DOCSLIB.ORG

State of the Bangladesh Economy in FY2010-11 and Outlook for FY2011-12

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
State of the Bangladesh Economy in FY2010-11 and Outlook for FY2011-12 State of the Bangladesh Economy in FY2010-11 and Outlook for FY2011-12 FY2010-11 Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) State of the Bangladesh Economy in FY2010-11 and Outlook for FY2011-12 CENTRE FOR POLICY DIALOGUE (CPD) B A N G L A D E S H a c i v i l s o c i e t y t h i n k t a n k Published in February 2012 by Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) House 40/C, Road 32, Dhanmondi R/A Dhaka 1209, Bangladesh Telephone: (+88 02) 8124770, 9141703, 9141734, 9145090 Fax: (+88 02) 8130951 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.cpd.org.bd Blog: www.cpd.org.bd/Blog/ Copyright © Centre for Policy Dialogue 2012 All rights are reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior permission in writing from the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. The Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) was established in 1993 as a civil society initiative to promote an ongoing dialogue between the principal partners in the decision making and implementing process. Over the past 19 years the Centre has emerged as a globally reputed independent think tank with local roots and global outreach. A key area of CPD's activism is to organise dialogues to address developmental policy issues that are critical to national, regional and global interests with a view to seek constructive solutions from major stakeholders. The other key area of CPD activities is to undertake research programmes which are both serviced by and are intended to serve as inputs for CPD's dialogue process. Some of the major research areas of CPD include: Macroeconomic Performance Analysis; Fiscal Policy and Domestic Resource Mobilisation; Poverty, Inequality and Social Justice; Agriculture and Rural Development; Trade, Regional Cooperation and Global Integration; Investment Promotion, Infrastructure and Enterprise Development; Climate Change and Environment; Human Development and Social Protection; and Development Governance, Policies and Institutions. CPD actively networks with other institutions within and outside Bangladesh which have similar interests, and also regularly participates in various regional and international fora. In recognition of the track record in research, dialogue and policy influencing, CPD was selected as one of the awardees under the Think Tank Initiative (TTI) through a globally competitive selection process. TTI is supported by a number of governments and foundations, and is implemented by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada. CPD's current publication list includes more than 370 titles including Books, Monographs, Working Papers (Occasional Papers), Dialogue Reports and Policy Briefs. CPD outputs are available for sale at the Centre and also in selected bookstores in Bangladesh. CPD publications and other relevant information are also regularly posted on CPD's website www.cpd.org.bd The views expressed in this volume are those of the CPD IRBD 2011 Team members and do not necessarily reflect the views of the CPD. ISBN 978-984-8946-09-1 Cover and graphic design Avra Bhattacharjee Typesetting and page lay-out Fazley Rabbi Shakil Md. Shaiful Hassan Price : Tk. 350 USD 30 Printed at Enrich Printers 41/5 Purana Paltan, Dhaka 1000 C12012_1STA_MPA CPD IRBD 2011 Team Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya, Distinguished Fellow, CPD was the Team Leader of the CPD IRBD 2011 Team. Lead contributions were provided by Professor Mustafizur Rahman, Executive Director; Dr Fahmida Khatun, Head, Research Division; Dr Khondaker Golam Moazzem, Senior Research Fellow; Mr Syed Saifuddin Hossain, Senior Research Associate (on leave); Mr Md. Ashiq Iqbal, Senior Research Associate; Mr Towfiqul Islam Khan, Senior Research Associate; and Mr Ashiqun Nabi, Senior Research Associate, CPD. Dr A K M Nazrul Islam, Former Research Fellow and Mr Syeed Ahamed, Former Senior Research Associate contributed to the preparation of a number of IRBD draft outputs. Valuable research support was received from Mr Hasanuzzaman, Senior Research Associate; Mr Md. Tariqur Rahman, Senior Research Associate; Mr Muhammad Al Amin, Senior Research Associate (on leave); Ms Nusrat Jahan, Research Associate (on leave); Mr Kishore Kumer Basak, Research Associate; Mr Mazbahul Golam Ahamad, Research Associate; Mr Md. Zafar Sadique, Research Associate; Ms Mehruna Islam Chowdhury, Research Associate; Mr Nepoleon Dewan, Programme Associate; Ms Nusrat Jahan Tania, Programme Associate; Mr Shouro Dasgupta, Programme Associate; Ms Farzana A Misha, Former Senior Research Associate; and Ms Shamma Tabassum, Former Programme Associate. Mr Towfiqul Islam Khan served as the coordinator of the CPD IRBD 2011 Team. Preface Independent Review of Bangladesh's Development (IRBD) has been the flagship programme of the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) since 1995 when the programme was first initiated. A major objective of the IRBD programme is to examine and analyse the key macroeconomic performance indicators of the Bangladesh economy including fiscal- budgetary and monetary sectors and the real economy, both on the basis of interim assessments of the economy, and also for the entire fiscal year. The purpose of the IRBD exercise is to highlight major developments in the economy of Bangladesh, to flag emerging challenges confronting macroeconomic management, to raise awareness about key developmental issues and challenges facing the Bangladesh economy, and to stimulate an informed debate around these issues. As in earlier years, the work on IRBD FY2010-11 volume has involved both analytical work, and dialogues including a number of discussion sessions with relevant experts and stakeholders. Thus, along with the CPD researchers, views of many stakeholders have also been reflected in this volume. The present volume also includes a number of interim outputs prepared under the IRBD 2011 programme at CPD. Chapter 1 of the present volume presents an assessment of Bangladesh's macroeconomic performance in FY2010-11, and identifies the major achievements and the emerging pressure points at the end of fiscal year. This chapter also traces the early trends in FY2011-12 and flags four critical concerns for the Bangladesh economy as the new fiscal year unfolds: adverse spillovers from global economic situation, deepening stresses in public finance management, unabated price inflation, and increasing pressures on the external balances. In view of these emerging strains, the prospect of economic growth and challenges facing macroeconomic management in FY2011-12 have also been discussed in the chapter. Chapter 2 of this volume provides an analysis of the national budget for FY2011-12 and the revised budget of FY2010-11, which were placed before the National Parliament on 9 June 2011. The chapter presents an in-depth analysis of the proposed revenue mobilisation targets and public expenditure plans of the government including sectoral allocations for the Annual Development Programme (ADP) for FY2011-12. In addition, this chapter examines the various fiscal proposals made in the budget, evaluates these against the expectations, highlights the outstanding areas that demand further consideration, and provides critical comments on the feasibility of implementation of the proposals. Chapter 3 undertakes a critical assessment of the Monetary Policy Statement (MPS) of Bangladesh Bank for the second half of FY2010-11 (January-June 2011). This chapter was originally prepared and presented as the keynote paper for a CPD organised dialogue titled Growth, Inflation and Monetary Policy: Challenges for Bangladesh in FY2010-11, held on 13 February 2011. The chapter explores to what extent the policy stance, stated in the aforementioned MPS, was adequate to address the emergent macroeconomic challenges confronting the PREFACE policymakers. The chapter also articulates the challenges facing monetary management in FY2010-11, and discusses the outlook for economic growth in view of the evolving macroeconomic situation and the proposed policy framework. In 2011, a CPD research team conducted a study, in collaboration with the BRAC Advocacy Unit, to examine the efficacy of fiscal measures and public service delivery for the ultra poor. Chapter 4 includes a Policy Brief prepared based on the research findings of the above mentioned study. These findings were presented at a national dialogue on National Budget 2011-2012: Allocation for Safety Net and Related Sectors to Eradicate Extreme Poverty, organised by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Extreme Poverty, held on 4 May 2011. The chapter puts forward a set of recommendations emerging from the research findings which could be addressed by the Members of Parliament (MPs). Chapter 5 presents an analytical review of the emerging situation with respect to overseas migration and the inwards remittance flow with focus on the state of affairs over the first six months of FY2011-12. The chapter identifies some of the key emerging challenges and proposes a set of immediate to mid-term doables which policymakers could consider as they grapple with the task of addressing the attendant issues. The present IRBD volume also includes two dialogue reports as Annexes. Annex 1 is a report on the CPD organised dialogue on State of Bangladesh Economy and Analysis of the National Budget FY2011-12, held on 18 June 2011. Annex 2 is a report on the post-budget discussion held in Chittagong titled An Analysis of the National Budget for FY2011-12, which was organised by the CPD in association with the Bangladesh Economic Association (BEA), Chittagong Chapter on 25 June 2011. Keynote presentations at these two dialogues were made based on CPD's analysis of the national budget for FY2011-12. These presentations were followed by discussions by representatives of key stakeholder groups who shared their critical perspectives and views on a wide-ranging issues covering fiscal proposals, strategies for revenue mobilisation, proposals for development-related investments in the ADP, and the major challenges with regard to implementation of the budgetary proposals and raising the quality and efficacy of implementation.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Traditional Institutions As Tools of Political Islam in Bangladesh
    01_riaz_055072 (jk-t) 15/6/05 11:43 am Page 171 Traditional Institutions as Tools of Political Islam in Bangladesh Ali Riaz Illinois State University, USA ABSTRACT Since 1991, salish (village arbitration) and fatwa (religious edict) have become common features of Bangladesh society, especially in rural areas. Women and non-governmental development organizations (NGOs) have been subjected to fatwas delivered through a traditional social institution called salish. This article examines this phenomenon and its relationship to the rise of Islam as political ideology and increasing strengths of Islamist parties in Bangladesh. This article challenges existing interpretations that persecution of women through salish and fatwa is a reaction of the rural community against the modernization process; that fatwas represent an important tool in the backlash of traditional elites against the impoverished rural women; and that the actions of the rural mullahs do not have any political links. The article shows, with several case studies, that use of salish and fatwa as tools of subjection of women and development organizations reflect an effort to utilize traditional local institutions to further particular interpretations of behavior and of the rights of indi- viduals under Islam, and that this interpretation is intrinsically linked to the Islamists’ agenda. Keywords: Bangladesh; fatwa; political Islam Introduction Although the alarming rise of the militant Islamists in Bangladesh and their menacing acts in the rural areas have received international media attention in recent days (e.g. Griswold, 2005), the process began more than a decade ago. The policies of the authoritarian military regimes that ruled Bangladesh between 1975 and 1990, and the politics of expediency of the two major politi- cal parties – the Awami League (AL) and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) – enabled the Islamists to emerge from the political wilderness to a legit- imate political force in the national arena (Riaz, 2003).
    [Show full text]
  • US Asian Wire Distribution Points
    US Asian Wire Distribution Points NewMediaWire’s comprehensive US Asian Wire delivers your news to targeted media in the Asian American community. Reaches leading Asian−American media outlets and over 375 trades and magazines dealing with political, finance, education, community, lifestyle and legal issues impacting Asian Americans as well as Online databases and websites that feature or cover Asian−American news and issues and The Associated Press. Please note, NewMediaWire includes free distribution to trade publications and newsletters. Because these are unique to each industry, they are not included in the list below. To get your complete NewMediaWire distribution, please contact your NewMediaWire account representative at 310.492.4001. aahar Newspaper Adhra Pradesh Times Newspaper Afternoon Despatch and Courier Newspaper Agence Kampuchea Press Newspaper Akila Daily Newspaper Algorithmica Japonica Newspaper am730 Newspaper Anand Rupwate Newspaper Andhra News Newspaper Andrha Pradesh Times Newspaper ANTARA News Agency Newspaper ASAHI PASOCOM Newspaper ASAHI SHIMBUN Newspaper Asahi Shimbun Newspaper Asahi Shimbun International Satellite Ed Newspaper Asia Insurance Review Newspaper Asia Pacific Management News Newspaper Asia Source Newspaper ASIA TIMES Newspaper Asian Affairs: An American Review Newspaper Asian American Press Newspaper Asian American Times Online Newspaper Asian Enterprise Magazine Newspaper Asian Focus Newspaper Asian Fortune Newspaper Asian Herald Newspaper Asian Industrial Reporter Newspaper Asian Journal Newspaper
    [Show full text]
  • Impact of Information Technology in Trade
    RANA PLAZA TRAGEDY AND BEYOND An Update on Commitments and Delivery CPD Dialogue Report 110 Publisher Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) House - 6/2 (7th & 8th floors), Block - F Kazi Nazrul Islam Road, Lalmatia Housing Estate Dhaka -1207, Bangladesh Telephone: (+88 02) 9141703, 9143326 Fax: (+88 02) 8130951 E‐mail: [email protected] Website: www.cpd.org.bd First Published December 2014 © Centre for Policy Dialogue Disclaimer: The contents of this report do not necessarily reflect the views of CPD and any other organisation(s) with which the dialogue participants are involved. Tk. 35 USD 5 ISSN 1818-1538 C52014_1DR110_HDP The Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), established in 1993, is a civil society initiative to promote an ongoing dialogue between the principal partners in the decision making and implementing process. The dialogues are designed to address important policy issues and to seek constructive solutions to these problems. Over the past years, CPD has organised a series of such dialogues at local, regional and national levels. CPD has also organised a number of South Asian bilateral and regional dialogues as well as international dialogues to pursue for the LDC interests in various fora including WTO, UN and other multilateral organisations. These dialogues have brought together ministers, opposition frontbenchers, MPs, business leaders, NGOs, donors, professionals and other functional groups in the civil society within a non-confrontational environment to promote focused discussions. CPD seeks to create a national policy consciousness where members of civil society will be made aware of critical policy issues affecting their lives and will come together in support of particular policy agendas which they feel are conducive to the well-being of the country.
    [Show full text]
  • War Crimes Tribunals in Bangladesh: a Socio-Political and Legal Impact Analysis ICSR
    Journal of Sociological Research ISSN 1948-5468 2012, Vol. 3, No. 2 War Crimes Tribunals in Bangladesh: A Socio-Political and Legal Impact Analysis ICSR Md. Abdul Jalil Associate Professor of Law, Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Economics and Management, International Islamic University Malaysia Email: [email protected], [email protected] Accepted: August 28, 2012 Published: September 29, 2012 Doi:10.5296/jsr.v3i2.2484 URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.5296/jsr.v3i2.2484 Abstract Till 1970, Bangladesh was still an underdog state of West Pakistan and the people of the future “Bangladesh” were gravely displeased with the Government of Pakistan that governed “Bangladesh” for various reasons of bad governance and hypocritical administration. As a result, “Bangladeshi” people declared an independence movement in March 1971 to relieve themselves from the yoke of gross incompetent governance of the ruling Government. The Freedom Fighters of Bangladesh fought a liberation fight against the Pakistani Army for 9 months after which they were ultimately and decisively victorious on 16 December 1971 and emerged as an independent country named as „Bangladesh‟. After the independence of Bangladesh, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the first Prime Minister of Bangladesh, enacted the International War Crimes (Tribunals) Act 1973 (IWCTA 1973) to punish the war criminals during the 9 months of liberation movement. The object of this paper is to critically analyze the provisions in the IWCTA 1973 in light of the international war crime laws find its deadly flaws. Keywords: International crimes, war crimes, crimes against humanity, International Crimes Tribunals Act 1973, investigation, prosecution, trial, punishment. Introduction After a long struggle of independence against the English rule in the Indian subcontinent, the English people agreed to leave India in 1947.
    [Show full text]
  • Mapping Minorities and Their Media: the National Context – the UK Report
    Mapping minorities and their Media: The National Context – The UK Myria Georgiou London School of Economics 1 Contents Mapping minorities and their Media: The National Context – The UK Report ............. 1 Introduction ............................................................................................................ 3 The UK .................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. Migration, Ethnicity and Multiculturalism in the UK ........................................... 3 I. The Context: A Brief Discussion about Multicultural Britain .............................. 4 II. British Immigration and Multicultural Policies ................................................... 8 III. The Complexities of Ethnic Relations and Identity .......................................... 9 Suggested Categories for Mapping ................................................................... 11 I. Temporal Mapping of Migration in Europe ...................................................... 12 II. Diasporic Mapping (based on Cohen’s suggested categories (1997)) .......... 14 Diasporic Minority Media in Context ................................................................... 16 British Media Policy ............................................................................................ 18 Minority Media and their Political Economy ....................................................... 20 What’s in diasporic media for minorities? ........................................................... 23 Digitalisation
    [Show full text]
  • Cover Font P.Eps
    2009-10 State of the Bangladesh Economy in 2009-10 and Outlook for 2010-11 Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) State of the Bangladesh Economy in 2009-10 and Outlook for 2010-11 State of the Bangladesh Economy in 2009-10 and Outlook for 2010-11 CENTRE FOR POLICY DIALOGUE (CPD) B A N G L A D E S H a c i v i l s o c i e t y t h i n k - t a n k Published in February 2011 by Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) House 40/C, Road 11 (New), Dhanmondi R/A Dhaka 1209, Bangladesh Telephone: (8802) 8124770, 9141703, 9141734, 9145090 Fax: (8802) 8130951 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.cpd.org.bd http://www.cpd.org.bd/Blog/ Copyright © Centre for Policy Dialogue 2011 All rights are reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior permission in writing from the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. The Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), established in 1993, is mandated by its Deed of Trust to service the growing demand originating from the emerging civil society of Bangladesh, for a more participatory and accountable development process. CPD seeks to address this felt-need through organisation of multistakeholder consultations and dialogues, by conducting research on issues of critical national, regional and global interests, through dissemination of knowledge and information on key developmental issues, and by influencing the policy making process in the country.
    [Show full text]
  • Maiden Partisan Rural Local Government Elections: Bangladesh Experience
    Journal of Public Administration and Governance ISSN 2161-7104 2017, Vol. 7, No. 1 Maiden Partisan Rural Local Government Elections: Bangladesh Experience Md. Mashiur Rahman (Corresponding author) PhD Student, Student ID: BL15216001 School of Public Affairs, University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) 96 Jinzhai Road, Hefei 230026, Anhui, P. R. China Assistant Professor, Department of Public Administration Comilla University, Comilla-3503, Bangladesh Email: [email protected] Salma Nasrin Master student, Student ID: SL16216046 School of Public Affairs, University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) 96 Jinzhai Road, Hefei 230026, Anhui, P. R. China Received: January 17, 2017 Accepted: February 15, 2017 Published: February 19, 2017 doi:10.5296/jpag.v7i1.10636 URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.5296/jpag.v7i1.10636 Abstract A paradigm shift in the political system has been taken in Bangladesh on 12 October, 2015 with the final approval by the Cabinet to hold local polls on partisan basis. The long historical practice of non-partisan local polls has been shifted to first ever partisan poll that brought major challenges for the existing confrontational political parties of Bangladesh. Ruling Bangladesh Awami League considered demonstrating its popularity at grass-root level and controlled all political institutions through this election while Bangladesh Nationalist Party had opposed these partisan local government elections as a political trick with an ill motive by the government. For the first time in Independent Bangladesh, 9th Union Parishadi (UP) election held on partisan basis at six phases across the country from March to June 2016. The article tried to explore the experiences of this maiden partisan UP polls and what are the immediate consequences on the local governance as well as electoral system through reviewing secondary materials specially the Daily Newspapers.
    [Show full text]
  • An Analysis from Bangladeshi Media
    İçtimaiyat Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi 2020 Yıl 4, 15 Temmuz Özel Sayısı http://dergipark.gov.tr/ictimaiyat Araştırma Makalesi ● Research Article 1. 15 JULY FAILED COUP IN TURKEY: AN ANALYSIS FROM BANGLADESHI MEDIA Türkiye'de 15 Temmuz Başarısız Darbesi: Bangladeş Medyasından bir Analiz Rahmat Ullah Orcid ID: 0000-0002-1548-5966/PhD Candidate, Department of International Relations, Karadeniz Technical University, Trabzon, Turkey. Sabbir Hasan Orcid ID: 0000-0002-0637-9491/ Post-Graduate Researcher, Institute of Security Sciences, Police Academy, Ankara, Turkey. Saeyd Rashed Hasan Chowdury Orcid ID: 0000-0002-3864-1378/ PhD Student, Department of Mysticism, Ankara University, Ankara, Turkey. A R T I C L E I N F O ABSTRACT Article history: Turkey has been faced with a deadliest and barbaric coup attempt on 15 July 2016. A group of military personnel backed by FETO had tried to take over the power using heavy arms and jets. They bombed Received 16 May 2020 on the Parliament Building, President Complex, and Special Police Headquarters. But all these attempts have been filed against the people’s protests and political unity. Received in revised form 1 July 2020 Turkey’s media have been played a historical role against that coup attempt. They defended Accepted 30 August 2020 democracy and democratic government of Turkey. As the most important world news at that time, Bangladeshi media has been focused and placed Turkey’s news in their headlines. But both Leftist- secular and centre-rightist Bangladeshi media analysed that event differently. This study analysed 15 Keywords: 15 July Failed Coup, Turkey, July failed coup news in 5 Bangladeshi popular and most-read print media.
    [Show full text]
  • Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, Singapore
    (c) Copyright 2008 by Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, Singapore Editors Werner vom Busch Alastair Carthew Publisher Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung 34 Bukit Pasoh Road Singapore 089848 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior consent of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung. ISBN 978-981-08-2423-5 Design and Layout TimeEdge Publishing Pte Ltd 10 Anson Road 15-14 International Plaza Singapore 079903 www.tepub.com CONTENTS The Asian Media Project of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Foreword by Werner vom Busch 5 Director Asia Media Programme Overview of Asian Media by Alastair Carthew 6 Country Listing BANGLADESH by Sayeed Zayadul Ahsan and Major Media Listing Shameem Mahmud An Assessment 11 Print 14 Radio 27 TV 28 CAMBODIA by John Maloy Major Media Listing An Assessment 33 Print 36 TV and Radio 48 Other Media 58 CHINA by Oliver Radtke Major Media Listing An Assessment 57 Print 62 TV and Radio 69 INDIA by Katha Kartiki Major Media Listing An Assessment 75 Print 79 TV and Radio 99 Other Media 108 INDONESIA by Ignatius Haryanto Major Media Listing An Assessment 111 Print 116 TV 118 Radio 120 KOREA by Kim Myong-sik Major Media Listing An Assessment 121 Print 125 TV and Radio 134 Other Media 136 Country Listing MALAYSIA by Sharmin Parameswaran Major Media Listing An Assessment 139 Print 142 TV and Radio 150 MYANMAR by Stuart Deed Major Media Listing An Assessment 155 Print 160 TV and Radio
    [Show full text]
  • WHO OWNS the MEDIA in BANGLADESH?? Who Owns the Media in Bangladesh?
    WHO OWNS THE MEDIA IN BANGLADESH?? Who Owns the Media in Bangladesh? January 2021 http://www.bdmediaowners.com/ Principal Investigators Ali Riaz Mohammad Sajjadur Rahman Research Assistants Nazmul Arifeen Muktadir Rashid Shamsud Doza Support Staff Subir Das Sanjoy Debnath Nazmul Haque Abdul Awal Sabuj Tanvir Ahmed Abu Al Sayeed Web Developer Bahauddin Ahmed Centre for Governance Studies, 45/1 New Eskaton, 2nd Floor Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh https://cgs-bd.com/ Email: [email protected] Phone: +880258310217, +88029354902, +88029343109 The Centre for Governance Studies (CGS) is a non-profit autonomous think-tank which addresses issues of governance, security, and development in Bangladesh. the Centre has implemented several projects funded by international organizations such as National Democratic Institute (NDI), Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Asia Foundation, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES). This project was funded by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), USA and was conducted between October 2019 and December 2020. Who Owns the Media in Bangladesh?? Principal Investigators Ali Riaz Mohammad Sajjadur Rahman January 2021 Centre for Governance Studies About the Report While there has been a significant growth of the media industry during the last two decades, Bangladesh has also experienced serious erosion of media freedom. To unpack the complex relationship between ownership and media, gathering data and understanding the overlapping features of ownership are essential. It is against this background that this report has explored the question: who owns the media in Bangladesh? Relevant information and statistics on the media in Bangladesh—both in terms of numbers of media outlets and their typologies, e.g., print, electronic, radio and web-based etc., the nature of media ownership and the scope of press freedom are presented in this report.
    [Show full text]
  • Vaccine Coverage Area Improves from 22 to 92 % in Punjab BD Media Delegation Visits ITU-PITB Lahore, June 30, 2018
    Vaccine Coverage Area improves from 22 to 92 % in Punjab BD Media delegation visits ITU-PITB Lahore, June 30, 2018 The automated e-Vaccs system, a Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB)’s technological intervention has improved the vaccine coverage in the Province of the Punjab from 22 % to 92 % during the last three years. It was informed during a briefing to the visiting media persons’ delegation from Bangladesh here today. The delegation members included senior journalists from daily The News Today, The Daily Nayadiganta, The Daily Jugantor, The Independent, The Daily Observer, The Daily Sangram, The Daily New Age, BD News & Entertainment, The Himalay, The Daily Inqilab Bhaban and The New Nation of BD print media. The delegation was informed that the health, education, agriculture, revenue, land record, law & order, police, crime mapping and other sectors have been completely digitized by adopting ICT during the past six years by completing over 270 projects including e-Stamping, e-Rozgaar, Dengue activity tracking system, e-Vaccs, computerization of all police stations, criminal record management system, HRMIS, Electronic FIR, School information system, Real time monitoring of public schools, Citizen Facilitation and Service Centers i.e. eKhidmat Centers, Job Portal, Business Portal, Citizen Contact Center, Agriculture e-credit scheme, modern Farmer extension services, Kissan Card, Agriculture marketing information service and Hajj operations. It was further informed that the flagship project e-Stamping of Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) has collected revenue worth Rs. 361.459 million recently in one day, which was in excess of the total cost of the project i.e. Rs.
    [Show full text]
  • Human Rights Monitoring Report February 1-28, 2013
    February 28, 2013 Human Rights Monitoring Report February 1-28, 2013 Rally at Shahbagh calling for capital punishment for war criminals; blasphemous statements on some blogs instigate violence; deaths; attacks on journalists; and more issues regarding freedom of speech and expression. 37 persons killed extra judicially. Public lynching continues. Imposition of Section 144 of the CrPC. Human rights violations along the border by BSF. Tortured in Detective Branch police custody. Situation of readymade garment factory workers Human rights of religious minority communities. Violence against Women. Odhikar believes that ‘democracy’ is a form of the State and not merely a process of electing a ruler. Democracy is the product of the peoples’ struggle for inalienable rights, which become the fundamental premise to constitute the state and to define collective aspirations and responsibilities. Therefore, the individual freedoms and democratic aspirations of the citizens – and consequently, peoples’ collective rights and responsibilities - must be the foundational principles of the state. The states failure to recognize this at the founding moment, is a continuing curse that people are forced to carry. The democratic legitimacy of the state is directly related to its commitment and capacity to ensure human rights such as rights to life and livelihood, rights to environment and health; and the dignity and integrity of individuals, including freedom of speech and association. These rights, as the foundational principles of the State, must remain inviolable; and accordingly, the Parliament, Judiciary and Executive cannot and should not have any power to abrogate them through any legislation, judicial verdict or executive order. 1 Odhikar, being an organisation of human rights defenders in Bangladesh, has been struggling to ensure these rights.
    [Show full text]