Bangladesh needs quick disbursement of funds for developing the digital Bangladesh quickly. Bangladesh has a bright future to be a developed country. But we have also lots of obstacle also. We haven’t enough funds to make a proper digital Bangladesh. & for this we need loan for making the Bangladesh to give a proper structure of “DIGITAL BANGLADESH”

Dhaka, Bangladesh (AHN) – Japan has offered a $433 million soft loan for four development projects in Bangladesh under its 31st Yen Loan package. Charge d’ Affaires of Japan in Bangladesh Harumitsu Hida offered the loan when he called on Finance Minister AMA Muhith in his office in the capital, Dhaka on Sunday. The loan will be available within two to three months after an agreement is signed, the finance minister told reporters after the meeting, adding that Bangladesh has to repay the loan in 50 years at a rate of 0.01 percent interest. The new loan package reflects Japan’s strong intention to support development, further prosperity and poverty reduction in Bangladesh, Mr. Hirmitsu said. The projects are the Chittagong city outer ring road project; Bheramara combined cycle power plant project, rural electrification upgrade project (for western Bangladesh) and southwestern Bangladesh rural development project. The conditions of the loan are most generous, a Japan embassy press statement said in Dhaka, adding that the interest rate is only 0.01 percent per annum and the repayment period is 40 years inclusive of 10-year grace period. Referring to the recent visits of Sheikh Hasina to India and Bhutan, the Prime Minister said her country has taken initiatives with respect to connectivity, sharing energy, power and water, regional security and trade. She said real development can only be achieved through a democratic system.

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

“Make best use of all facilities sponsored by our government. Increase food production to build a food-sufficient Bangladesh so that we do not have to rely on others for food. If we want to save the country, our farmers and agriculture will have to be saved,” Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said

The PM was addressing the inaugural function of the newly introduced Agri-input Assistance Card and Cash Assistance programme for the country’s farmers
The new smart card scheme for farmers designed to increase productivity and reduce fraud.
Almost 20 million small or medium-sized farms in Bangladesh will eventually get the card, which will allow them to open bank accounts with just a few cents.

It will allow the government to pay subsidies directly to them, cutting out middlemen and embezzlers.

They currently siphon off a large proportion of the government’s help.

The first use of the card will be to distribute a $100m fuel subsidy.

The cards will also contain information on the land the farmers have under cultivation, the crops they produce and the fertilisers they will need.

“An interactive database of farmers has been prepared to run in conjunction with the scheme,” said Agriculture Secretary Mustaq Ahmed, “which will help the government make detailed analysis of the inputs that farmers need.

“We can then make efficient planning for agriculture, while farmers who have never been linked to the banks will become more money-literate once they start going to them.

“They will then begin to take loans from banks – instead of rural moneylenders who charge high interest rates for farmers. It will also make farmers more aware of modern agriculture technologies.”

It is hoped that the initiatives would bring “revolutionary change to the agricultural sector

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wednesday hailed her four-day visit to giant neighbour India as a success that would usher in stronger economic and development cooperation.

Hasina, on her first visit to India since coming to power in December 2008 polls, secured one billion dollars of credit from Asia’s fourth-largest economy for bolstering infrastructure in Bangladesh.

“We feel it will open a door, a new era,” Hasina told reporters before concluding her India trip.

Cross-border ties have warmed considerably since Hasina came to power a year ago and the Awami League leader has received strong support from New Delhi.

India, which signed five accords with Bangladesh in areas ranging from cultural exchanges, security, preventing crime and power supply, also deemed the visit as “extremely fruitful.”

“This is one of the most successful visits in recent times. It is a major step forward that will transform bilateral ties,” an Indian foreign ministry official told

PRIME Minister Sheikh Hasina’s visit to India, marked by the signing of three agreements on security and control of terrorism, exchange of sentenced prisoners; memoranda of understanding on cooperation in power sharing and cultural exchanges, and finally, the joint communiqué asserting the granting of transit to India through Chittagong and Mongla ports and of transshipment facilities for Bangladesh from Nepal and Bhutan through Banglabandha look set for having far reaching consequences in the relations between the two countries. The Bangladesh Prime Minister, before her return from Delhi, underscored the need for equitable water sharing of Teesta and other common rivers, and hoped that the large neighbour would be generous in reducing trade imbalance.

India has committed to extend assistance to develop infrastructure and Prime Minister Mahmohan Singh has said that his country would do nothing on the proposed Tipaimukh Dam that might be harmful to Bangladesh. India has withdrawn 47 Bangladeshi goods from its negative list. The Bangladesh Prime Minister on her return to Dhaka yesterday said the visit was crowned with success. Her political critics however, said that India got what it wanted and the Bangladesh side got only assurances. India’s most important concern for support to combat separatist elements in the north-east are believed to have been helped by the agreements that have been signed.

The people of Bangladesh would love to see the bilateral relations between the two countries to be at the higher plane to the benefit of both the peoples. Again, something has to be done about sharing of water of common rivers on which the survival and progress of the people of this deltaic land depends. Thus, while Bangladesh has demonstrated its eagerness to develop bilateral relations, it should get reciprocal responses from India on the questions of trade, water sharing and regional connectivity. Without reciprocity it would be difficult for the government to implement the agreements, MOUs and assurances.

Education is the key infrustucture of a person- Nation.Only through the quality education a nation can be lead to the proper success.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday reaffirmed her government’s firm commitment to fulfil each of the rights of people including ensuring quality education for all.

“Our government has taken various pragmatic steps including imparting training to the teachers and providing quality textbooks to the students free of cost at primary and higher secondary levels,” she said while inaugurating the National Primary Education Week-2010 at Osmani Memorial Auditorium here.

Presided over by Primary and Mass Education Minister Dr Md Afsarul Amin, the function was also addressed by State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Md. Motahar Hossain, Secretary-in- charge of the ministry Abu Alam Md. Shahid Khan and Director General of the Department of Primary and Mass Education Shaymol Kanti Gosh.

The Prime Minister said her government has taken various measurers including providing textbooks and Tiffin free of cost in different schools and introduced school terminal examinations to stop drop out.

She expressed the hope that disparities in primary education would be removed along with raising competitiveness among the students with the introduction of school terminal examinations across the country.

Laying emphasis on increased number of quality teachers to raise the standard of education at school levels, she said considering this her government has already recruited more than 20,000 assistant teachers in primary schools while a process is underway to recruit 22,315 more primary teachers to this end.

Besides, she said, another process is on to appoint 1,000 headmasters at primary schools within this month.

About school curriculum and syllabus, she said the existing curriculum seems huge in terms of the age of students. She asked the authorities to reduce curriculum and syllabus at the school levels after consultation with all concerned and experts.

But, she regretted, the vital education sector was ignored during the last seven years, especially when the BNP- Jamaat clique was in power, taking no step to raise the quality of education and literacy rate in the country.

The Prime Minister said Father of the Nation and the greatest Bangali of all time Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman nationalized 36,165 primary schools and services of over 1.50 lakh primary school teachers in the war-ravaged Bangladesh as he thought that only quality education could help build Sonar Bangla.

Referring to providing textbooks free of cost among the primary and higher secondary students for the first time this year and at the beginning of new academic year, she said the previous governments could not reach textbooks to the students in such a smooth way and in time in the past.

In this context, The Prime Minister mentioned her personal feeling saying that she felt that education up to the degree level should be free of cost. “Although our government is now under pressure. We will take steps to make education up to the degree level free for all in future,” she added.

Sheikh Hasina said her government has made the highest allocation in the education sector and this trend would continue in future to ensure education for all.

“We have taken steps to fulfil our election pledges to ensure enrolment of all children in primary schools by 2011 and eradicating illiteracy from the country by 2014,” she said.

She said Bangladesh has achieved significant success in enrolment in primary schools so far while gender equality has been ensured in this regard.

Besides, she said, fresh programmes have been taken along with the existing ones in different areas to eradicate illiteracy from the country. “Special programmes has been taken for the remote, inaccessible and hilly areas to this end,” she added.

Calling upon all to supplement the government’s efforts to eradicate illiteracy from the country, Sheikh Hasina expressed the hope that her government would be able to reach its desired goal of building a digital Bangladesh if it gets support from the people.

Later, the Prime Minister handed over prizes and medals to the best teachers, best schools and the students who secured brilliant results in the last Primary School terminal Examination.

Students, who performed best in different extra-curricular activities at national levels competition, were also awarded in the function.

As the formal programme is over, an excellent cultural function was presented by the school students. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina witnessed the performances of the children.

Ministers, Advisers to the Prima Minister, representatives of diplomatic missions, academics and high civil and military officials were present on the occasion.

India and Bangladesh are expected to sign three pacts related to counter-terrorism and organised crime during prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s visit here from January 10, a step that could help address India’s concerns about north-east insurgents taking shelter in that country.

The two countries will sign a few other agreements and MoUs, including one in power sector, during the three-day visit that is expected to give a push to the bilateral relations in the backdrop of recent positive atmospherics.

Prime minister Manmohan Singh and Hasina will review the entire gamut of bilateral relations and discuss ways to enhance these in mutually-beneficial manner, government sources said here.

The two countries are expected to sign an Agreement on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters, Agreement on Transfer of Sentenced Persons and a pact on Combating International Terrorism, Organised Crime and Illicit Drug Trafficking during the visit, which will be Hasina’s first trip to India after taking over in January last year.

The agreements are aimed at addressing India’s concerns with regard to north-east insurgents taking shelter in Bangladesh as a legal framework would be in place to transfer them, including those having undergone sentences in that country.

India has a lot of expectations on this front from the Hasina government. Dhaka has already taken a number of discreet measures to deny safe haven to north-east insurgents, which is reflected by the arrest of some top ULFA leaders like Arabinda Rajkhowa.

India and Bangladesh have agreed to develop mechanisms to hasten the process of verification of nationality of prisoners lodged in jails of either country, particularly of those who have completed their sentences, to enable their early repatriation, the sources said.

Since the Hasina government came to power, the goodwill for India in Dhaka has increased and both sides are working to address their differences and promote cooperation in a wide range of areas, including commerce, railways and power.

Hasina’s visit is expected to be beneficial in this regard. During the visit, the Indian side is expected to announce a credit line of up to $500 million. India has been looking “sensitively” at issues relating to tariffs on goods from Bangladesh and has made a provision for duty-free import of eight million pieces of garments.

Benefits under the Least Developed Country (LDC) are also being extended to Bangladesh, as a result of which the list of sensitive items for import has been pruned considerably.

In the energy sector, the two countries will sign a power exchange MoU providing for import and export of electricity amounting to over 900 million units per annum depending on availability, need and price, the sources said here.

The price and various modalities for exchange of power will be worked out later for the MoU under which about 250 MW of power is expected to be exchanged initially and eventually it could touch 1,000 MW.

Energy-deficient Bangladesh will receive the power from Indian grids in West Bengal and Tripura. The two sides are also working to ink an agreement on Teesta River water sharing.

POLITICAL FLASH BACK

Dhaka, Jan 3 (IANS) Bangladesh opposition leader Khaleda Zia “must not prejudge” the outcome of the summit level talks Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will have in New Delhi next week, a Dhaka daily said Sunday.
“Patriotism cannot be the monopoly of a group or party,” The Daily Star said in an editorial, adding: “?which is why we believe Begum Zia should have been more circumspect in her remarks before a partisan audience.”

Hasina is expected to hold talks with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan singh Jan 11.

Zia’s threat of launching an agitation should Hasina sign pacts with India that go against the national interest has triggered an animated media debate.

Taking an opposite stand, New Age newspaper observed that stand taken by the Hasina government on some of the bilateral issues “appears to be more favourable to India’s interest than Bangladesh’s”.

“The people expect the prime minister to sort out certain lingering disputes between Bangladesh and India during her upcoming visit?,” New Age said, listing “two or more relatively recent issues – namely New Delhi’s plan to construct a dam and a barrage on the upstream of the river Barak at Tipaimukh and request for transit facilities, and the link with the Asian Highway”.

It applauded Zia’s rhetorical call at a rally that she and her party workers would “welcome Hasina with flowers at the airport” should she sign pacts favourable to Bangladesh. This approach of Zia, it said was “refreshing and positive”.

However, The Daily Star observed: “The unvarnished truth here is that the opposition is presuming a little too much and clearly expects the prime minister to resolve all outstanding issues with India to our satisfaction with just one visit.

“The position the BNP (Bangladesh Nationalist Party) chairperson has taken is thus quite indefensible, given that she is patently prejudging the outcome of the talks between the Bangladesh and Indian heads of government,” The Daily Star said.

Questioning the performance of former prime minister Zia, the newspaper said the issues raised at a public rally should have been raised and debated in parliament that the opposition has been boycotting.

“Such obstructionist politics has constantly undermined the country,” the editorial said.

Urging a ?re-think’ on the part of the opposition, the editorial said: “By threatening to go for an agitation on the streets, the former prime minister has deeply disappointed and embarrassed the country. The extent to which such a position can undermine democracy and push the country toward chaos can only be imagined”.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has expressed her satisfaction over arriving at a `reasonable conclusion’ at the UN Climate Change Conference, saying there are certain areas that need to be finalised in the future.
Source :http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/latest_news.php?nid=21189

“An agreement has been agreed upon taking in most of all our concerns. There are certain areas that would be finalised in the coming days,” she said in a statement at the Lund University on Saturday.

Hasina had visited the Lund University campus with her nuclear physicist husband, late Dr MA Wazed Miah, in 1969.

Referring to the closed-door hectic negotiation in Copenhagen on Friday, the prime minister said a core group was established comprising 25 countries, including Bangladesh, to finalise the agreement.
The PM said it is interesting to note that around 130 heads of states and governments gathered here indicating the great importance they gave to the climate change conference.
She reiterated that though the greenhouse gas emission is negligible in Bangladesh, the country has become one of its worst victims.

Hasina said global warming has subjected Bangladesh to an increasingly frequent and erratic pattern of floods, cyclones, droughts, colossal tidal surges along its southern coasts and unreasonable high level of monsoon rainfall causing landslides and heavy river erosions while absence of seasonal rain in the north causing desertification.

“Therefore, we want adoption of a new legal regime under UNFCCC Protocol to ensure overall rehabilitation of climate refugees,” she told teachers and students of the Lund University.

The PM said Bangladesh is already adapting to climate change. An immediate project is dredging of rivers to keep them on their natural course; deepen to hold more water; contain flooding, reduce flood-induced damages.

Bangladesh has also established a Climate Change Trust Fund with own resources and approved 134 climate adaptation and mitigation action plans, she said, adding that besides, a Multi-Donor Trust Fund has been set up with contributions from development partners and friends.

Hasina said though mitigation is the prime responsibility of developed and major developing emitters of greenhouse gas, Bangladesh is preparing a strategic energy plan for following a low carbon path to development; social forestry; green belts for large carbon sink; clean coal technology; nuclear power; and renewable energy.

She said already 600,000 solar home systems have been installed; vehicles converted to using compressed natural gas as fuel; industries producing toxic waste relocated equipped with effluent treatment facilities; and biodegradable material used as alternate to synthetics.

Referring to her government’s major concerns, the Prime Minister said the major concerns are food security, strengthening democracy, counter terrorism, adapting to climate change, among others.
She said an immediate step had been to apply government intervention in reducing price of food and other daily essentials and maintaining the price within common people’s reach
.

Related Back Story
Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, is in climate change summit
Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, requested to industrial countries to give 1.5 % of their annual growth to adaptation fund. She told this at the speech in Copenhagen climate summit last Wednesday.

Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina , told, “ We have come to Copenhagen with the hope of justice, indifferent interests of human being and to introduce a new world. We have come here with the dream to protect our mother land and the world. Our future is dependent on what we will do here”.

Prime Minister told about the condition of Bangladesh, “Developed countries have to promise to reach to the agreement with legal obligations to stop discharging green house gas. Industrial states have to decrease discharging green house gas by 45% in 2020.Concentration of green house gas has to be decreased to 359 ppm”.

She added about climate refugees, “People are losing their house because of continuous natural disaster and breaking up of river. They are accumulating in urban areas that is bringing social clash .We are giving money to them from our development fund and our millennium development goals are obstructed. Two crores people will be climate refugees in 2050 because of the increase of sea level by 1 meter. Four crores people will lose livelihood .UNFCC has to prepare a new legal structure of these people. Climate refugees have to be given the opportunity to adapt worldwide”.

Prime Ministry told, “Bangladesh has no contribution in case of discharging green house gas. But, Bangladesh is facing natural disaster of climate change regularly. Bangladesh is in the 1st ,3rd and 6th position in case of the risk of flood, tsunami and cyclone respectively. Bangladeshi people are the most victims of these disasters”.

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been chosen for the prestigious Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development this year for her “outstanding contribution to the promotion of democracy and pluralism”.

This was decided by an international jury chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today, the Indira Gandhi Memorial Trust said.

62-year-old Hasina has been chosen for her “outstanding contribution to the promotion of democracy and pluralism, her determined drive to alleviate poverty and secure social and economic justice for her people through inclusive and sustainable development and her consistent commitment to peace”, it said.

An announcement by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) Thursday said Sheikh Hasina embarked on her “Vision 2021?, aimed at transforming Bangladesh into a middle-income country by eliminating poverty and inequity, after being elected as prime minister last year.

“This document reaffirms Bangladesh’s commitment to promoting world peace,” said a PMO statement.

The international jury headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Sheikh Hasina’s determined drive to alleviate poverty and secure social and economic justice for her people was recognised.

Sheikha Hasina, who is the eldest daughter of Mujibur Rahman, the founding father of Bangladesh, will receive the award next year.

The award carries a Rs.25 lakh purse and a plaque.

Mohammad El-Baradei, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), was the last recipient of this award.

The IAEA chief was recognised for his opposition to the use of nuclear energy for military purposes and his steadfast espousal of the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, sustained over many years.