‘Extortions have serious impact on dev efforts of poor states

Extortions might have a more serious impact in the developing countries, while the developed countries are more likely to thwart it with their well- developed legal and institutional structures, reports BSS.
This was highlighted in a seminar paper titled “Bribery versus extortion: allowing the lesser of the two evils,” presented by Fahad Khalil of Department of Economics of the University of Washington, Seattle.
The Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) organized the seminar at its conference room Sunday. Director General of the BIDS Dr Quazi Shahabuddin chaired it while former Finance secretary turned minister A M A Muhit, Research Director of the BIDS Dr M Asaduzzaman, among others, spoke.
Both bribery and extortion weaken the power of incentives, Fahad Khalil said in his paper, adding that there is a tradeoff in fighting the two since rewards to prevent supervisors from accepting bribes create incentives for extortion.
He said, a fear of inducing extortion may make it optimal to allow bribery, but extortion is never tolerated and added that extortion penalizes the agent after “good behavior”, while bribery penalizes the agent after “bad behavior”.
Extortion is a more serious issue when incentives are primarily based on soft information and the agent has a greater bargaining power in negotiating an illegal payment or has a weaker outside opportunities, he opined.
Extortion is a particularly debilitating form of corruption that lead not only to inefficiencies but the alienation of citizens from their government, Fahad Khalil mentioned in his paper.
Why both should not be deterred, although extortion is worse than bribery, he questioned referring a study suggesting that even if it is feasible to deter both, it is optimal to allow bribery when information is soft, but most of the studies suggested that deterring bribery is the optimal.
Muhit said, bribery encourages extortion and both forms of corruption should be deterred.

SAARC needs structural change to implement decisions

South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is suffering from some structural deficiencies and lack of correct mindset to swing the forum to an economic union for improving the quality of life of its people.
They said, the SAARC has adopted scores of decisions and projects with regards to eradicating poverty, climate change, food bank, trade and commerce to improve economic cooperation among the members, but most of them remained in paper or implemented partially due to some shortcomings in the implementation process.
The speakers said this at a roundtable on ‘Peoples’ Expectation and South Asian Union’ jointly organized by Media Foundation for Trade and Development and Equity and Justice Working Group at Jatiya Press Club Sunday.
Addressing the roundtable as the chief guest, former SAARC secretary general QAMA Rahim said, the SAARC should make functional its ‘post-office type’ secretariat by giving power to oversee the execution of the decisions.
He also called for changing the mindset of the SAARC leaders particularly the bureaucrats and people as well to address the drawbacks to move the Saarc on its right direction and to make it an economic union by 2020.
Noted academic and former vice chancellor of Dhaka University Professor Moniruzzaman Miah, outgoing Country Representative of the Asian Development Bank Ms Hua Du attended the roundtable as the special guests.
Former State Minister for Foreign Affairs Abul Hasan Chowdhury, eminent economist Dr Qazi Kholiquzzaman, BSS chief editor Zaglul Ahmed Chowdhury and former commerce secretary Sohel Ahmed were the main discussants of the roundtable.
Foreign Ministry official Faisal Ahmed talked about the agenda of the next SAARC summit in Colombo in the last week of this month and former secretary Siddiqur Rahman, ambassador Waliur-Rahman and Executive Director of Debtech Ferdousi Begum spoke among others.
Member secretary of Equity and Justice Working Justice M Shamsuddoha presented a keynote paper on the topic while Faruk Ahmed of Media Foundation acted as moderator.
Former SAARC secretary general QAMA Rahim said the experts after second Male summit recommended that the process of making the SAARC into an economic union should go in phases by 2020 after implemantation of SAPTA in 2000, SAFTA 2010 and Customs Union by 2015.
“Despite many leaders thought that we should go faster towards economic union much before 2002, but reality is that we are lagging behind,” he said.
Laying importance on a very vibrant role of media in materializing the goals of SAARC, the former SAARC secretary general QAMA Rahim said the role of media to promote the spirits and goals of SAARC are very miserable.
“I must say, performance of SA media as far as SAARC is concerned is very miserable. Many of the newspapers and TV channels of SA have correspondents all over Europe, but they have no stringer in the member countries,” he pointed out.
“When media covers a news it gave importance on ‘negative’ issues,” he lamented saying media of SA must be proactive and try to do something to promote awareness on what SAARC can do for people and why it is failing to do so or how the cooperation might be meaningful.”
Outgoing ADB country director Ms Hua Du outlined the attachment of the bank on the very onset of formation of the SAARC and said the ADB has set a long term strategic framework to help developing SAARC members more onto low carbon growth paths
by expanding the use of clean energy.
She urged the developing countries to cease the opportunity to have maximum share of the climate change adaptation fund and develop cost effective regional adaptation projects to address the climate change together.
Professor Moniruzzaman Miah laid importance on regional management of water resources in the region and said the per capita water availability in Bangladesh is reducing every year.
Referring to some scientific predictions, he said, Bangladesh may face serious water crisis from March 2025 if India continues unilateral withdrawal of waters in the upstreams.
Dr Kholiquzzaman said the SA countries must adopt specific goal for sustainable development by establishing better connectivity and people to people contact and reducing political tension.
Referring the fragile democratic system in SA region, he said, people to people contact can remove the political barriers along with easing the bureaucratic tangle in addressing the common issues of the region with regards to food security, climate change, trade and commerce.
BSS chief editor Zaglul Ahmed Chowdhury said the SAARC amidst many adversities, political mistrust and limitation of resources, could promote many ideas and visions in all areas of cooperation.

Govt urged to bring down prices of essentials

Left Democratic Alliance (LDA) Sunday observed ‘protest day’ across the country to press home its demand for checking price hike of essentials and withdrawing enhanced price of fuel oil, reports BSS.
In observance of the day, the LDA organised various programmes including formation of human chain, holding of rallies and submitting memorandum in district headquarters across the country, a press release said.
As part of the countrywide programmes, the LDA held a workers rally at its Topkhana road office in the city.
Presided over by Jobran Ali Jewel, the meeting was addressed, among others, by Moshrefa Mishu, Bazlur Rashid Firoz, Saiful Haq, Advocate Abdus Salam, Hamidul Haq, Babul Biswas, Pathak Goldar, Taslima Aktar, Nazrul Islam, Rezaur Rahsid Khan and Razekuzzaman.

Indian HC to organise Manipuri Dance

The High Commission of India in Bangladesh in association with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations will organize the first session of a month- long Manipuri dance from July 22, reports BSS.
The session to continue up to August 21 will be conducted by Ms. Bimbavati Devi, one of the most renowned Manipur dancers of India, a press release of the Indian High Commission said Sunday.
Bimbavati Devi, daughter of renowned classical Manipuri dancers-Guru Kalavati Devi and Guru Bipin Singh-is a leading exponent of Manipuri dance, one of the six major classical dance forms of India.

ACAD course begins at BPATC

The 61st Advanced Course on Administration and Development (ACAD) began at Bangladesh Public Administration Training Center (BPATC) Sunday, reports BSS.
A total of 31 officers with the rank of deputy secretaries from different ministries and divisions are taking part in the two and a half-months long training course, a press release said.
ACAD is one of the main courses being conducted by BPATC.

Two schoolboys missing in Ctg

Two school boys have been missing since last night from Jamal Khan area of the port city, police and family sources said Sunday, reports BSS.
They were identified as Toukir Ahmed, 15, son of Jafar Ahmed of Rahmatganj, and Mohammad Ashik-e-Sabur, son of Mohammad Abdus Sabur of 223, Miakhan Nagar of Bakalia thana, of the city. Both the missing boys are the students of Class IX of the Government Muslim High School near Kotwali thana in the city. Jafar Ahmed said his son Toukir went to a coaching center at Jamal Khan area at 7 pm yesterday but did not return home. Teacher Muktar Alam of the coaching center told BSS that Toukir came to the center at 7 pm but left it with Ashik-e-Sabur at 7.30 pm.
Toukir’s father said he looked for his son at all possible places before filing a General Diary (GD) with Kotwali thana at 10 am Sunday. The school sources said that both the students were absent in the classroom Sunday.

One commits suicide in hospital

One old man committed suicide by slaughtering himself with a sharp blade Saturday night here in Sher- e-Bangla Medical College Hospital (SBMCH) in Barishal, reports BSS.
The victim was identified as Moslem Ali (70), son of Mokter Ali of Itbaria village under Barguna district, police said.
The cause of the death, however, was not immediately ascertained, but police presumed that the victim might be committed suicide due to some unknown reasons.
Police said the victim was admitted in orthopedic department of SBMCH on Friday. He wrapped his throat with a bed-sheet after slaughtering by a blade at around 10-30 Saturday night.
One woman nearby his bed saw that blood was oozing out from his throat. Hearing this, the nurses on duty rushed to his bed and found him dead.
Police recovered a sharp blade beside his bed.

Bio-tech opens huge scope to boost agriculture production

Modern bio-technology has opened up a huge opportunities to develop new varieties of crops, improve farming practices, control pest and diseases through enhanced genetic resistance, reports BSS.
Bio-technology has been proved as an important tool for sustainable crop improvement and keeps the agricultural production environment friendly, said agri-expert Mohammad Khalequzzaman A. Chowdhury.
Bio-technology endowed with high precision of genetic chemistry of crops, livestock, fish and other aquatic species, forest species and agriculturally important microbes, he added.
Khalequzzaman Chowdhury, who is a member director (Crops) of Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (BARC) also said research on modern bio-technology specially on plant genetic transformation is in primary stage in Bangladesh.
“More research, development of infrastructure and skilled manpower are needed to expand scope of using bio-technology in the country,” he added.
“Bangladesh government has formulated bio- technology policy to create congenial atmosphere to encourage research and development in bio-technology,” he said adding “the main goal of the policy is to ensure sustainable development of agriculture, food and other crops, nutrition, health and livelihood of people.”
Khalequzzanman said bio-technology has a huge potential in Bangladesh as it has a vast coastal belt and there is plenty of scope to develop salinity tolerant varieties to bring the lands under cultivation with a view to increase production.
He said salinity in cultivable lands are increasing gradually due to adverse effects of climate change, so it has become important to develop saline tolerant variety of crops to face the future crisis of food.
Dr Khalequzzamna said the BARC in association with Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute (BARI) has developed eight pest resistant varieties of egg plant.
He said these varieties would be freed from pest attacks and keep significant contribution to our agriculture sector as these varieties will cut production cost as well as increase production.
Chairman of the Department of Genetic Engineering and Bio- technology of Dhaka University Dr Mohammad Anwarul Azim Akhand said “We should increase our food production by using bio- technology to meet the growing food demand.
“In this context,” he said, “We have to develop salinity, flood and drought tolerant variety of crops to utilize maximum lands under cultivation”.
Dr Anwarul said farmers spent a lot of money in using pesticides to their crops. Referring to fallow lands in the costal belt, he said, the government should pay due attention to bring those land under cultivation.
There is no alliterative to using bio- technology to increase crop production, he said adding bio-technology would be developed by strictly maintaining government rules and regulations to boost agriculture production.
Referring to India’s experience in promoting bio-technology to increase agriculture production, he said, Bangladesh should give priority to develop bio-technology to face global competition in this regard.
He also said bio-technology could be used in increasing production of vitamin-A rich crops which will meet nutritional value in food.

8 Himalayan countries cooperating on flood data

A website keeps eight South Asian countries in the Himalayan region to be posted about data on rivers daily to keep updated on the annual flooding, sources said, reports BSS.
The website, southasian.flood.org links Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan under a programme named International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMD) from its base at Kathmandu, Nepal.
Every morning all the members pass data on the rivers, mostly originating from the lap of the great Himalayan mountain range, the source of the mighty Ganges and the Brahmaputra, which flows around the region and trigger floods every monsoon, the sources said.
The countries are also maintaining the site under the cooperation programme of ICIMD.
Besides, the web site, Bangladesh and India have been cooperating on exchanging data on the two great rivers, which mostly flows down India and Bangladesh before emptying into the Bay of Bengal, forming the Ganges delta in the southern Bangladesh.
Sources at the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC) of the Bangladesh Water Development Board told BSS that every morning the FFWC receives data on the Ganges from Farakka barrage point where the mighty river enters Bangladesh.
The data on the Brahmaputra is also available from Dhubri, Goalpara in Assam, where it enters Bangladesh. The data comes by wireless on 24 hours basis.
Besides, the FFWC also receives data from a number of satellites monitoring the rivers and the oceans. It comes from satellites of the national Oceanogeraphic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA) of the United States, patrolling the world’s oceans for the rainfall.
The FFWC also receives data from the Bangladesh Meteorological Department, which also gathers data from different satellites.
All these data enable the FFWC to disseminate information on the rivers and floods on a 24 hours to 72 hours basis, which are posted on its website twice daily.
We are now trying to develop a forecasting system on a ten- day basis, a FFWC source said.

President greets French counterpart

President Professor Dr. Iajuddin Ahmed has conveyed his warmest greetings and felicitations to French President Nicolas Sarkozy on the occasion of the National Day of the Republic of France, reports BSS.
“I take this opportunity to express my firm conviction that the existing bonds of friendship between our two countries will be further developed in the coming years,” he said in a message Sunday
The President also wished good health, long life and happiness of Nicolas Sarkozy.

Weather

Light rain likely today

Light to moderate rain or thundershowers accompanied by temporary gusty wind is likely at many places over all
the six divisions in the next 24 hours till 6pm today (Monday), reports UNB.
Moderately heavy to heavy rainfalls are also likely at places during the period, Met Office said, predicting nearly unchanged day temperature over the country.
Country’s highest temperature 33.4 degree Celsius was recorded on Sunday at Rangpur and lowest 22.6 degrees at Hatiya.
The sun sets in the capital today at 6:49 pm and rises on Tuesday at 5:20 am.

Mim Zarrine obtains golden GPA 5

Mim Zarrine Tasnime (Rafha) obtained golden GPA 5 in the SSC examination from the Viqarunnisa Noon School and College under the Dhaka Board in 2008, said a press release.
She is the only daughter of MA Hye Talukder, DG, IMED, under the Ministry of Planning, and Ishrat Jahan.
Zarrine is the grand daughter of late Alhaj Motahar Uddin Talukder of Rajpara village in Mathbaria under Pirojpur district.
She seeks blessings from all.

DHAKA NOTES