Expressing deep condolence over the suicide bomb attack on a mosque in Saudi Arabia, and expressing worry over killings of bloggers in Bangladesh by violent extremists, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina reiterated her commitment not to allow anyone to do politics over people's religious sentiment. She commented that anyone committing crimes in the name of religion will not be spared and expressed optimism that Bangladeshi people would continue to practice their non-communal ideology.

The Digital Bangladesh Taskforce was formed to guide government’s vision to transform Bangladesh into a technologically advanced country. This week, in the second meeting of this high-level committee headed by the Premier, some historic moves were devised to further accelerate digitization, including, expanding e-tendering process, ensuring internet for all educational institutes, appointing international business consultants, and encouraging local assembly of digital devices.

After the milestone being achieved in elevating the country into a lower middle income status, the Awami League led government has now embarked on another mission to take the next giant leap in delivering its promise to build a hunger and poverty free Bangladesh. Under the next five year plan, seventh of its kind, the target has been locked to bring down extreme poverty rate to 8.9% from the existing 12.9% in the next five years and empower the country to bid farewell to the menace of hunger and poverty forever within 2030.

INFRASTRUCTURE AND MEGA PROJECTS

The nation’s vision to transform the garment industry into a $50 billion industry is set to mark another giant stride to become a reality as the government has unveiled new plans to build two more garment villages including one in the port city Chittagong. Currently a Chinese firm is developing the village at Munshiganj at a cost of $2.3 billion to house more than 200 factories. Meanwhile, efforts are underway to set up a specialised bank for the garment industry to provide easy loans for entrepreneurs.

The country has witnessed incredible gains in realizing its dream of getting the first High-Tech Park with the government coming up with a varied assortment of measures to boost foreign investment there. International standard business facilities and financial incentives including tax exemption for 10 years are being offered to draw more local and foreign investments. Meanwhile, the government struck a deal with another local company for investment of $25.8 million on the newly established park.

GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT

According to Export Promotion Bureau, software exports in Bangladesh witnessed a 6.27% rise last year, with the total earnings reaching to $132 million from $124 million in 2014-15. However, experts feel that the export amount would have been greater had the BNP led alliance, upon the directives of Khaleda Zia, not unleashed a reign of terror during the 91 days of blockade between January and April. Moreover the government’s policy of “One Bangladesh, the Next Five Years Vision of Bangladesh Software and IT Services Industry” also helped in this regard.

In a bid to open up a new sports horizon for the capital dwellers, Abahani, one of the leading sports club in the country, has embarked on the task of building a sports complex fully equipped with modern facilities on its Dhanmondi field in a span of next two years. Named after the club’s founder, younger brother of the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, a known sports organizer of his time, the Sheikh Kamal Krira Complex will look to bring health, sports, and social recreation under the same umbrella.

SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EQUITY

About a million ultra-poor families in different districts are getting assistance for improving their economic status, especially in the field of poverty alleviation and for improving nutrition over the last 7 years. That milestone, revealed in an international conference this week, has been achieved under the prudent leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina coupled with many other development partners stepping out to assist the government.

ICDDRB, a leading medical research facility in Dhaka, will establish an urban health surveillance system to monitor and improve the health of over 30,000 households (HH) in Dhaka city and Gazipur. This surveillance system will collect data on fertility, mortality, migration, marriage and divorce, family planning, violence against women, morbidity, car sickness, health expenditure and impart knowledge of health problems among slum dwellers of these urban areas. Information will be used for making policies, allocating resources and delivering services.

Headed by the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the Cabinet has sanctioned the draft of the national nutrition policy that aims to ensure nutrition for mothers, children, adolescent girls and the poor people. The objective is to provide better nutritious food to people, particularly mothers, adolescent girls, children and the deprived and to improve the quality of lives to expedite national development. The National Food and Nutrition Policy (NFNP) was formulated in 1997, during the previous Awami League government.

INTERNATIONAL AND REGIONAL COOPERATION

Bangladesh has extended its efforts to help the lives of flood hit people of Myanmar, chocking into a worst ever humanitarian crisis by the recent devastating floods, with the allocation of a varied assortment of assistances. In response to the call for international aid made by the neighbouring government, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina immediately initiated measures to stand beside Myanmar. On Saturday, a consignment of medicine and supplies reached the country.

Owing to the intensified diplomatic efforts, as demonstrated by the government, Malaysia has given approval to hire more Bangladeshi workers who have relevant education and basic training for employment in a wide range of sectors. The workers will also be groomed up by the employing firms before engaging them in relevant fields and sectors. Last June, the key destination for manpower landing consented to employ 1.5 million in sectors including plantation, construction and manufacturing.

TRADE AND INVESTMENT

An investment summit focusing on Bangladesh will take place in Singapore on September 1 as international investors have been expressing a growing interest in the country. The Bangladesh Investment Summit, Asia will examine the trade and investment opportunities for Asia's sovereign wealth funds, public and private pension funds and other financial investors in Bangladesh's markets. It will delve into the backstory to underpin the opportunities by examining merger and acquisitions prospects.

The Bangladesh government is close to approving an $88 million project to set up a special economic zone for Indian investors in Mongla and Bheramarha as the first venture of the $2 billion line of credit given by India. To this end, works are progressing first to formulate a Development Project Proposal (DPP) soon. Concerned authorities are instructed to consider it as a fast track project and expected to initiate the required measurers to make it a reality within 2017.

PEACE AND JUSTICE

Bangladesh and India have reached a consensus to bring down border killings to zero level and ensure a peaceful atmosphere in the frontiers with the number of such tragic deaths coming down significantly since Awami League came to power. The pledge was made at the biannual BGB-BSF conference held in India's New Delhi last week. Issues of trans-border crimes, stopping arrest of Bangladeshi citizens in border areas, preventing illegal trespassing, prevention of illegal migration and human trafficking were also discussed.

DIGITAL BANGLADESH

Bangladesh’s oldest public university has launched the largest e-Library in Asia that will connect the university with 35 internationally renowned libraries and publication houses in the world. Dhaka University teachers, students and researchers will be able to read all journals, books, research papers and articles of these leading libraries, including Oxford University and Cambridge University libraries, by using the e-Library facilities.