Call to raise domestic demand

Althrough the performance of the country's external sectors including remittance & export is still strong, exporters & economists have warned that the sectors will soon feel the negative impacts of the global financial meltdown. The economists said to turn away the recession fallout, measures should be incorporated in the next budget for increasing domestic demand to creat employment. Current account balance in the first eight months (july-february) of this fiscal year increased by 172 percent & stood at $816 million against $299 million in the same period of the previous fiscal year. A central bank high official said although growth fell in the recent months, the overall remittance & export performance is still satisfactory, leading, leading to an improved current account balance. The foreign currency reserve has crossed $6 billion, & on middle of the may it stood at $6.29 billion. But warning bells have begun to ring from different corners that the external sector may face setback. The World Bank in its recent report released last month said "there are a number of worrying signs." Export volatility appears to have increased with growth rates fluctuating widely, buyers are pressing for higher discounts, orders are being deferred & the threat from competitors to Bangladesh in traditional apparel markers has become stronger, the World Bank said. Research Director of Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) Zaid Bakht said if the export on remittance drops, employment has to be created for the expatriates who would lose job owing to slow down in exports. He also said the government is probably going for an aggressive expansionary fiscal policy. A big size budget is going to be presented. It would increase government expenditure, which in turn will increase domestic demand, he added. However, Bakht said there is a risk factor. If the revenue earning doesn't increase, govt borrowing will go up & so will inflation. He suggested that revenue earning should be increased & emphasis should be given to quality expenditure. Trade deficit was 60% last fiscal year over the previous year but in july-february period of the current fiscal year it went up by 15%. In the eight month period the amount of trade imbalance was $3560 million against $3087 million in the same period of the last fiscal year. In the first eight months of the current fiscal year export grew by 15.90 %, which was 11.10 percent in the same period last fiscal year. However, in the same period import grew by 15.55% against 21.02% in the corresponding period of last fiscal year. Another major cause of a healthy current account balance is strong remittance growth. In the last ten months of the current fiscal year, remittance growth was 22.70%. In the period remittance inflow was $7890 million against $6430 million last year. Around 63% remittance come from the Middle Eastern countries. Industry insiders anticipate that the impact of global financial crisis in Saudi Arabia & Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries will lead to restrictions on foreign workers & visas. Banladeshi think tank Refugee & Migratory Movement Researen unit fore casts that the country may also face decline in remittance inflows from the UK & US. Recent World Bank projection paints a grim picture for Bangladesh's exports, while Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers & Exporters Association said export orders of RMG products declined. However, both the price & volume of non RMG products are falling, said Export Promotion Bureau. In the july-march period of the current fiscal year export of pharmaceutical products fell by 15.92%, raw jute 19.62%, jute goods 17.98% & electronics by 56.90%.
---Collected By The DAILY STAR

Bad times for flute makers

Flute makers in the northdrn districts including Dinajpur, Rangpur, & Nilphamari are facing harsh times, as the demand for their products has waned. There has been no govt initiative to create national & international market for their craft, according to the flute makers & traders. Lack of bamboo, required for making the musical instrument, has also added to the crisis. "There have been isolated efforts by the govt to improve the trade & products" said Narayan Chandra Roy, a flute maker from Taraganj, Rangpur sadar upazila, who was vending his products hdre in Dinajpur recently. He added that about ten year back, his products were exported to India & England but now even the number of domestic to be a big challenge for flutes. A cultural activist of Dinajpur also suggested that the govt should promote & encourage small businesses & handicrafts by exporting the products to other countries. Harpal Biswas a local trader sells around 10/15 flutes per day at present, but claims to have sold 100/150 ten years back. "I've been in this trade forever. My father used to make flutes too. Currently buyers of our products are mostly local musicians & children & that doesn't cut it" he added. Many of the families who had been flute makers for generations, have moved on to other others professions. The number of crafts men has been declining sincd the mid '80. Over the last three decades, the number of these families in the region has decreased from 150 to 20. Many have migrated to india as well. Talking to this correspondent recently, the flute makers disappointedly said that the urban populace is now opting for electronic musical instruments, as a result traditional handmade instruments like flutes are losing market.
---Collected from DAILY STAR

Switzerland keen to invest more in pharm

Outgoing Swiss Ambassador Dora Raplod said Switzerland is keen to make more investments in the pharmaceutical sector in Bangladesh. She said this during a meeting with State Minister for Foregin Affairs Dr. Hasan Mahmud at his Office. The envoy also assured the state minister of increased support for development activities in Bangladesh. Welcoming the foreign investments, State Minister Hasan Mahmud said the government will extent full cooperation in this regard. During the meeting, Dora Rapold thanked the govt for its cooperation extended to her during her tenure in Bangladesh. Dr Hasan Mahmud requested the outgoing ambassador to play the role of an envoy on behalf of Bangladesh in her country. Dora Rapold also assured Dr Mahmud of playing a strong role in favour of Bangladesh so that Switzerland provides more assistance, said a press release of the ministry.

Climate is changing

Bangladesh should develop expertise both at public & private sectors for strong negotiations at international forums to face the challenges of climate change, said the experts & academics yesterday. They said designing appropriate adaptation technologies for agriculture as well as for victims of climate change is imperative to make sure the money received for these purposes is not misused. This was observed at a panel discussion on 'Climate change & Bangladesh's diplomacy' organised by Bangladesh Institute of International & Strategic Studies (BIISS) at its auditorium in the city. "The country's diplomacy should have three wings environmental, economic& conventional to give inputs on what is happening around climate change in the world" said Dr Atiq Rahman, executive director of Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies (BCAS). Before joining any international negotiation, the Bangladesh delegation must do homework in consultations with these wings, he added. The negotiators should come from the high level of the govt, he said, adding that it is not apprnmpiate to demand money forom here & there. "We should think of sustainable solution" he said. Dr Atiq a winner of 'UN Champions of the Earth Award 2008' said there will be displacement of people & change in food system & these issues must be dealt with utmost priority. Dr Ainun Nishat, contry representative of international Union fnr Conservation of Nature, said there are a lot of gaps among various ministries & these need to be bridged. "Let us have a strong team. Whoever represents the country in global forums must have full insights on climate changd" he said. As international negotiations are very tough & intensive, the cotinuity of the personnel im the government should be maintained to get to the right track of the negotiations & gain benefit from them, said Ainun Nishat, a water expert. "In any negotiations we have to include several types of expertise. There should be economists, sociologists & obligatorily an international legal expert" said Research Director of Bangladesh Institute of Development studies (BIDS) Dr M Asaduzzamam. Stating that Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change, he said the polluters must pay for the cleanest technologies to be set up in this country. "If a coal based power plant usually requries $50 million, the cleanest technology will require $30 million more. The polluters should provide this extra money as grants" he said. Asaduzzaman said the govt must be very cautious about how the developed countries provide the money through multilateral organistions like World Bank or some other means. "We must find the best way to get it & spend it" he added. Bangladesh Unnayan Parishad Chairman Prof Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad & BIISS Director General Maj Gen (retd) Sheikh Md Monirul Islam spoke on the occasion.

PM said govt high school to be set up at

PM Sheikh Hasina announced that text books will now be printed at district level & distributed among the students by local authorities, as the present book supply procedure creates perennial problems. Under another major step in the education sector, govt high schools will be established in every upazila of the country & quality education will be ensured in these schools. The PM disclosed the plans when a six-member delegation of the University Grant Commission (UGC) led by its chairman Prof Nazrul Islam called on her at the PM's office yeasterday morning. Hasina expressed disappointments over the degrading standard of education from primary to university level. "The fall of the standard of education is alarming" she told the executives of the UGC. About the book publication affairs Hasina further observed that many students have to suffer for delays in receiving textbooks as all books are printed certainlly in the capital city. PM's press secretary Abul Kalam Azad briefed the newsmen after the meeting, explaining the new measures being taken to resolve the problems in the education sector. Azad said the CD's of the books will be sent to the district authorities & the textbooks will be printed at a time to rid the students of long wait for textbooks while time of the academic year passes by. The premier said the quality of education at the university level fell to an alarming level as permission was given to set up many private universities without maintaining proper rules & regulations during the last government. She emphatically said her government would not compromise anyway on the questions of restoring the lost standards of education in the universities as the government attaches the highest priority to the education sector. The PM informed the UGC delegation that the authorities concerned are working to update the existing education policy in line with modern science & technology. Hasina also felt that country's educational institutions are suffering from a lack of qualified & well trained teachers. "Scarcity of well trained teachers will be removed" she assured. The UGC chairman apprised the PM of the overall situation of private & public universities of the country & demanded government steps to give the UGC more freedom for conducting it's activities smoothly. The premier assured the UGC members of government's earnestness in solving every problem facing the UGC in conducting its activities effectively for the sake of educational development. As the role of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in spreading education came up during the discussion, Hasina deplored that some 300 students of various levels who depend on financial assistance of BANGABANDHU memorial trust had to stop their studies as the immediate past caretaker government take the possession of the trust's bank account. She said these dropout students will be brought in the a globe of education again by the Bangabandhu Memorial Trust which bears education expenditures of some 1000 poor & physically challenged studentr of various levels. The UGC chairman gave special thanks to the prime minister as her govt has decided to set up Begum Rokeya University in Rangpur to give a boost to the educational arena in the backwater northern region of the country. Prof Nazrul presented the PM a set of books, including 'Education in Science & Education in Bangladesh' published by the UGC. The UGC chairman also expressed deep shock at the death of noted nuclear scientist & PM's husband Dr. MA Wazed Miah & prayed for salvation of his departed soul. Adviser to the PM for education, social development & political affairs Dr. Alauddin Ahmed & PM's office secretary Mollah Waheeduzzaman were present.
---UNB

To save te labour cost farmers use their

In many northern districts farmers are using their family members for harvesting paddy to save the labour cost. As the production cost has already exceeded the market price in this season. They give up loss of tk 100 to tk 150 for a maund means 40 kg in paddy. They selling them for tk 400 to tk 450 but there is the avarage production cost is tk 550. Under the government's current paddy & rice procurement drive, the price of a kg of Boro paddy has been fixed at tk 14. Accordingly, a farmar is supposed to get around tk 560 for one mound of paddy. But the government's drive seems to work little as the drive is going on at a snail's pace. Middlemans are taking advantage to the situation, they buy the paddy at the low cost. To save tk 600 to tk 700 as havesting cost per bigha, especially small & medium farmers are now cutting, carrying & thrashing paddy with family labour. Even women members of a farmer's family including his wife, daughters & daughters-in-law are going to paddy field for the purpose. Beside many farmars are now hiring woman day labourers for lower pay. Meanwhile, like other monga-prone areas, the day labourers of Nilphamari & Lalmonirhat districts are now going to distant areas to work in the Boro harvesting season for higher pay. Day labourers are often seen waiting at rail stations or bus stands with small bundles on their heads to go to distant districts for Boro harvesting. This paying is vary area to area.
---collected from DAILY STAR

For saving rivers GOVT lounge a notice

BANGLADESH govt has been lounge a legal notice to take immediate steps to stop intrusion, earth filling & construction of illegal structures on Bariganga & Turag rivers around the Dhaka & Shitalakkhya river in Narayanganj. Human Rights & peace for Bangladesh (HRPB) tendered the notice demanding that the authorities concerned take initiatives to remove all illegal temporary & permanent structures built on the river. The notice said Buriganga, Turag & Shitalakkhya rivers have been the main source of water for millions of people residing in Dhaka & Narayanganj. Although rivers are very important for our transport sector. It's costs half than the road when we carry goods out the river. But encroachment, earth filling & setting up of illegal structures continue on the river in violation of the provisions of the Bangladesh Environment Conservation Act 1995 leaving negative impacts on the environment, it said. The secretaries of the planning, environment & forest, land, finance, shipping & water resources ministries & the chairman of BIWTA, the director genaral of the Department of Environment, the deputy commissioner of Dhaka & the police commissioner of the Dhaka Metropolitan police have been made respondents. Advocate Manzil Murshid served the demand of justice notice on behalf of the HRPB asking the respondents to initiate steps within four days for removing the unauthorised constructions. Otherwise, legal steps will be taken against them.
---collected from the DAILY STAR

Many industries casuses destroy TURAG

Indiscriminate release of liquid waste by the factories in & around of Konabari industrial zone has destroyed a large part of Turag river & Baimail Jheel, causes great problem to the villagers who lived the bank of the river. Factories liquid waste materials & black smog what's contains carbon-di-oxaide created by brick fields, it's like double suffering to the villagers. Local people things these industrials activities unfertile their land, unproductive there trees, river have no fishes & birth house of mosquitoes. The govt established the konabari Bangladesh Small & Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) industrial area in early 1980 to promote & expand small & cottage industries. Since then the industries are polluting surrounding environment despite getting different facility packages from the government. Recently BSCIC listed 152 polluter industries. About them 56 dyeing & textile industries, 50 chemicals & pharmaceuticals, nine food processing & 37 other engineering industries. These industries have no waste management plant like ETP. Bscic officials are know that but they don't take the necessary steps. Bscic provided the industrialist with land in a subsidised price along with many facilities. But most of the industries are paying back by indiscriminately polluting the environmemt. Since the beginning the govt was providing tax holiday for five years & no import duty & vat for capital machinery for these polluters. Turag rivers are very much polluted with waste matarials why it's water colour turn in to deep black. That water not useable for drinking & washing. Massive suffering of the people was witnessed during journalist visits to the surrounding villages including Baimail, Kodda, Kashimpur & Konabari. Beside brick fields creat many problems. Inhabitants of these areas said to the journalist they can't use the river's water anyway. Even they can't take bath there. Brick field's dust suffer them must. They also said at lest 20 Baimail villagers have left the village & settled in Gazipur town or nearby due to the environment pollution. One return his childhood he said 12 years ago the Turag & Baimail Jheel had a various fish. Now any fish yet to servive there. They aren't move because they are afordless to move. They collected useble water from tubewells. They aren't getting fruits from past few years. Villagers things that govt need to take great stapes to save the TURAG river & the pollution to the villagers.
---collected from DAILY STAR