Dhaka.

Many of its patients are too poor to make the journey to the capital to see a consultant, so this hospital simply connects them over the web, using video-conferencing technology.

Two doctors sit with the patient, taking notes and conducting tests if required, while the consultant asks questions. They can all see and hear each other on large TV screens.

“This has brightened the possibility of taking care of the rural population as we would take care of the affluent and urban population,” Professor Tofail Ahmed of the Bangladesh Institute of Research and Rehabilitation in Diabetes, Endocrine and Metabolic Disorders (BIRDEM), said. “It saves money, it saves time. It reduces all sorts of obstacles.”

According Zarina Begum, a patient with severely swollen limbs and face, she is now getting treatment that she would never have dreamed of receiving before.

“In my village we don’t have any good doctors. But fortunately I’ve been able to come here and see the Dhaka doctors anyway. My condition is now improving,” she said.

Bangladesh has been slow to benefit from the internet, but it is trying hard to make up for lost time.

“A woman one of the most beautiful creation of GOD, showering her respect as daughter, feel her care in the form of a sister, feel her warmth in the form of a friend.
Now we come to know why did God create man 1st before creating a woman ? Of course, because its alawys gud to make a rough draft 1st before making a MASTERPIECE..”

http://www.glamnglory.com/

Source : Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said her government plans to procure fighter aircraft, surface-to-air missiles, helicopters and other armament to strengthen the armed forces.

She told Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) personnel Wednesday that the government had drawn up plans and set the process, including budget allocation, in motion.

‘Budget allocation for the Bangladesh Air Force under the present fiscal year is the biggest amount in the history of the force,’ she said.

She witnessed the BAF’s annual exercise WINTEX-2010 at the main fighter base at Kurmitola in Dhaka Cantonment, United News of Bangladesh (UNB) reported.

‘The present government will take all possible measures to build up the country’s air force as an up-to-date force by arming it with modern technology-based war weapons,’ New Age newspaper quoted her as saying.

Sheikh Hasina said her government was firmly committed to building a modern, knowledge-based air force that excelled in training and technology in order to ensure security of the country and its people.

A development plan had been approved for constructing infrastructure at Cox’s Bazar, located in the southeastern region bordering Myanmar, for smooth operation of fighter jets and transport aircraft to ensure security of economic activities in the maritime territories and relief operation in remote areas, Hasina said.

Defence purchases in Bangladesh have been mired in political controversy.

A court Monday acquitted Hasina of corruption charges in the purchase of eight MiG-29s that were bought during her earlier tenure as the prime minister.

She told the airforce personnel that the government of her political rival, Begum Khaleda Zia (2001-06) had kept the aircraft unused for long ‘just to get her in trouble’, the newspaper said.

A frigate purchased from South Korea for the Bangladesh Navy was also kept in mothballs for five years. It was re-commissioned in 2007.

The security analyst

The constitutional commitment of the Government of Bangladesh is to provide basic health
and medical requirements to all people in the society. The Constitution of the People’s
Republic of Bangladesh ensured that “Health is the basic right of every citizen of the
Republic,” as health is fundamental to human development.
Since independence, the government has been pursuing a policy of health development that
ensures provision of basic services to the entire population, particularly to the under-served
population in rural areas. The successive health plans of the country emphasize Primary
Health Care (PHC) as the key approach for improving health status of the people. The goal
‘Health for All by the year 2000’ has been accepted by the government as a national goal.
The past plans in the health sector had endeavored to provide essential healthcare to the
general masses. To attain this goal, many development programmes have been undertaken in
BANGLADESH: The World Health Organization (WHO) Tuesday committed Bangladesh to provide technical support for developing vaccines locally and strengthen comprehensive service through one-stop community clinics.

“WHO has sent three teams of experts to Bangladesh last year and gave a roadmap to the Bangladeshi government how to develop vaccines locally,” WHO Director General Margaret Chan said on Tuesday before she leave Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka after a two- days official visit, national news agency BSS reported.

“You have to meet international requirement and provide quality assurance before you think of exporting vaccine made in Bangladesh, “ Chan said, adding that Bangladesh has every facilities to develop vaccines. However, she said the country would be required high investments for it and WHO would try to woo international agencies to fund for such projects.

The WHO chief executive said that the A/H1N1 vaccines would reach Bangladesh by this month under WHO’s technical supports program, but warned Bangladesh that it should not be complacent against A/H1N1 flu virus. DHAKA, Wednesday, Xinhua

With the same voice of Bangladeshi prime Minister Sheik Hasina Bangladesh on Thursday reiterated that its soil would not be used for terrorist activities against any country.

Addressing a joint press conference with Border Security Force Chief Raman Srivastav here, the Bangladesh Rifles Chief Major General Mohammad Mainul Islam said: “Our Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, has declared that Bangladesh land will not be allowed to use for terrorist activities. We are implementing these words on ground.”

When questioned about the reports of terrorist camps operating in Bangladesh, Maj.Gen Mainul Islam said: “My government has a big responsibility to ensure the security and development of the people. We have no time and space to harbor terrorists on our land. We have already learnt lessons from others mistakes.”

“There are certain grey areas where the presence of the BDR is very low. We are in the process of modernizing the force and will increase our presence in the grey areas to ensure no terror group can operate from our land,” he added.

The four-day-long BSF-BDR conference agreed to prevent criminal elements from misusing dark patches of borders.

“We have come across incidents of cattle smuggling, movement of people along the border especially during darkness. We have discussed the matter in detail in this meeting and action will be initiated,” Srivastav said.

“On the Indian side there are some parts along the border left unfenced, we are taking action and it will be fence soon. And we have also decided to put flood light along the border for better observation and to prevent criminals from taking advantage of darkness,” he added.

Srivastav further said that the question of “Zero” line is still pending, and it has been discussed during the Home Secretary level talks also.

Commenting on cross border firing, Maj Gen Mainul Islam said: “We should not be worried about such incidents. It’s a matter of concern to both sides. We have discussed the matter and will ensure that no innocent people will be killed.”

“We have a history of movement of people and cattle trafficking during darkness, will ensure to limit such activities along border,” he added.

Srivastav said the BSF would also ensure that no innocent is killed by firing.

“We have no right to shoot and kill innocent people. We will ensure that such incidents do not to occur in the future,” Srivastav said.

The India-Bangladesh Border Coordination Conference is held twice a year, once in Dhaka and the other in New Delhi.

The conference also discussed measures to be adopted to develop force-to-force relations.

The BSF is assisting the BDR in its modernizing process.

The nearly 4,096 kilometers-long India-Bangladesh border is one of the most difficult to patrol owing to reasons of topography, riverine patches, dense forested hills, agricultural lands and human settlements.

The porous nature of the border has led to numerous trans-border problems including infiltration, smuggling, of arms and drugs, contraband goods, illegal movement of persons, and crimes such as kidnapping for ransom, cattle lifting, extortion etc

sources :Tender for the $2.4 billion Padma Multi-purpose Bridge are likely to be invited late this month or in early April, sources in the Economic Relations Division said.

The communications ministry in cooperation with a donor group led by the World Bank almost completed chalking out bidders’ pre-qualification criteria for building the bridge that will have both road and rail ways linking the south-western region of the country with the east.

Earlier this week, WB appreciated the government, in particular the communications ministry, and Bangladesh Bridge Authority for moving expeditiously with the preparatory work for the tender, and reiterated the donors’ firm commitment for providing assistance.

Communications Minister Syed Abul Hossain told The Daily Star on Monday that the document containing bidders’ pre-qualification criteria will be sent to WB for final clearance within this week.

“We are hoping to float the tender any time now,” he said.

The World Bank is now waiting for receiving the minutes of a meeting between the donors and the finance ministry where key decisions were taken regarding the design of the bridge, and the procurement methods for its construction.

The decisions include that the proposed Padma Bridge will comprise rail and road ways; the rail track and related viaducts, and other facilities will be built linked with a project for extending the railway to the country’s southwest region; and the contract for constructing the main bridge will be awarded through a single international competitive bidding.

There will be two stages to the bidding process, with a limited first stage based on the design prepared by design consultants.

According to the communications ministry’s proposal, the bridge will be 6.15 km long, and will be constructed by December 2013. The bridge will connect 19 districts of the south-western part of the country with the eastern part including the capital, and it will be linked with the Asian Highway.

Of the $2.4 billion financing, different development partners have agreed to co-finance about $2.2 billion, of which the WB will provide $1.2 billion, Asian Development Bank $550 million, Islamic Development Bank $130 million, Japan International Cooperation Agency $300 million, and Abudhabi Fund $31.4 million.

Back story Thursday, 25 June 2009 )6.15km Long Padma Bridge Suggested
Consultants have suggested a 6.15 km-long bridge over the river Padma rather than a 5.58 km one proposed earlier in a feasibility report.

Engineering group Maunsell AECOM in its primary design for the Padma bridge proposed a two-level ’superstructure’ with traffic communication in the upper level and railway in the lower.

The group based in the Asia-Pacific region presented the Interim Scheme Design Report on Thursday. It was chosen as the consultants for the long-awaited Padma bridge on Jan 19 this year.

Construction of the bridge would cost more than US $ 800 million, according to the consultants.

It said a two-level bridge would require 150-metre wide spans (columns) which would push the total cost to $ 816 million while a single-level bridge with traffic and railway communication would need 180-metre wide span.

“In that case the cost would be around $ 887 million,” said Ken Wheeler, project manager for Maunsell AECOM.

The bridge, with a proposed 13.6 km approach road, would also have provisions for gas transmission lines, he added.

Communication minister Syed Abul Hossain, speaking as the chief guest, slammed the previous BNP-led government for delaying the project.

“Prime minister Sheikh Hasina laid the foundation [of the bridge] at the Mawa point at the end of her last (1996-2001) term.”

He urged local and foreign expert panels to provide feedbacks on the report quickly to finalise the scheme design by next month.

Hossain affirmed the government’s ’strong commitment’ to finish the bridge by 2013. However, on Wednesday, Hossain that completion of the Padma bridge at Mawa, 50 km south of Dhaka, may not be possible within the tenure of the current administration.

The Awami League-led government is expected to leave office in December 2013.

“The project would be delayed if tenders for construction work had to wait until after loan agreements have been secured with donors,” he told reporters after a farewell with departing World Bank country director Xian Zhu.

More than 200,000 people made homeless by a cyclone last year face a “catastrophic” humanitarian crisis because river embankments have not been repaired, the European Union said Tuesday.

Cyclone Aila, which tore through southern Bangladesh in May last year, killed 300 people and destroyed 4,000 kilometres (2,500 miles) of roads and river embankments, which prevent the flooding of low-lying areas.

The breached embankments led to villages and fields being flooded, forcing 200,000 people from their homes, “many of whom are still living in appalling conditions on strips of raised land,” the EU said in a statement.

“If the embankments aren’t repaired urgently, the humanitarian consequences will be catastrophic,” added Stefan Frowein, the head of EU?s delegation to Bangladesh.

Since the 1960s, the government has built up a network of embankments along rivers and canals in southern Bangladesh to prevent salt water flooding low-lying areas, allowing millions of people to cultivate the land.

The statement from the EU came less than a month after 18 charities criticised the government for not building the embankments quickly, forcing the victims to remain homeless indefinitely.

The government maintains that reconstruction will be finished before the rainy season begins in May.

More :

Cyclone Sidr powered through Bangladesh last 15th November 2007, devastating the southern coast and directly affecting around 3.1 million people.
More than 3,000 people have been reported dead and over 1,000 are missing, but numbers are rising fast as the full effects of the cyclone become clear.
Most deaths were caused by the 15ft tidal surge that plunged into coastal villages and towns, filling the air with debris and flattening bamboo and tin houses.
Vicious 250kph winds tore down homes, schools and power lines. Roads and bridges were also seriously damaged by the cyclone….>>>>>>more

Bangladesh Government has its own dignity to care Human rights ,specially government has successful result with Rohingya, but in last An international rights group has accused Bangladesh of “violating human rights” in its crackdown on thousands of unregistered Burmese refugees, many of whom have lived in the country for decades.

In a report released on Tuesday, The Physicians for Human Rights (PHR), said that tens of thousands of Rohingya, a Burmese Muslim ethnic group, had been forced into makeshift camps, facing starvation.

“It is unconscionable to leave this stateless and starving,” said Richard Sollom, the PHR director of research and investigations.

“Haiti after the recent earthquake had an acute child malnutrition rate of six percent, in the Rohingya camps the rate is 18.2 percent – three times higher but with no aid,” Sollom said.

‘Violating human rights’

Up to 300,000 Rohingyas, who have been described by the United Nations as one of the most persecuted minorities in the world, have fled across the border to Bangladesh since the 1970’s.

The report said the country’s authorities were waging a campaign of “arbitrary arrest, illegal expulsion, and forced internment”.

The police are “systematically rounding up, jailing or summarily expelling these unregistered refugees across the Myanmar border in flagrant violation of the country’s human rights obligations,” it said.

‘Baseless and malicious’

The report follows two other reports: one by Arakan Project, a lobby group, and another by Doctors Without Borders, a humanitarian NGO, which also criticised the crackdown.

The Bangladeshi government has dismissed the accusations as “baseless and malicious”.

It views the Rohingya as elligal immigrants and maintains they must be repatriated.

“We are arresting illegal Rohingya and pushing them back over the border. It is an ongoing operation,” said Rafiqul Islam, a Bangladeshi police chief.
Counter Part :
The report, “Stateless and Starving: Persecuted Rohingya Flee Burma and Starve in Bangladesh,” also called the makeshift camps for unregistered refugees “open-air prisons” where children face severe malnutrition due to a lack of food aid and restricted movement outside of camps.

“The government of Bangladesh is absolutely ignoring it. They are sweeping it under the rug,” said Richard Sollom, director of research and investigation for the group based in Cambridge, Mass. “Basically, it’s the policy of the government that they simply want (the refugees) to disappear.”

In addition, Sollom said Bangladesh authorities are preventing outside humanitarian aid to get to the refugees.

Abdul Momen, Bangladesh’s representative in the United Nations, called that charge “totally false” and said government officials just have to make sure that any aid isn’t coming from terrorist groups.

“Bangladesh always stands by human rights,” said Momen. “(But) we are the victims. The Burmese people have been kicked out of their country and we gave them shelter. We are an impoverished country, and in spite of that, we tried to help them as best we can.”

Momen said the influx of refugees in Bangladesh is putting pressure on the country, roughly the size of Massachusetts, since it is already overcrowded with a population of 160 million.

Momen said there may be one or two “sporadic incidents,” but denied that there was widespread abuse.

“We are trying our best to keep them in good humor,” said Momen.

Last weekend, Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dipu Moni called for the repatriation of Burmese refugees back to Myanmar. She called media reports about the ill treatment of refugees “baseless and malicious.”

However, several international aid groups have protested against the treatment of the Rohingya in Bangladesh. Medecins Sans Frontieres-Holland said last month that a violent crackdown against Rohingya is forcing thousands to flee their homes, fearing local authorities and citizens who are trying to force them to go back to Myanmar.

“MSF is treating victims of beatings and harassment, including people the Bangladeshi Border Force has attempted to forcibly repatriate to Myanmar. As camp numbers continue to swell, conditions pose a significant risk to people’s health,” the group said then in a statement.

A Birmingham, U.K.-based aid group, Islamic Relief Worldwide, also pulled out of a makeshift refugee camp in southern Bangladesh on Feb. 28 because the government did not permit them to work with nearly 13,000 unregistered Rohingyas receiving services there, according to the U.N.’s humanitarian news service, IRIN.

The Burmese refugee population in Bangladesh is estimated between 200,000 to 400,000, according to Physicians for Human Rights. The Bangladesh government and the United Nations High Commissioner on Refugees jointly administer two recognized camps with 28,000 registered refugees.

The group issued its report after Sollom and a team visited camps last month in Bangladesh and surveyed 100 refugee families.

The government of Bangladesh needs “to cease immediately from arbitrary arresting and forcibly expelling legitimate refugees and they do not have an administrative framework for determining refugee status as do most countries,” Sollom said.

“They need to allow the international humanitarian organizations full and unobstructed access because they are obstructing access right now,” Sollom said.

Physicians for Human Rights, founded in 1986, mobilizes health professionals to research conditions in war zones, U.S. prisons, immigration detention centers and others, according to its Web site. The group pushes policymakers to do something if they find unhealthy conditions.