Can BIMSTEC deliver on its promise?
For nearly three decades since its inception, the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) has struggled to transform its promise into tangible outcomes. The regional bloc, comprising Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, has often appeared to be limping from one meeting...
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Reinventing merit of family planning programme
The World Population Day observed on July 11 every year has passed rather quietly in this country. But this year's theme "Realising the hopes and aspirations of young people, today and for the future" could not be more relevant for Bangladesh. Already overburdened with an outsize population, the country is...
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A welcome step towards ensuring safer food
The Ministry of Agriculture of Bangladesh has constituted a high-level committee to look into the country's pesticides sector. This committee has been given the task of reviewing the existing pesticide-related laws and regulations, registration and licensing mechanism, laboratory facilities, administrative mechanisms and monitoring mechanism for reforms. Above all, this committee...
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How strong is the law against loan defaulters?
Imagine a weary farmer in a remote village in northern Bangladesh. His face, etched with the deep lines of premature ageing, tells a story of relentless struggle. He took out a loan of a few thousand taka from a local bank branch to buy fertiliser, hoping for a bountiful harvest....
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Stop common room culture
The common room culture in public universities is a damaging practice that negatively affects the university environment. It disrupts the healthy and enriching atmosphere of student halls, turning them into overcrowded, unsanitary spaces that resemble slums. In fact, the conditions are often worse than that. With eight to ten students...
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