Sep 29, 2016

In an exclusive interview with the Voice of America, HPM Sheikh Hasina played down accusations of clamping down rival parties, saying that there is plenty of political space for opposition in Bangladesh and that people are holding meetings and rallies without facing any obstacles. In reference to the political mistake committed by Bangladesh Nationalist Party in boycotting the last parliamentary election, the Premier said that recently the party took part in local government elections. On countering terrorism, she said her government, through awareness campaigns, has been able to increase the involvement of the people against terrorism and violent extremism.

In a bid to give the railway sector a complete overhaul, a deal has been forged between the government and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) under which the latter pledged to provide the former with $1.5 billion fund in several phases. The entire amount will be spent on setting up a key train line, which is part of the Trans-Asia Railway network, and will also improve Bangladesh's access to Myanmar and beyond. To be built between Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar, this route, once installed, would also connect southeastern Bangladesh to the Trans-Asia Railway network.

A target has been set by the International Labour Organization (ILO) to bring an additional 127 garment factories under its Better Work (BW) programme by next June, to ensure greater social compliance and workers' rights. Since 2013, as many as 120 factories have been brought under the scheme and 98 registered, employing 201,995 workers while the number of global buyers is 31. In a related development, a Two Step Loan (TSL) refinancing fund has been formed to strengthen building safety of garment factories through short to long-term finance.

Works are going on full swing to overhaul the Siddhirganj Power Plant (SPP) at a cost of $4.8 million to ensure smooth power generation and transmission. The move coincides with the government’s electoral pledge to ensure electricity for all by 2021. The SPP, which has a 210-megawatt capacity and located in Narayanganj district, has been running on commercial basis since its commissioning in 2013. In a span of seven years, under the Awami League led government, the country witnessed 76% of the entire population gaining access to electricity while the generation capacity soared to a record high.

Jute farmers have got handsome returns this year thanks to rising demand for jute and jute sticks both at home and abroad. According to experts, the implementation process of the Mandatory Jute Packaging Law-2010, rising demand for raw jute and jute-stick charcoal in the globe and an increase in production helped the farmers in getting such handsome returns. Last year, the government imposed a ban on export of jute to ensure smooth supply of the fibre for local mills involved in production of sacks, hessians and yarn.

Bangladesh has become the chairman of a new coalition, bringing some low-lying countries together aimed at preventing floods and rendering urban deltas resilient against climate change. For the next one year, Bangladesh will hold the chairmanship and secretariat of the Delta Coalition. Being the largest delta in the world, the complexity involving it necessitates Bangladesh's adopting a long-term integrated plan that can adapt to change. The Netherlands is helping Bangladesh to implement the ‘Bangladesh Delta Plan 2100’.

In a space of only seven years, a digital renaissance has been ushered in the ICT sector with the industry setting its footprint on the global stage and the market growing to a staggering $300 million. In this year, an amount worth $204.2 million has been allocated from the national budget, up from only $25.5 million seven years back. A number of milestones have been witnessed as a result, including internet users crossing the six million mark, the price for bandwidth internet falling down to a record low, government services going digital and a total of 5,275 digital centers being set up across the country delivering 200 public services to the rural people.