Background

Background

Lights of BANGLADESH

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World leaders shocked

Heads of state and government of different countries and international dignitaries have expressed deep shock at the death of President Zillur Rahman and extended their sympathy to his family members and Bangladeshis. United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon yesterday offered his “condolences to the bereaved family of the president, the government and the people of Bangladesh”.
Zillur Rahman made important contribution to his country’s democratic transition throughout his political life, Ban’s spokesperson said in a statement, according to the UN’s official website.
 
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, on behalf of the government and the people of India, in a statement said Zillur was a patriot and a man of high ideals. An ardent advocate of friendly relations between India and Bangladesh, he was held in high esteem by the people of India, said Manmohan. “On this tragic occasion, we extend our deepest condolences to the people of Bangladesh. We pray for the peace of his departed soul…,” the statement said. Indian President Pranab Mukherjee, in a statement addressed to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, said, “With his passing, the people of Bangladesh have lost a man of vision and a true son of the soil who rose to the highest office.” Pranab, in a separate statement addressed to the president’s son Najmul Hassan, said, “His demise is a personal loss to us…. We offer you, your sister and the other family members of President Zillur Rahman our heartfelt condolences and stand by you in this hour of grief.”
 
US Secretary of State John Kerry said the president, from his early days as a history student and political activist, dedicated his life to the Bangladeshi people. His efforts helped lead to the creation of Bangladesh in 1971 and his subsequent decades of public service helped Bangladesh establish itself as the democracy it is today. “As Bangladesh nears the 42nd anniversary of its independence, President Rahman’s death offers a moment for all Bangladeshis to come together in mourning and reflect on what unites them as a nation,” Kerry added.
 
Australian High Commissioner in Dhaka Greg Wilcock said Zillur’s life was interwoven with Bangladesh’s history. His four years as the president of Bangladesh followed decades of service to his nation. “Our thoughts are with President Rahman’s family and the people of Bangladesh as they mourn their loss,” Wilcock added. Afrasiab, Pakistani high commissioner to Bangladesh, said the government of Pakistan has postponed the country’s National Day celebrations scheduled for March 23 in the capital to mourn the president’s demise. 

The president of Russia, president and prime minister of Singapore, prime minister of Malaysia, foreign minister of Canada, prime minister and foreign minister of Japan, president of Nepal, president and foreign minister of Maldives, king and prime minister of Bhutan, president of Pakistan, president of China, president and foreign minister of Iran and king of Thailand have also sent condolence messages. Besides, the flag was kept at half mast yesterday in Bhutan. Secretaries general of the OIC, commonwealth, D-8, Swedish embassy, Dutch ambassador and country representative of the UN Women in Dhaka also condoled the death. Meanwhile, the 111 member arms treaty meeting presided over by the Australian foreign minister yesterday paid respects to the Bangladesh president in New York by observing two minutes’ silence.




Source: The Daily Star
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জনগনের সম্পদের মূল্য কত?!!!

হরতাল বিষয়ক টিপসঃ
সরকারের একটু উদ্যোগ, একটু কর্মতৎপরতাই পারে হরতালের মাধ্যমে দেশের জন্য অর্থনৈতিক সচ্ছলতা বয়ে আনতে। হরতাল দিতে হলে হরতালকারিকে সরকারের কোষাগারে একটা নির্দিষ্ট অঙ্কের টাকা করসহ দিতে হবে — এমন নিয়ম করলে হরতাল থেকে প্রচুর রাজস্ব আয় করতে পারে সরকার। সুষ্ঠুভাবে এই কার্যক্রম পরিচালনার জন্য প্রয়োজনে স্থাপন করা যেতে পারে হরতাল বিষয়ক আলাদা বিভাগ। হরতালকারীকে প্রথমেই ‘হরতাল আবেদনপত্র’ পূরণ করে ব্যাংক ড্রাফটের কপিসহ উক্ত বিভাগে জমা দিতে হবে। আবেদন করা হরতালকারী হরতাল করতে কতটুকু সক্ষম তা খতিয়ে দেখার পর অনুমতি দেবে বিভাগ। এ ক্ষেত্রে ‘আগে আসলে আগে হরতাল দেবেন’ নীতি অনুসরণ করা যেতে পারে।

 একই দিনে একাধিক পক্ষ হরতাল দিতে চাইলে আবেদনকারীদের মধ্যে সর্বোচ্চ অর্থদাতাকে হরতালের জন্য মনোনীত করার ব্যবস্থাও রাখা জরুরি। যাদের পর্যাপ্ত পিকেটার কিংবা ইট-পাটকেল নেই, তাদের অর্থের বিনিময়ে পিকেটার ও ইট-পাটকেল দিয়েও আয় করা সম্ভব। এভাবেই হরতাল হয়ে উঠতে পারে জাতীয় অর্থনীতির গুরুত্ব পূর্ণ অংশ। তাছাড়া হরতাল বিষয়ক মন্ত্রণালয়ের রাজস্ব আয় থেকে তদন্তের ভিত্তিতে ক্ষতিপূরণ দেওয়ার ব্যবস্থা ও রাখা যেতে পারে । আশা করি কর্তৃপক্ষ যথাযথ ভাবগাম্ভীর্যের মধ্য দিয়ে ব্যাপারটি নিয়ে চিন্তা করবে এবং দ্রুত পদক্ষেপ নেবে। আইডিয়াটা কেমন হবে ?!!!   - আকরাম হোসাইন ।

মতামতঃ
আর একটা আইডিয়া, রাস্তা-ঘাটে বোমাবাজি করা যাবেনা ও মানুষ হত্যা করা যাবেনা, এই শর্তও রাখতে হবে।  আর কোষাগারে জমায়িত টাকা থেকে জনগনের জান ও মালের ক্ষতিপূরণ করতে পারবে সরকার। যাদের যা কিছু ক্ষয়- ক্ষতি হবে সেই ভিত্তিতে তারা সরকার নিযুক্ত সংশ্লিষ্ট হরতাল বিভাগে প্রমাণসহ আবেদন করবে এবং যার যার পাওনা বুঝে নেবে। হরতাল কারিরা যেই দলেরই হোক, তখন বুঝতে পারবে, অন্যের বাক্তিগত সম্পদের মূল্য কত?!!! মানবাধিকার কি জিনিস, এইবার বুজছ?!!! - Maksuda

নীতিকথাঃ
আসলে হরতাল কোন দেশের জন্যই কাম্য নয়। আমাদের মতো উন্নয়নশীল দরিদ্র দেশের অধিকাংশ জনগন অনেক কষ্ট করে সুষ্ঠু একটা জীবন- যাপন করার চেষ্টা করে। হরতাল দেশের অর্থনৈতিক ও সামাজিক অগ্রযাত্রাকে দারুনভাবে ব্যাহত করে। তাই যে উপায়েই হোক, হরতালকে না বলতে হবে। আমরা শুধুমাত্র একটা উপায় দেখালাম, যা প্রয়োগ করলে ভবিষ্যতে হরতাল বন্ধ হবার সুযোগ রয়েছে। 

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Indo-Bangla must grow together: Pranab

Mentioning that India and Bangladesh are interlinked, Indian President Pranab Mukherjee on Monday said the two close neighbours must develop and grow together, ensuring that the growth provides more opportunities for peoples in both countries. “We need to work together to maximize the potentials of our economic cooperation,” he said, while delivering the convocation speech at the 47th Convocation of the Dhaka University held at the DU central playground. President Zillur Rahman was the chief guest at the convocation while DU Vice Chancellor Prof AAMS Arefin Siddique also spoke on the occasion.

The Indian President noted that Bangladesh is uniquely placed to exploit its natural and human resources to emerge as a fast growing, modern economy. He said both countries have made considerable progress in the implementation of the far-reaching decisions taken during the historic visits of the Prime Ministers of India and Bangladesh to each others country. “I assure you, India remains committed to implementing the decisions that have been taken.” Pranab Mukherjee noted that India and Bangladesh have vast opportunities to increase bilateral trade and commerce. He said the Indian government proposes to introduce a `Constitutional Amendment Bill’ in Loksabha (parliament) to give effect to the provisions of the Land Boundary Agreement with Bangladesh and its 2011 Protocol. “We’re committed to working closely with Bangladesh to avoid any untoward incidents on our border. We can together make it a gateway of peace and mutually beneficial cooperation.”

The Indian President said the sharing of the waters of common rivers is a high priority for India and Bangladesh. “We’ve successfully forged agreements in the past and are hopeful of arriving at an early accord on the sharing of the Teesta waters.” He added: “Meanwhile, there are areas where we must substantially increase our cooperation, such as in information technology, skill development, agricultural research, environment protection, climate change, and in protecting the Sunderbans and harnessing energies, both traditional as well as new and renewable sources of energy.” Pranab Mukherjee said Bangladesh now has duty-free access to India’s large market and invited Bangladesh’s industry to make full use of this opportunity. “We’re working with the Government of Bangladesh to remove the remaining non-tariff barriers, open more border haats and harmonise our respective standards.”

Praising Bangladesh for its efforts towards achieving socioeconomic development, he said that in many social indicators, Bangladesh has acquitted itself in an exemplary manner. The school textbook programme of Bangladesh is known to be one of the largest in the world. Pointing at the new graduates, Pranab Mukherjee, an all-time friend of Bangladesh, said: “Young men and women like you are the engine of socio-economic development of our region. The future of Bangladesh is in your hands. You should know that you have a past which is steeped in glory, and a future that is full of promise. “Looking at you, I am convinced that the future of Bangladesh is bright. I wish you all every success in making the dream of `Sonar Bangla’ a reality. India will stand by your side as you shape the destiny of your country,” he added.

About the ongoing visit, emotion-choked Indian President said: “For me personally, this is an emotional journey. I have my roots in the soil of Bengal, and have imbibed its language, traditions and culture. When I was a child I never dreamt that one day I would come here as the President of my country.” He continued: “I have grown up reading the compositions of the same poets as you, listening to the same songs which both our people love, and walked along the banks of the same rivers which inspire the songs that make us all similarly wistful.”





Source: The Daily Star
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Help prevent foot ulcers

Open wounds or ulcers can develop on the feet of people with diabetes, often due to poor blood circulation. The American Podiatric Medical Association suggests how to help prevent foot ulcers:

* See a medical professional regularly.
* Avoid smoking and drinking alcohol.
* Following your doctor's orders to help control cholesterol and blood glucose levels.
* Wear appropriate shoes and socks.
* Regularly inspect your feet and let your doctor know about any injuries or problems.




Source: The Daily Star
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A small initiative can be of great help to many

 A small initiative sometimes can be of great help to many deprived people. With the setting up of a primary school at Char Parbatipur village under Sadar upazila of the district, children of the village now have the opportunity to receive elementary education. Over 1,000 people now live on the land that emerged from the Brahmaputra River in Jatrapur union in 2002. But their children have been deprived of education for want of a school. Funded by Caring and Sharing LSI Fu-Tien Foundation, a non governmental organisation (NGO) of Thailand, the school has been built on a 30 decimals of land on February 12 and formally inaugurated by lawmaker Md Zafar Ali on February 22.

Initially, 100 children have been enrolled at the school. Three of the four teachers, recruited for the school, will get Tk 6,000 per month while the other, religious teacher, will receive a monthly salary of Tk 2,500. Kurigram district information office will coordinate the activities of the school. The NGO will provide books, school bags, pencils and other materials for the students. Chaired by District Information Officer Md Nurunnabi Khandoker, the inaugural function was addressed, among others, by Lawmaker Md Zafar Ali, Sadar upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Md Mostafizur Rahman, Kurigram Press Club President Shafi Khan, and Jatrapur Union Parishad Chairman Abdul Gafur. At least 500 people of Char Parbatipur village were present at the function held on the school premises.

UP Chairman Abdul Gafur said as there is no school in seven other char areas of the union, Char Parbatipur Primary School will help the children of the areas receive primary education. District Information Officer Md Nurunnabi Khandoker said a 24-metre-long tin-shade house of the school is being constructed and the NGO has given Tk 1.25 lakh for this poupose. It will also give the school Tk 500 per moth as maintenance cost, he added. Lawmaker Md Zafar Ali in his speech said one more primary school will be set up in another char village as soon as possible. A secondary school-cum-cyclone shelter will also be built in the union, he added.




Source: The Daily Star
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Bahrain to recruit more Bangladeshis - Up to 20,000 to get jobs every year

 After Malaysia, Bahrain is now interested to recruit people from Bangladesh under state arrangements, said Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Khandker Mosharraf Hossain yesterday. If the discussion with the Bahrain government is successful, he added, it will be possible to “reduce the cost of migration” to the country and ensure transparency in recruitment.

Around 15,000 to 20,000 Bangladeshi workers will be able to go to Bahrain legally every year, Mosharraf said while speaking to reporters at his office in the capital. The minister will sit with a three-member delegation from the island country to discuss the process in detail today. Earlier, the Bangladesh government signed an agreement with the Malaysian government to send workers under a government-to-government process in November last year. Accordingly, the government selected 10,000 workers, who will be sent to Malaysia to work in the plantation sector. The move was taken to stop the intervention of middlemen and thus boost transparency.

The minister yesterday suggested the possibility of following the same procedure with Bahrain after a meeting with Nikolas Dendias, public order and citizen protection minister of Greece. He urged the Greek minister to assist Bangladeshi people working in Greece in visa-related problems in the country. Around 5,000 Bangladeshis are now working in Greece, said Mosharraf. Of the United Arab Emirates' restriction on the recruitment of Bangladeshis, he said, “We do not have any specific information about its plan to recruit our workers.” In September last year, the UAE government imposed unofficial restrictions on the recruitment of Bangladeshi workers and the renewal of their visas. The country later declared for the fourth time a general amnesty for illegal residents there, which ended on February 4.






Source: The Daily Star
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Stocks down at opening

The prices of the most shares on the country's premier bourse dipped in early trading on Sunday after a three-day break. 21st February (Thursday) was a government holiday for International Mother Language day while Friday and Saturday were weekends.

DGEN, the benchmark General Index of Dhaka Stock Exchange, shed 44 points to reach 4,210 points at 10:45am when this report was filed. Of the issues traded, 83 declined, 26 advanced and 16 remained unchanged.

A total of 6,172 trades were executed with Tk 22.59 crore changing hands.
On Wednesday, trading at the country's premier bourse ended at 4,254 points decreasing 46 points.







Source: The Daily Star
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International Mother Language Day





"আমার ভাইয়ের রক্তে রাঙানো একুশে ফেব্রুয়ারি,
আমি কি ভুলিতে পারি।
ছেলে হারা শত মায়ের অশ্রু ঝরা এ ফেব্রুয়ারি,
আমি কি ভুলিতে পারি।"




  

 - Hello everybody, International Mother Language Day is an observance held annually on 21 February worldwide to promote awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism. In the day of 21st February of 1952, when a group of students sought to storm in the area of Dhaka University defending the Bangla language for ourselves and for future generation, police opened fire and killed a number of students, including Abdus Salam, Rafiq Uddin Ahmed, Abul Barkat and Abdul Jabbar.


We remember our martyrs from the very deep of our heart. We are proud that we had our golden boys who sacrificed their life for our mother language and that's why people around the world could know about the nation and they respectfully remember our boys, our language, our people and our nation in this day of 21st February. 





- Maksuda

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News and Events


চার দশকের বেশি সময় ধরে বুকের ভেতর জমতে থাকা অনুভূতিগুলো গোটা গোটা হরফে ঠাঁই পেল কাগজের চিঠিতে। ডাকপিয়ন বেলুনে চড়ে সেই চিঠি যাবে আকাশের ঠিকানায়, মুক্তিযুদ্ধের ৩০ লাখ শহীদের কাছে। ঘড়িতে বিকেল চারটা ১৩ বাজতেই হাজার হাজার চিঠি উড়েছে আকাশে।
১৯৭১ সালের মানবতাবিরোধীদের ফাঁসির দাবিতে শাহবাগের প্রজন্ম চত্বর থেকে আজ বুধবার বিকেলে শহীদদের উদ্দেশে লেখা চিঠি বেলুনে ওড়ানো হয়।
শহীদদের কাছে চিঠি পাঠানোর এই অভিনব উদ্যোগের সঙ্গে জড়িয়ে রয়েছে বাংলাদেশ, মুক্তিযুদ্ধ আর অকৃত্রিম দেশপ্রেম। ২০১৩ সালে এসেও নতুন প্রজন্ম শ্রদ্ধার সঙ্গে স্মরণ করল ১৯৭১ সালের ১৬ ডিসেম্বরের বিকেল চারটা ১৩ মিনিটকে। ওই দিন ঠিক এ সময় পাকিস্তানি হানাদার বাহিনী এই শাহবাগের পাশের রেসকোর্স ময়দানে (বর্তমান সোহরাওয়ার্দী উদ্যান) যৌথ বাহিনীর কাছে আত্মসমর্পণ করেছিল। সোহরাওয়ার্দী উদ্যানের কাছেই আজকের প্রজন্ম চত্বরের গণজাগরণ মঞ্চ। 







উৎসঃ দৈনিক প্রথম আলো  
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Making awareness amongst People


Basically social and economic crisis of people in the sense of individuality of developed or underdeveloped countries are out of focus always. Most of the significant times of our lives are passed away by meeting our fundamental rights while people of advance world are busy to scientific invention, conquering space etc. Because of not being worried about their fundamental rights or human, social and national rights, they can think about that much. But in the environment of Bangladesh, the picture is different where people are not free from depression, deception, injustice and corruption. Many of our people have raised their voice for poverty, justice and human rights and this is good news. In accordance with this way, We, the people of Bangladesh have come ahead to research our problems, to feel the pain of our people, to cteate awareness amongst people about their rights which they deserve from our society and nation and find out better solutions for the improvement of lives, society and economics.
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