Task force to protect environment
The deputy commissioner (DC) of Dhaka district has decided to form a task force of concerned government authorities to protect against environmental pollution, especially water pollution, air pollution
New Age (Bangladesh)
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Diabetes Awareness Day observed
The Diabetic Association of Bangladesh on Thursday observed Diabetes Awareness Day to mark its 52nd founding anniversary. Experts, at a question-answer session, said some cautious food habits, physical exercise, quitting smoking and reducing mental stress could reduce the risk to diabetics. The association president, AK Azad Khan, said people should be aware that diabetes sometimes leads to kidney failure and other complications that might cause death. Founded by National Professor Mohammad Ibrahim, the non-profit voluntary socio-medical organisation started its journey on this day in 1956 to provide diabetic patients with basic health care. The association observed the day at all its 13 national healthcare networks, 10 diabetic healthcare development centres and 56 affiliated bodies across the country. The DAB brought out a procession from Manik Mia Avenue early morning. It also provided free check-ups for detecting diabetes at different places including the Bangladesh National Museum, National Press Club, New Market, Mohammadpur Town Hall, Lalbagh and NHN and DHDC centres across the country.
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$62.6m IDA loan to give boost to farm sector
Bangladesh on Thursday signed a loan agreement with International Development Association under which it will receive $62.6 million to improve agricultural productivity and farm income by revitalising the national agricultural technology system. The additional ERD secretary, Mohammad Mesbahuddin, and the World Bank acting country director, Mohamed Alhousseyni Toure, signed the agreement for their respective sides at the NEC auditorium. The National Agricultural Technology Project is designed to promote generation, dissemination, adoption and use of appropriate agricultural technologies through a number of policy reforms, institutional development and investment to support agricultural research, extension and supply chain development. The development of supply chains will focus on strengthening farmer-market linkages, knowledge management and human resources development. The credit from the IDA, the World Bank's concessionary arm, has 40 years to maturity with a 10-year grace period and carries a service charge of 0.75 per cent.
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DCC to monitor waste collection as dumping on at wrong places
The Dhaka City Corporation has taken up an intensified plan to improve collection of solid waste through the monitoring of primary-level waste collection by community-based and non-governmental organisations. Officials at the corporation said the daily garbage was still not dumped in the right place from where the DCC carried the waste to the landfill sites.
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India bails out small farmers in pre-election budget
India's Congress-led government announced on Friday a 15 billion dollars loan bailout for small farmers in a populist pre-election budget targeting the party's traditional poor rural supporters. Finance minister Palaniappan Chidambaram, releasing the budget for the year starting April 1 as India's blistering economic growth has begun to slow, announced a 600 billion rupees ($15.05b) relief plan. Some 30 million indebted farmers' loans would be fully waived and another 10 million would receive aid, said Chidambaram, who presented the budget ahead of nine state elections slated this year followed by national polls in early 2009. He pledged to wrestle down the fiscal deficit and tame inflation. But the lack of any big corporate incentives along with the debt giveaway dismayed the stock market which tumbled nearly 1.4 per cent.
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WB to help manage water resources in developing states
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the World Bank signed an agreement to work together to help developing nations manage water resources, combat drought, and measure changes in climate. Future projects are expected to take place initially in the Latin American region, notably in Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru, while other projects could be launched in other parts of the world, according to a joint statement released by the two agencies on Wednesday. This new partnership will allow NOAA scientists and resource managers and the World Bank to more readily assist global communities in building resilience to climate extremes, said the statement. Specifically, the assistance can help establish end-to-end early warning systems, enhance and protect local ecosystems, and realise the benefits of an integrated earth observing system, it added.
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An affordable answer to arsenic dangers
Parvin Khaleda . Back from Sirajdikhan, Munshiganj When dark spots had started appearing on Robeda Begum's hands and feet nine years back, members of her family even stared at her with doubts. Some of the neighbours distanced themselves from her as they took the lesions as symptoms of some contagious disease. Initially, this was the attitude towards people with arsenic-related ailments until the disease and its cure were unknown to them. Massive awareness over the years changed the people's attitude towards aersenicosis patients and alerted them to the danger of arsenic poisoning.
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Women workers still vulnerable to poverty, unemployment: ILO
Women are in the workplace like never before but they are still more vulnerable than men to unemployment and low-paid jobs, the International Labour Organisation said Friday.