Aug 17, 2018
#
Bangladesh mourns independence leader Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
The nation paid rich tributes to the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mubijur Rahman, on Wednesday, with a renewed pledge to materialize his dream to build a “Sonar Bangla” thwarting conspiracies of the anti-liberation and communal forces. The Father of the Nation Sheikh Mujib, then President of the new republic, was killed along with most members of the family on Aug 15, 1975 by a group of disgruntled army officers at his Dhanmondi residence in Dhaka. Honourable President Abdul Hamid and Bangladesh Premier Sheikh Hasina paid their homages by placing wreaths at the portrait of Bangabandhu in front of Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Dhanmondi Road No. 32. Different parties and cultural organisations have chalked out elaborate programmes to mourn.
Honourable Prime Minister (HPM) Sheikh Hasina said her government is working on strengthening democracy in the country and accelerating the country's development. She made the comment when visiting Commonwealth Secretary General Patricia Scotland met her at the HPM’s Office. The Commonwealth secretary general stressed the need for trade facilitation among the Commonwealth countries. The envoy also said the Commonwealth is ready to extend cooperation in upholding the democratic process in Bangladesh.
HPM Sheikh Hasina said relations between Bangladesh and India have now reached a new height as both the countries duly value each other. The primer said this when Dr Anindya Gopal Mitra, state executive member and adviser to BJP president in West Bengal of India, met her at her office. Hasina told Dr Mitra that the people of Bangladesh always express their gratitude towards the people and government of India for their all-out support to Bangladesh and its people during the Liberation War in 1971.
GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT
#
WB gives $510m to improve secondary education system
The government signed a $510 million financing agreement with the World Bank to enhance the quality and effectiveness of the secondary education system in Bangladesh. The move will benefit 13 million students studying in grades 6 to 12, said a statement from the Washington-based multilateral lender. It will focus on improving education quality and access, and that students -- especially girls and children from low-income households -- complete secondary education. For this end, the programme will support stipends and school grants.
HPM Sheikh Hasina inaugurated 23 bridges constructed at different points of Joydebpur-Chandra-Tangail-Alenga Highway (N-4) as part of South Asia Sub Regional Economic Cooperation (SASEC). The Premier, through a videoconference, also inaugurated a railway overpass at Fatepur of Feni district on Dhaka-Chittagong four-lane highway. According to HPM Sheikh Hasina the bridges would not only ensure socioeconomic development of Bangladesh but also open a new era of regional and sub-regional cooperation, as envisioned by the Father of the Nation.
SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EQUITY
#
The government has targeted to impart training to 1,64,000 teachers on creative question paper method by 2018. As many as 3,000 teachers have been given 12-day training to create a pool of master trainers to fulfill the target. Under the Secondary Education Sector Investment Programme, teachers are being given six days training on creative question paper method. The committee recommended to increase the time of training to one month for the teachers as the existing timeframe is not sufficient.
The government is going to provide housing and loans to 20,000 ultra-poor families in city corporations and municipal areas, with an aim to reduce urban poverty. The disbursement will be made under a project titled “National Urban Poverty Reduction Programme”, at a cost of $94 million. According to the project proposal, 5,000 ultra-poor families will each be given a two-room flat free of cost, while 15,000 ultra-poor families will be given interest-free loans under community housing development fund. The 20,000 families will be provided with basic services like water connections, sanitation, drainage and approach road facilities under the project.
TRADE AND INVSETMENT
#
Exports started fiscal 2018-19 on a bright note, fetching $3.58 billion in July, which is 19.73% more than a year earlier. July's receipts, which beat the strategic target of $3.35 billion set for the month, are an increase of 22.18 % from a month earlier, according to data from the Export Promotion Bureau. Of the sum, apparel alone brought $3.01 billion, up 21.72% year-on-year. Bangladesh held on to its status as the second biggest apparel supplier in the world in 2017 and consolidated its position, according to data from the World Trade Organisation. Its share of global apparel market is 6.5% , up from 6.4% in 2016.
The country is expected to witness a record $7 to $8 billion Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the current fiscal year due to favorable conditions. Considering the global debt scenario as well as the debt scenario of the country alongside the developments in the global trade situations, Bangladesh has a unique chance to attract more FDI. A set of instructions has been issued to the authorities concerned so that the development is sustainable and the current momentum of growth continues.
The Chittagong port's fleet of quayside gantry cranes got bigger with the inclusion of three new cranes on Tuesday, which would boost the port's container handling capacity. The three cranes are part of the six that the port authority purchased at $35 million on October 15 last year. The port authorities have been encouraging the use of geared vessels for self-loading/discharging, which can handle a maximum of 15 containers every hour. Port users say the new cranes will double the rate. t currently takes 72 to 96 hours to complete container handling of vessels with 1,000 twenty-foot equivalent units capacity.
Bangladesh Insight Archives
This email was sent by: Bangladesh Awami League
To unsubscribe click: here