GOOD GOVERNANCE:

Bangladesh is a developing country of South Asia. It gained independence in 1971 from

Pakistan after nine month long war. Bangladesh has a parliamentary democracy, where
the president is the head of the state. But the Prime Minister, as the head of the
government, forms the cabinet and performs the daily affairs of the state. The main aim
of the war of independence was the economic and social freedom. It is still remain a
dream because of the political instability and lack of long term planning and
implementation. Now the country is crisscrossed by various problems such as over
population, widespread terrorism, political crisis, bureaucratic corruption, economic
recession, serious widespread poverty, and an increasing danger of environmental
pollution. It is true that all this problems are interrelated and inter dependent in some
ways. The population problem is the major which influences the other problems.
Political instability creates bar to take necessary steps to provide justice and rule of laws.
Moreover, about 40 percent of total population is suffering from acute poverty. The
economic growth is lower in comparison with the other developing countries. The other
major obstacle to growth is the corruption which directly affects the image of the
country to the rest of the world and to the investment. It leads the country to
administrative weakness and poor governance. The environmental pollution including
air, water and soil pollution leads the country to increasing floods and cyclone. Only 17
percent of the total land is forest and the percentage is going down day by day. Because
of over population, Dhaka, the capital city is now one of the highest polluted cities in
the world. For last few years, Bangladesh is considered to be most vulnerable to climate
change. It will affect food and agriculture, water and human health. It is believed that a
lot of people are going to be climate refugee because of rising sea level.

It is true that, there are some progresses also. In the recent years, there are some
achievements in many areas of economic and social development such as
macroeconomic stability, growth in exports and in remittances, increase in enrolment in
primary education, improvements in female’s education, and reductions in infant and
maternal mortality rate, improvement in women’s empowerment and participation in
economic activities etc. The development of Bangladesh basically requires democracy
and good governance. Only sovereignty was won but rule of law, good governance is
still a far cry. A corrupt syndicate created a vicious cycle of exploitation and as axis of
violent politics & poor governance. But good governance is the precondition for any
economic development & stability.

The democratization process has reawakened the aspirations of the people of

Bangladesh. Following the formation of the parliamentary form of government in 1991,
Bangladesh has started the journey to democracy. People are now wishing to see good
governance flourishing everywhere in the state organs and institutions. However, the
path of democracy seems to face both challenges and opportunities. Despite the fact
that a number of factors seem to positively work for the slow and steady growth of
democracy, there are strong depressing elements that also pose threats to achieve
sustainable development.

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BANGLADESH ENTRY TO LNG FAMILY:

LNG industry is going to be vibrant in the coming years in Bangladesh and dominate the energy
sector. Relevant people should look into the business model where LNG price can be kept
consistently low, this will give opportunity to the government and the country to make savings and
protect the interest of the people.
If we have an analysis on LNG pricing among 3 gas powers: Qatar, Russia, USA, then time will tell
where the tide goes in the LNG market race but one thing is certain - the prospect of low cost LNG is
good amid a time of carbon emission concerns and growing risk (political uncertainty). In addition to
that the government should enforce local competence build-up for the sustainability of LNG industry
in the long run. Every foreign/local LNG developer (FS/FEED/EPC) should incorporate noticeable
percentage of local resources during survey, design and construction stage of LNG terminal project
implementation. For instance, Telco developed 2000 local professionals/engineers in last 20 years.
The aim of LNG industry is to produce at least 1000 energy professionals/resources by 2030. Then
we will enjoy LNG with our skilled local resources by reducing dependency on foreign companies
over a period of time in the operation and maintenance of LNG terminals. Holistic approach is
mandatory to make successful this type of high valued technical and complex energy project
implementation in Bangladesh.

Gas is not like oil as a commodity. Oil as a global commodity is of high international importance. Gas
is still dominated by regional and local forces. Only 30% of the gas consumed in the world goes
across the border. The equivalent for oil is over 70%. The oil market is flexible and nimble; the gas
market is rigid, relying on costly infrastructure and often traded via long-term contracts. The price of
oil is the same around the world, plus or minus transport cost and differentials in quality. Gas prices,
by contrast, are all over the place; they vary between and within regions and they even vary within
countries (by supplier). And while oil prices tend to move together all over the world, gas prices do
not depend on external considerations. In one place price might be rising while in another falling. Oil
prices moving in opposite directions in different countries is a rare exception: in gas, it is possible.
First, it is more expensive to transport gas than oil, especially over long distances as natural gas
needs to be cooled to form LNG. So fewer countries import and export gas and rarely does both.
Second, gas has traditionally been traded through long term contracts with a fixed source and
destination - meaning that less gas can flow to markets. And thirdly, gas price has historically been
tied to oil in effect reflecting the scarcity of oil not gas and hence not communicating meaningful
signals for trade or investment. In the gas market, it is difficult for shocks to reverberate globally.
There is no evidence that prices are any more correlated today than in the past. In the second half of
2017, gas price in the UK rose by 70% but declined by 7% in the US and 2% in Japan. In Germany,
the border price rose by 19% but in France it declined by 6% and Norway’s export price rose by
28%; Canada’s export price rose by 18%. In Asia, the import price in Thailand rose by 13% while
Japan’s fell. Prices are moving in different directions and by different magnitude. LNG Sales
Purchase Agreement (SPA) should be very carefully done as the country may enjoy development
journey or may face negative impact in the desired economic growth.

PADMA BRIDGE:
The Padma Bridge is a multipurpose road-rail bridge across the Padma River under
construction in Bangladesh. It will
connect Louhajong, Munshiganj to Shariatpurand Madaripur, linking the south-west of
the country, to northern and eastern regions. Padma Bridge is the most challenging
construction project in the history of Bangladesh. The two-level steel truss bridge will
carry a four-lane highway on the upper level and a single track railway on a lower
level.[3] With 150 m span,6150 m total length and 18.10 m width it is going to be the
largest bridge in the Padma-Brahmaputra-Meghna river basins of country in terms of
both span and the total length.[4]
The project covers three districts —Munshiganj (Mawa Point/North bank), Shariatpur
and Madaripur (Janjira/South bank). The total area of land to be acquired and required
for its components is 918 hectares (2248.63 acre). The requisition of land for the
construction yard will be for six years on a rental basis. As per the new design, an
additional 144.04 ha (355.93 acre) has been identified for acquisition, bringing the total
to 1062.14 hectares (2624.61 acre). This additional land is required because project site
lost significant land due to erosion, for transition structures and due to a change in
railway alignment.
After allegation of corruption by some people associated with project preparation the
World Bank withdrew its commitment and other donors followed. However, the
corruption allegations were subsequently found to be false and without merit and the
Canadian Court subsequently dismissed the case.[5] The project is now being funded
from own resources of the Government of Bangladesh.[4]
The Bangladesh Bridge Authority (BBA) invited the pre-qualification tender for the
project in April 2010. Construction of the bridge was expected to commence by early
2011[6] and be ready for major completion in 2013 (and complete all sections by late
2015[7]). The proposed Padma Multipurpose Bridge Project will provide direct
connectivity between the central and southwestern part of the country through a fixed
link on the Padma River at Mawa-Janjira points. The bridge will contribute significantly
towards facilitating the social, economic and industrial development of this relatively
underdeveloped region with a population of over 30 million. The area of influence of the
direct benefit of the project is about 44,000 km2(17,000 sq mi) or 29% of the total area
of Bangladesh. Therefore, the project is viewed as very important infrastructure towards
improving the transportation network and regional economic development of the
country. The bridge has provisions for rail, gas, electric line and fibre optic cable for
future expansion. The Bangladesh Bridge Authority is the executing agency of the
project.
On 17 June 2014,An important progress has been made in construction of Padma
Bridge. A construction firm, China Major Bridge Engineering Company Ltd has been
selected to construct the long aspired bridge on the river Padma.The 6.15 km bridge,
costing an estimated ৳91.72 billion (US$1.1 billion), will connect 21 southern districts
with the capital.This mega project would be completed by the end of 2018. A work order
for river management issued in August 2014.
China proposed building the bridge on the build-own-transfer (BOT) basis by investing
$2 billion or 70 percent of the project cost. Four companies - China Major Bridge
Engineering Company, Daelim-L&T JV and Samsung C&T Corporation - purchased the
tender papers. But only the Chinese company submitted their financial proposal on 24
April 2014.
The state-owned company has constructed structures like the famous 36 km Hangzhou
Bay Bridge, the longest sea-crossing bridge in the world.
Padma Bridge, when commissioned, will boost the GDP by as much as 1.2 percent.

DELTA PLAN :
Bangladesh crossed over from a low-income economy to a lower middle -income
economy in 2015. The country has already fulfilled all the criteria of graduating
from least developed country (LDC) to a developing country.

Making this growth sustainable is challenging in the face of extreme adverse

climate variability - frequent storms and tidal surges, flooding and droughts.
Climate change is a serious threat to sustainable development. If nothing is done by
2050, climate change impact could make an additional 14 per cent area of the
country extremely vulnerable to floods and dislocate more than 35 million people in
the coastal districts.

At the macro-level, combined effects of climate change could range from a loss of
1.3 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) per year in a moderate climate change
environment to 2.0 per cent of GDP per year in an extreme climate change
environment. In order to materialise the goal of becoming a developed country by
2041, addressing the likely impacts of climate cha nge calls for an integrated
approach for future land and water management in relation to water safety,
agricultural growth and food security. The recent and future anthropogenic changes
in the hydrological cycle due to climate change, construction of dams and barrages
in the upstream countries in combination with increasing water demand are
expected to make future water governance and management even more challenging.
Climate issue is all-encompassing and often requires long time to understand its
patterns and impact, and therefore, a long term plan is needed to address climate
adverse impacts.

A number of sectoral plans have been developed so far in Bangladesh, but they tend
to be short term oriented and are independently run by different ministries. It ne ed
not be emphasised that the issue, given its crucial importance, requires long term
strategies and multi-sectoral coordinated policy management. Being one of the
largest as well as most dynamic deltas of the world built by the confluence of the
three mighty rivers-- Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna-- the country faces major
inter-related delta challenges in water safety, food security and land degradation,
and is prone to natural calamities such as floods, river erosion, cyclones and
droughts. The challenges are both man-made and natural. The country is equally
characterised by its resilience, the ability to adapt to changing climatic and
economic conditions and advantage gained from the abundant natural resources
available in the delta.

In view of the long-term challenges presented by climate change and natural

hazards, the General Economics Division (GED) of the Bangladesh Planning
Commission has formulated 'Bangladesh Delta Plan (BDP) -2100' with support from
the government of the Netherlands. The Memorandu m of Understanding (MoU)
signed between Bangladesh and the Netherlands in 2012 on delta planning laid the
foundation of BDP-2100.The preparation of BDP -2100 was officially launched in
August 2014.

Management of this delta has therefore always been a key co ncern in both political
and development agenda since long. Almost all the political movements during the
pre-independence period invariably included demand for flood control, disaster
management and irrigation measures; it is so because those were the majo r causes
of extreme poverty prevailing at that period within this delta. The election
manifesto of the United Front in 1954 advocated for protection of the country from
extreme floods and famine and improving irrigation systems. Father of the Nation
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was always committed to develop flood
control, drainage and irrigation facilities in the country and repeatedly demanded
implementation of the Krug Mission report. Immediately after independence,
Bangabandhu established the reli ef ministry giving special attention to building a
disaster resilient country through minimising losses of lives and properties caused
by different natural hazards including cyclone and floods. He established
Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) in 19 72 materialising the
recommendation of the Krug Mission, bifurcating the then East Pakistan Water and
Power Development Board (EPWAPDA) to accelerate the implementation of the
flood control, drainage and irrigation measures. He took keen interest in solvin g the
transboundary water issues and established Joint Rivers Commission on a
permanent basis in 1972. Bangabandhu had installed earthen forts locally known as
'Mujib Killa' in coastal regions aiming to provide shelter to coastal flood and
cyclone affected people along with their livestock. The First Five Year Plan of
Bangladesh (1973-1978) that was prepared under his guidance as the Chairman of
the Planning Commission put strong emphasis on sound management of water
resources. Many of the strategies and po licies for sound management of water
resources highlighted in the first five year plan are as relevant today as they were
then suggesting the far-sightedness of Bangabandhu in identifying the need for
holistic management of water resources and flood manage ment.

BDP-2100 has been conceived as a techno-economic, long-term, holistic, water-

centric integrated plan. An interactive planning process has been followed for the
finalisation of this mega plan over last four years. BDP -2100 focuses on how to
enable socio-economic development under uncertain changing conditions, especially
regarding climate change and scarce water resources. The plan is holistic,
considering many themes and sectors and bringing together individual strategies as
well as integrated ones for the whole country in a single plan.

BDP-2100 sets up a long-term vision for the evolution of the Bangladesh Delta by
the end of the 21st century towards 'achieving a safe, climate resilient and
prosperous delta'. As steps to reach that vision, it envisag es short to medium term
goals to achieve upper middle income status eliminating extreme poverty by 2030
and become a prosperous country by 2041 with the longer term challenge of
sustainable management of water, ecology, environment and land resources in th e
context of their inter-relation with natural disasters and climate change. The BDP -
2100, therefore, seeks to ensure long term water and food security, economic
growth and environmental sustainability while effectively reducing vulnerability to
natural disasters and building resilience to climate change and other delta
challenges through robust, adaptive and integrated strategies and equitable water
governance. Socio-economic transformation has been visualised in this plan keeping
in consideration climate change as an exogenous variable in growth equations.

Implementation of the BDP-2100 involves total spending on delta-related

interventions, through new projects and maintenance of new and old projects, which
will gradually increase up to a level of 2.5 per cent of GDP per annum by 2030-- of
which 2.0 per cent of GDP would be from public funding and rest 0.5 per cent
would be from the private sector. The strategy for public funding involves a
combination of tax financing, application of cost recovery based o n 'beneficiary
pays principle' and mobilising foreign funding including tapping the global Green
Climate Fund (GCF) initiative. The BDP -2100 Investment Plan up to the year 2030,
prepared in cooperation with World Bank group, consists of a total of 80 proje cts:
65 are physical projects, and 15 are institutional and knowledge development
projects. Its total capital investment is estimated at Tk 2,978 billion ($37 billion).
The investment plan projects have been selected following multi -criteria analysis
and in-depth consultation with the stakeholders. The six hotspots are i) Haor and
Flash Flood Area, ii) Coastal Zone iii), Chattogram Hill Tracts, iv) Urban Areas, v)
Drought prone Areas, vi) River Systems and Estuaries. BDP 2100 took almost four
years to give it a final shape to kick off. This comprehensive, techno-economic
mega plan stretching a period to the end of the current century is the best gift to the
future generations by the present generation.
GOLDEN JUBILEE YEAR OF BANGLADESH LIBERATION WAR:
Bangladesh will celebrate the 100th birth anniversary of the Father of the Nation as Mujib Barsha
or Mujib Year through yearlong programmes.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina made the announcement at the opening session of a joint meeting of
the ruling Awami League’s Central Working Committee and Advisory Council at party headquarters
at Bangabandhu Avenue in Dhaka on Friday.

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was born at Tungiparha in Gopalganj on Mar 17, 1920. He
spearheaded the Bengalis’ liberation struggle and Bangladesh emerged as an independent country
from Pakistan on the world map in 1971.

A year after his 100th birth anniversary, Bangladesh will celebrate the golden jubilee of
independence on Mar 26, 2021.

“It’s my wish that we celebrate the year from 2020 to 2021 as Mujib Barsha through yearlong
programmes. The programmes will end on the golden jubilee of independence on Mar 26, 2021,”
Bangabandhu’s daughter Hasina said at the meeting.

She has already ordered Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Shafiul Alam to get ready for official
celebrations of Mujib Year.

“The Father of the Nation repaid his debt with his life. We must now repay him,” the prime minister
said.

There will also be different publicationsnincluding a compilation of reports by Pakistan’s intelligence

agency on Bangabandhu, she said.

The compilation will have 14 sections of 9,000 pages selected from 47 files of 30,000 pages,
according to Hasina.

“There will be nothing else to know about Bangladesh’s history if you read the reports,” she said.

Another compilation of writings on the Agartala Conspiracy and Bangabandhu’s Smritikatha or

Memories of Bangabandhu will also be published.

THE FREEDOM ICON

Sheikh Mujib was born to an ordinary family at Tungiparha. An energetic youth, he became involved
in politics during his school years.

Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy had been his political mentor.

Sheikh Mujib was an eighth grader at Gopalganj Mission School when he first spent time behind
bars for taking part in protests against the British rule.

He became close to then top Muslim League leaders Suhrawardy and Sher-e-Bangla AK Fazlul Huq
during his time at Kolkata’s Islamia College.

He quickly established himself as a young leader and joined the Awami Muslim League.

The party was later rechristened ‘Awami League’ for a wider and secular appeal.
He was arrested on Mar 11, 1948 for taking part in a general strike to have Bangla recognised as a
state language. His political activities landed him in jail multiple times during the period between
1948 and 1952.

He took lead during the United Front election in 1954, protests against Ayub Khan’s martial law
dictatorship in 1958, the 1962 movement against the Education Commission and other campaigns
for public demands.

Sheikh Mujib rose to the top of Bengali leadership for his active role in these various movements. In
1966, he proposed the historic six-point charter of demands as the head of Awami League.

The move landed him in jail when the then Pakistan government accused him of sedition in the 1968
Agartala Conspiracy Case.

The movement for autonomy of then East Pakistan evolved to a struggle for self-determination under
Bangabandhu’s leadership.

In March of 1971, he began the non-cooperation movement.

The fiery speech he delivered to a sea of mass supporters at Dhaka’s then Race Course Maidan,
calling out for blood to be spilled for independence, is immortalised in Bangladesh’s liberation
history.

He was arrested after the Pakistan Army began its genocide of Bengalis on the night of Mar 25.

But before his capture, Bangabandhu declared Bangladesh independent from Pakistan in the early
hour of Mar 26.

He was jailed in Pakistan throughout the nine months of war that followed. He was made president
of the exiled, war-time government that swore oath at Mujibnagar.

He was jailed in Pakistan throughout the nine months of war that followed. He was made president
of the exiled, war-time government that swore oath at Mujibnagar.

With the sacrifice of 3 million lives, Bangladesh was liberated on Dec 16, 1971. Bangabandhu,
released from the Pakistani prison, returned home on Jan 10, 1972.

He then delved into the work to reconstruct a new nation and its people left devastated by war.
In 1975, he announced a national programme for securing economic freedom, and formed the
Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Awami League or BKSAL which prohibited activities of all other political
parties.

Under one-party rule, all newspapers, except four, were closed down.

Bangabandhu, then president, was assassinated when a group of army officers stormed into his
Dhanmondi residence on Aug 15, 1975

BLUE ECONOMY :

Blue economy means extraction of the resources of sea for the growth of an economy.
Bangladesh has settled maritime boundary disputes with Myanmar in 2012 and with India in
2014 through an arbitral method. It is estimated that Bangladesh has acquired 118,813 square
kilometres of the Bay of Bengal. The areas of resources include 200 nautical miles of exclusive
economic zone and over 354 nautical miles of resources on seabed (continental shelf). It is
estimated that the resources from the sea of Bangladesh constitute 81 percent of the resources
existing in its land territory.

Within the jurisdiction of Bangladesh, the sea is endowed with immense and precious natural
resources, living and non-living. Experts say that fish alone has 500 varieties besides snails,
shell-fish, crabs, sharks, octopuses and other animals. Bangladesh is estimated to catch only 0.70
million tons of fish every year out of the total 8 million tons of fish available in the Bay of
Bengal.

Besides fish and other living animals, Bangladesh could also have gas fields as it is reported that
Myanmar has discovered a large gas field on its area of the sea. Experts are of the view that
Bangladesh would be able to extract resources worth about Tk 12,000 crore (1.2 billion dollar).

According to experts, the silt on the adjacent sea area in Bangladesh contains valuable minerals
such as uranium and thorium besides a large number of “clay” which constitutes raw materials of
cement. Experts believe that there exist 13 heavy mineral-rich silts in the adjacent sea areas of
Bangladesh, such as ilmenite, garnet, colemanite, zircon, retile, and magnetite which, according
to them, are more valuable than gold. The sale of these minerals could earn billions of dollars for
Bangladesh. It is reported that the country has 75 outer-islands which could be utilised for
tourists both local and foreign. If Bangladesh can explore and exploit these resources through the
use of appropriate technology, the economy of Bangladesh can grow rapidly into an advanced
one. Although the government of Bangladesh has leased out some areas of Bay of Bengal to
foreign companies, it is believed that they are not using expensive modern machinery to extract
the resources.

There is one important factor to consider for Bangladesh: that is, with the increase of the
population of the country, it would be gradually more dependable on sea resources than those in
the landmass. The resources include endless renewable reserves in wind and solar energy.

It is worthwhile to mention that 15 percent of the protein is provided from sea resources for the
people across the world. Natural gas and oil constitute 30 percent of the sea resources and over
50 percent of magnesium is extracted globally from the seas. Even life-saving medicines could
also be obtainable from these resources.

Given the possibility of acquisition of wealth from sea, Bangladesh is required to develop
policies and laws to strengthen national institutions which could deliver solutions to implement
its Sustainable Development Goals, i.e. evaluation of goals must go beyond measurement, to
consider whether progress is equitable, relevant and sustainable.

It is significant to note that Bangladesh's trade is carried out mainly through the sea and that a
USD-45-billion trade is possible for Bangladesh. It is estimated that 5 percent of the country's
GDP could be acquired by 2030 from the resources of the sea. Bangladesh could be a developed
country by 2041 if the resources are properly extracted and adequately used. It is reported that
Indonesia's national economy depends largely on its sea resources and Australia is reported to
have earned USD 44 billion from sea.

In 2015, a resolution proposed by Bangladesh was adopted by the General Assembly of the UN
for sustainable development, and its purpose was directed at achieving 17-point economic
growth by 2030, of which 14 points were contemplated from the perspective of blue economy.
During the last few years, blue economy was the central topic of many international conferences.
The Rio+20 Conference on the seas, and the conference at Bali (Indonesia) for the food security
and growth of blue economy could be cited as examples. The strategy of the international
organisations such as the World Bank and the UN Environmental Organisation is acquisition of
sea resources.

Sea resources offer a new window of opportunity for Bangladesh. An increasing knowledge of
the seas including the impact of wind, waves, high tide and ebb tide, change of temperature of
the living organisms, and increase of salinity on the surface of seas could lead to sources of
renewable energy. Every year, the use of wind from the seas is increasing by 40 percent and
Bangladesh could use wind power for various purposes to strengthen its economy.

To feed the people from the sea resources, Bangladesh is required to push policies in cooperation
with other countries to protect the ocean from the effects of climate change, pollution and over-
fishing. We need to preserve the ecosystems of the seas which are reportedly being degraded at
an unprecedented rate, and this is not an issue only for Bangladesh. It should be addressed in
cooperation with other countries.

Many experts suggest that the government of Bangladesh should create an organisation to
acquire the resources of the sea as quickly as possible as there is an unlimited scope of
opportunity to extract these resources. Bangladesh can get inspiration from the fact that at
present, the economy of the world is estimated to be USD 88 trillion, of which USD 24 trillion is
acquired from sea resources. By 2050, it is estimated that the population of the world would be
900 crores (9 billion) and they would be fed largely from sea resources.

DHAKA METRO RAIL:

The much-hyped first-ever metro rail service in Dhaka is expected to start initial operations from
next year.

With high promises of saving the city dwellers from the menace of traffic congestions, the
construction work of the project is moving on with speed.

Here are each and every detail regarding the project that you may have a desire to know.

Metro rail fact sheet

 Dhaka Metro Rail Project total cost of Tk 22,000 crore

 Officially known as the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Line-6, metro rail service is
expected to open half of its 20.10 kilometres by the end of 2019

 Once completed, the service would carry 60,000 passengers/hour

 20km Metro Rail route will be constructed from Uttara to Bangladesh Bank having 16
stops
 The project will save of Tk 200 billion/ year, equivalent to 1.5% gross domestic
production (GDP) and 17% of the total tax revenue

 It will significantly reduce travel time from one end to the other to 36 minutes from at
least two hours

 The Japan government through Jica will provide Tk 16,600 crores of the total project
cost of Tk 22,000 crore ($2.5 billion) as loan at 0.01% interest rate. The rest will have
to be managed by the government

 Nippon Koei Ltd of Japan is leading the consortium of consultants with partners
Nippon Koei India Ltd, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Ltd, Mott MacDonald Ltd India,
Mott MacDonald Ltd UK and Development Design Consultants Ltd Bangladesh

 The consortium has prepared metro's detailed design, supervised construction work
and helped manage Dhaka Mass Rapid Transit Development Project, the official
name of the metro scheme, with Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority (DTCA) as
its implementing agency

 The metro rail will have 16 stations at Uttara, Mirpur, Rokeya Sarani, Khamarbari,
Farmgate, Sonargaon Hotel, Shahbagh, Doel Chattar and on Topkhana Road.

 The 12km track of the first part stretches from north Uttara to Agargaon.

 According to Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica), 14 trains would operate

every three minutes and carry 60,000 passengers every hour in both directions.

 The estimated time to travel the 20km distance, from north end of Uttara to Motijheel,
is 35 minutes. The trains would have six cars each, all air conditioned.

 The government has allocated Tk 3,425.83 crore for the project in 2018 fiscal year,
which is about 64 percent of the amount it was supposed to foot.

 The second phase, which will be from Agargaon to Motijheel, will be complete by
December 2020. The service will start with six trains and once the second phase is
completed 24 trains will be sent out. The trains will be from Mitsubishi.

 The metro rail will have noise barriers and vibration-free tracks and thus be
environment-friendly. the cars would be made of stainless steel and aluminium alloy,

 The project is being implemented by government-owned Dhaka Mass Transit

Company Ltd while Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority is supervising.
Project timeline

 In December 2012, the Executive Committee on National Economic Council

approves the Metro Rail scheme.

 In February 2013, Jica signs the loan agreement with Bangladesh.

 On November 19, 2013, Md Aftabuddin Talukder, executive director of DTCA and

Yoshiko Tsunoda, chairman of Nippon Koei Ltd, sign the consultancy deal in Dhaka.

 The $2.7b metro rail project got a shot in the arm upon receiving Japanese funding in
February 2014.

 Road Transport and Bridge Minister Obaidul Quader placed the Metro Rail Bill
2014 on November 30, 2014 at the parliament in a bid to provide fast and improved
public transportation in Dhaka and ease traffic congestion in the capital.

 The first tender for pre-qualification to procure 24 locomotives, 144 coaches and
equipment for the depot was floated early January 2015.

 On March 27, 2015, the government signed a contract with Japanese Tokyu
Construction Company to develop the Metro Rail depot.

 Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on June 26, 2016 inaugurated the construction work
on the much-hyped first-ever metro rail service in the capital. Through the
inauguration of the construction work, a formal commencement of ground
development for a depot began today. The depot is the foremost component to be in
place for building the metro rail service system, as metro trains will be launched on
the elevated lines from the depot.

 The prime minister inaugurated the construction work from Bangabandhu

International Conference Centre in the capital.

 The project has been delayed by at least six months because of the terrorist attack in
Gulshan in July 2016 that claimed the lives of seven Japanese nationals involved
with the project.

 Authorities of Dhaka's maiden metro rail project on May 3, 2017, signed three
contracts with two companies for the civil construction work at the Uttara depot and
building elevated rail viaducts from north Uttara to Agargaon. According to one of the
 contracts signed, a joint venture of Italian-Thai Development Public Company and
Sinohydro Corporation is going to do the Tk 1,595 crore civil constructions at the
metro rail depot,

 The metro authorities signed the other two contracts (package-3 and -4) with Ital-
Thai. The contracts worth Tk 4,230 crore were for the construction of 10km-long
elevated viaducts and nine stations between north Uttara to Agargaon.

 The authorities gave the work order to the contractors on August 1, 2017.

 Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader on August 2,

2017 inaugurated construction of the first part of the elevated railway (viaduct) and
nine stations of the country's much talked-about maiden metro rail in the capital. This
is the visible beginning of physical construction of the elevated rail tracks and
stations

 On September 13, 2017, three more agreements with Chinese and Thai firms on the
country's first-ever metro rail project were signed. Dhaka Mass Transit Company
Limited (DMTCL), a state-owned enterprise founded to implement the metro rail lines
across the Dhaka city, signed the separate contract packages (CPs) including CP-2,
CP-3 and CP-4 worth over Tk 58.26 billion ($719 million) with the firms, Italian-Thai
Development Public Company Limited, a Thailand-based construction firm, and
Chinese state-owned Sinohydro Corporation Limited.

 On April 30, 2018, Dhaka Mass Transit Company Ltd today signed contracts with
two joint-venture companies for package-5 and package-6 of MRT Line-6 known as
Metro Rail. Dhaka Mass Transit Company signed contract for Package-5 with Takken
Corporation, Abdul Monem Ltd and Abenikko JV for Tk 1,855 crore. And for Tk 2,332
crore, it inked a deal with Sumitomo Mitsui Construction Co Ltd JV Package-6.

Downward trend in agriculture :

Bangladesh is one of the predominantly agrobased
developing countries in the world.
Agriculture is a largest economic sector of
Bangladesh. Around 62 percent people are
engaged in agriculture farming and they manage
their subsistence from agriculture production.
The percentage of dependency on agriculture is
higher in a rural area rather than urban area
which is 87 per cent population in rural area is
relying on agriculture directly and indirectly.
Agriculture had played several key roles in the
process of economic development. Agriculture
had a great contribution in annual national GDP.
According to the World Bank, in 1972, agriculture
contributed around 52 percent of total GDP. But
over a period of time, the rate of contribution in
national GDP of agriculture has been decreasing
because the growth rate of agriculture has been
declining year by year. In recent years, it has
fallen further to slightly above 16 percent. In
2016-2017, the contribution of agriculture is
14.79 percent of total national GDP.
Agriculture production is declining as well as its
contribution in total national GDP is also
declining more sharply. There are several
reasons behind of declining agricultural growth in
Bangladesh like as high rate of population
growth, pressure on agricultural land and climate
change.
Declining of agricultural production and food
insecurity has a positive correlation between
them. In FY 1999-2000, Bangladesh has selfsufficient
food production comparing with the
proportion of population. As a consequence of
climate change, agricultural production is
declining year after year. As a result, it reduces
food supply in market according to demand of
the market. Government imported food from
other countries to fill up the demand since last
decade. At present, ensuring food for all
becomes a big challenge for the government of
Bangladesh.
The major focus of this paper is on the trend
of agriculture growth rate in national
GDP specifically from 2000 to 2017. The
study is explained the adverse impacts of
climate change on agriculture production.
The study also explains other causation of
declining agricultural production in Bangladesh.
The paper also focuses on food insecurity in the
country and its causes of reducing food supply in
market.

Rohinga issues:
Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh refer to the Rohingya refugees from Myanmarliving
in Bangladesh.[1][2] For decades, the Rohingya have experienced ethnic and religious
persecution within Myanmar’s borders. Hundreds of thousands have fled to other
countries in Southeast Asia, including Malaysia, Indonesia, and Philippines. [3]The
majority of Rohingya refugees have escaped to Bangladesh, where there are two
official, registered refugee camps. Recently, violence in Myanmar has escalated, so the
number of refugees in Bangladesh has increased rapidly. According to the UN Refugee
Agency (UNHCR), more than 723,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh since 25 August
2017.[4][5][6] On 28 September 2018, Sheikh Hasina, the Prime minister of Bangladesh
spoke at the 73rd United Nations General Assembly. She said there are 1.1 million
Rohingya refugees now in Bangladesh.[3] Overcrowding from the recent population
boom at the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh have placed a strain on their
infrastructure. Now, the Rohingya refugees experience a lack of access to services,
education, food, clean water, and proper sanitation; they are also vulnerable to natural
disasters and infectious disease transmission.[7][8][9][10]
As of June 2018, World Bank announced nearly half a billion dollars in grant-based
support to help Bangladesh address the needs of Rohingya refugees in areas including
health, education, water and sanitation, disaster risk management, and social
protection.[11]
On 1 March 2019, Bangladesh announced that it will no longer accept any more
Rohingya refugees.
Rohingyas are a Muslim minority in Myanmar regarded by many Myanmar Buddhists as illegal
migrants from Bangladesh.[13] The Rohingyas have lived in Myanmar for generations and the
Bangladesh government has called for Myanmar to take back the refugees.[14]They are denied
citizens of Myanmar and have been described as the world's most persecuted
minority.[15][16] Myanmar has denied persecuting the Rohingyas.[17]

Since the 1970s Rohingya refugees have been coming to Bangladesh from Myanmar .
In the 1990s, more than 250,000 resided in refugees camps in Bangladesh. In the early
2000s, all but 20,000 of them were repatriated to Myanmar, some against their
will.[18] This respite ended in 2015 and by 2017, an estimated 300,000 to 500,000
Rohingya refugees were in Bangladesh.[19] Most of the refugees are located along
the Teknaf-Cox's Bazar highwaythat is parallel to the Naf River, which is the border
between Bangladesh and Myanmar.[20]Most of the refugees are located in or near Cox's
Bazar, a coastal area dependent upon tourism.[21]
Bangladesh blamed the refugees for crime and 2012 Ramu violence in Cox's
Bazar.[22]Bangladesh also follows a policy of making the country unwelcome for
Rohingya refugees.[23] The majority of the refugees are unregistered, with only 32
thousand refugees registering themselves with UNHCR and the Bangladeshi
government. An estimated 200,000+ refugees are living unregistered in
Bangladesh.[24] Amnesty International reports have stated that the Myanmar security
forces are committing rape, extrajudicial killing, and burning homes belonging to the
Rohingya in a December 2016 report.[25] Refugees have been displacing the indigenous
people of the Chittagong Hill Tracts.[26] They have also been blamed for importing the
drug Ya Ba.[27][28][29]

Relocation[edit]
In 2015 the government of Bangladesh proposed a relocation plan for the Rohingya
refugees in Bangladesh to the remote island of Thengar Char in the Bay of Bengal. The
plan was pushed back following criticism by human rights activists and the UNHCR.
Between October and November 2016, about 65,000 Rohingya refugees arrived from
Myanmar. The government of Bangladesh decided to revive the relocation
plan.[30] Thengar Char submerges during high tide and was formed in the 2000s by
sediments from the Meghna River. It is not included on most maps,[2] and is located 30
kilometers away from Hatiya Island, the nearest inhabited area.[31]The Bangladesh Army
has been tasked with making the island habitable for the refugees.[32]

REMITTANCE FLOW :

Remittances are the second highest source of foreign currency earnings in

Bangladesh after exports of readymade garments (RMG). However, remittances
can be considered as the highest one in terms of net earnings since in case of
exporting RMG a significant portion of earnings is foregone for importing its raw
materials. Remittances play an important role on the overall economy of
Bangladesh. World Bank ranked Bangladesh as ninth in the world and third in the
South Asia Region for inflow of remittances based on the data of 2017.
Bangladesh joined the 10 billion USD club of remittance inflows in FY10. Foreign
employment and remittances sent by the Bangladeshi expatriates make immense
contribution to the economic development of Bangladesh in many ways such as
lowering unemployment, alleviating poverty and boosting foreign exchange
reserves. The patterns and uses of remittances is one of important factor for
economic development. If expatriates‟ earnings are invested in productive uses, it
can contribute to output growth, employment, etc. In FY18, remittance was 5.50
percent of country's GDP and 40.86 percent of total export earnings and 27.51
percent of import payments (f.o.b) (Chart-1 and Table-1). In addition, remittances
play a supportive role in strengthening the current account balance. In FY18,
remittances increased by 17.3 percent to USD 14981.69 million as compared to
USD 12769.45 million in FY17. One of the contributing factors behind this growth
was strong supervision of Bangladesh Bank. Government has taken legal actions
against some source countries for using informal channel for sending remittance
which might increase the flow of remittance in formal channels. Moreover,
Bangladesh Bank had simplified the approval policy of drawing arrangements
between foreign exchange houses and domestic banks.
ROLE OF BNAKING SECTOR IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT:

Bangladesh has come a long way in its economic growth. From a meagre US$
5.70 billion in 1972, the gross domestic product (GDP) increased to US$
285.82 billion in 2018. The Bangladesh economy is the 42nd largest in the
world in nominal terms and 31st largest in terms of Purchasing Power Parity
(PPP). Recently, Bangladesh graduated from least developed country (LDC)
status to a lower middle income country, and hopes to become a developed
country by 2041.

Four distinct growth phases are discernible (Ahmed 2012; Khuda and Barkat

MAJOR FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO ECONOMIC GROWTH:

Considerable increase in per capita income has been made possible by
sustained economic growth. The three broad economic sectors (agriculture,
industry and services) contributed to the process of economic growth.
Between 2009-10 and 2016-18, the growth rate of the agriculture sector
declined while it increased in the services and industry sectors. Th e overall
share of the agriculture (including fisheries) sector to GDP declined to around
14 per cent, while that of the services and the industry sectors increased to
around 52 per cent and 34 per cent respectively in FY 2016 -17. Within the
industry sector, growth in the manufacturing (led predominantly by the ready-
made garments (RMG) sector), 'electricity, gas and water supply' and the
construction sub-sectors experienced positive growth. Within the
manufacturing sector increase, large industries experie nced positive growth,
while it remained largely unchanged in the case of small -scale industries.
Within the services sector, growth in trade, hotels and restaurants and
transport, storage and communication remained unchanged; and real estate
declined. Financial intermediations registered positive growth, though at a
low rate.

Economic growth in Bangladesh has been helped largely by export earnings

from the ready-made garments (RMG) sector; remittances sent by migrant
workers; growth in the agricultural sect or; expansion in Medium, Small and
Micro Enterprises (MSMEs); decline in the rate of population growth; and the
government's safety net programmes.

ROLE OF BANKS IN ECONOMIC GROWTH: Commercial banks have been

playing an important role in the economic devel opment of Bangladesh. They
provide investible funds to both the public sector, and specially the private
sector. Further, banks have played a significant role in respect of the four
major drivers of economic growth in Bangladesh as discussed above.

The banking sector, however, is faced with various challenges, which include
among others, weak management, poor governance, lack of strong leadership,
and non-compliance with ethical standards leading to various types of banking
scams such as money laundering and Non-Performing Loans (NPLs).

Bangladesh is an import-dependent country. It needs to import raw materials,

accessories and machineries to foster development of the industrial sector,
including the RMG sector. Banks have been facilitating payment, finance and
risk management services to the sector.

In 2017 the private commercial banks' (PCBs) share in export finance was the
highest (60 per cent) followed by state owned commercial banks (SoCBs).
Within the apparel sector, the RMG sector received the highest proportion of
financing from banks, and the volumes and proportions have increased
between 2014 and 2017. Import payments have been increasing over the years.
The total import payments (c & f), including imports of EPZ, increased more
than two times from US$21,629 million during 2007-08 to US$43,663.0
million during 2016-17.

Banks play a major role in facilitating remittances by migrant workers. During

2010-11 and 2016-17, the country received lower remittances than in the past;
and the amounts remitted through banking channels likewise declined.
However, Bangladesh received higher remittances during the last fiscal year
resulting from a strong pick-up in global economic activities, especially in the
Middle East countries. The major factors contributing to h igher remittances
through the banking channels during the last fiscal year are: (a) depreciation
of the BDT against US$; (b) higher rate offered by local banks; (c) many
banks, facing shortage of US$ for the last few months due to increase in
import payments against decline in export earnings, have intensified their
efforts to increase remittance inflows through their respective channels; and
(d) Bangladesh Bank's (BB) strengthened surveillance on hundi -- the illegal
outlet that many migrant workers use to send money home.

Given the importance of the agriculture sector, the government has given
highest priority to agriculture and its allied sectors for adequate credit with
low cost. Between 2013 and 2017, banks' loan disbursement exceeded the
target; and the crop sub-sector received about one-half of total agricultural
credit, followed by livestock and other agriculture activities.

Private Commercial Banks (PCBs) accounted for the largest share of

agricultural credit followed by Specialised Banks (SBs), Stat e-owned
Commercial Banks (SoCBs) and Foreign Commercial Banks (FCBs)
(Bangladesh Bank Annual Reports). Between 2001 -02 and 2017-18, the
Bangladesh Krishi Bank's total disbursement to the agriculture sector
increased more than five times from BDT 15.63 bill ion to BDT 82.15 billion;
and its total disbursement to the crop production sub -sector increased by
about 3.6 times from BDT 8.59 billion to BDT 30.62 billion. During FY17,
the SoCBs, PCBs, FCBs and SBs provided credit of BDT 210 billion,
exceeding the target of BDT 175.50 billion. The FCBs and the PCBs exceeded
their targets by about 44 per cent and 36 per cent respectively.

Between 2007 and 2017, the share of short-term loans was greater than that of
long-term loans, and the gap has been widening during t he past five years
(Siddique et.al. 2018). In FY17, about 82 per cent of disbursement was in the
form of short-term lending, and the rest was in the form of long -term loans for
purchase of agricultural machineries, irrigation equipment and livestock.
Credits for crop production and poverty alleviation programmes accounted for
about 59 per cent and 11 per cent respectively of total short -term loans.
Around 3.86 million farmers received agricultural and rural credit. Around 3
million small and marginal farmers received about BDT 150 billion
agricultural loans from different banks. Over 8700 farmers in the less -
developed areas (haor, char, etc.) received about BDT 0.4 billion of
agricultural and rural credit. More than 19,000 farmers in the three hill
districts received around BDT 0.5 billion at only 5.0 per cent interest rate.
About BDT 4.0 billion was disbursed among about 0.12 million farmers
through over 15,000 open credit disbursement programs arranged by different
banks. The BB undertook a special refinance scheme under which it provided
BDT 5.62 billion credit through BRAC to 0.15 million share -croppers with
limited access to banks. Also, the BB undertook special refinance schemes for
the jute and dairy farming sectors (Bangladesh Bank Annual Report 2018).
To ensure adequate funding for SMEs, the Bangladesh Bank in 2010
formulated the "SME Credit Policies and Programmes" aimed at helping SMEs
in achieving sustainable inclusive growth. Under this programme, the BB does
not impose targets on commercial banks and non-financial institutions
(NBFIs); rather the targets are independently decided by them. Since 2012,
both the targets and actual disbursements have been increasing. During FY17,
while the target was BDT 1338.6 billion, BDT 1439.7 billion was disbursed
by all banks and NBFIs among 697,000 cottage, micro, small and medium
sized enterprises. Women-led entrepreneurs received special emphasis, with
49,000 of them receiving BDT 45.1 billion.

The BB has been encouraging all banks and NBFIs to grant loans to w omen
entrepreneurs at reduced interest rate (9 per cent). Also, it set up a dedicated
women entrepreneur desk and instructed all banks and NBFIs to do the same,
reserve 15 per cent of the SME funds exclusively for women entrepreneurs,
provide credit to new women entrepreneurs in this sector, and sanction loans
of at least BDT 2.5 million to women entrepreneurs with only personal
guarantee but no collateral under its refinance facilities. At the end of June
2017, BDT 20.3 billion was refinanced to 19,098 women-led enterprises.

VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN:

More than 40 percent people in Bangladesh consider physical abuse to be the only form of
violence against women, according to a Brac study.
It said threat of divorce, marital rape and creating fear of violence are the three least
recognised forms of the violence.
Besides, one in every four surveyed does not know that “eve-teasing” is sexual violence. To
them, it's a “normal behaviour of boys and young men”, the study said.
The non-government organisation's Advocacy for Social Change department surveyed 4,800
people across all 64 districts last month for the study.
Bangladeshis aged 18 and above from different administrative areas, socioeconomic classes,
genders and professions were the respondents. The survey had equal male and female
representation. The aim of the survey was to have an understanding of the common
perceptions about violence against women in Bangladesh.
At first, the study participants were given a case study which described how a working husband
regularly abuses his wife verbally. Asked, more than half of the respondents (54 percent) said
that was not violence at all.
The participants were given another case study on the stalking of a girl on her way to and from
school and asked whether her father did the right thing by not protesting the incident.
As much as 80 percent of them said the father should have protested. Fifteen percent -- 92
percent of them women -- said it was not safe to stand against stalkers on the streets.
Asked why they used case studies in the survey, Moutushi Kabir, director of communications at
Brac, said, "Seeing a situation as a third person often brings out authentic, impersonal and
objective responses. So, we used case studies in order to make sure that the respondents
remained impartial and unprejudiced."
Six out of 10 people surveyed said they understood that mental torture -- which includes
creating pressure for dowry, threat of divorce and “not talking” -- is also violence against
women.
Marital rape turned out to be one of the least understood forms of violence against women,
with only 4 percent considering it to be one.
Only 1.1 percent respondents thought threat of divorce is a form of violence and 6.9 percent
recognised creating fear of violence as a type of violence against women.
Besides, more than nine out of the 10 respondents said they were not happy with the way the
media reports incidents of violence against women.
Around 25 percent thought that the media should refrain from giving vivid description of such
incidents and stop publishing the identity of the victims.
They also said indecent representation of women in popular culture and pornographic content
in digital and offline media instigated the tendency among men to inflict sexual violence on and
harsh behaviour towards women.
The study notes violence against women is one of the most pervasive and fundamental
violations of human rights and it's also one of the most under-recognised problems in
Bangladesh.
It went on to explore the root causes of violent behaviour against women.
Around half of the respondents said violence against women was on the rise due to an overall
lack of values in today's society.
The study also said one fourth of the respondents had thought that a lack of proper execution
of law had also resulted in the rise in the violence.
The director of communications at Brac, Moutushi, said, "The question of morality is deep
rooted in the very fabric of our society. We need to relook at the power play of patriarchy in
our social value system, which comprises family, education system and culture.”
She also said, “The traditional definition of masculinity has to change and a good starting point
could be ensuring gender sensitive education for adolescents and an enabling environment for
women everywhere.
"Raising awareness and strong enforcement of law should go hand in hand. They're not
mutually exclusive because the targets are different. Raising awareness is for all and it helps in
preventing violence. Stronger law enforcement, meanwhile, will ensure that perpetrators will
always fear the consequence,” Moutushi added.