Bangladesh world’s 3rd largest
country of hungry people
STAFF CORRESPONDENT
Bangladesh is the third largest country in terms of food insecurity and hunger where 30 million people, over one fifth of its population, suffer from food insecurity, according to the World Food Programme that placed India and China on the top of the list.
The number of hungry people in Bangladesh is annually increasing by 1.7 per cent against the poverty elevation rate of one per cent, the UN body revealed Thursday at a national media seminar on advocating food security for the ultra-poor in Bangladesh.
Those who do not get 1805 kilo calorie of food, earn less than Tk 300 per month and have no land or other productive asset are the ultra-poor class people, detailed the WFP adding that this category people are likely to die first in any epidemic or natural disaster.
According to a paper, titled ‘developing WFP advocacy agenda’, placed by a senior advocacy advisor of WFP, Bangladesh, Usha Mishra Joshi, 27
million out of the 30 million ultra poor people do not get any sorts of assistance from anyone while the remaining three million get support from various organisations.
About the WFP role in Bangladesh, the seminar was told that the UN body had extended its support to five million people. It annually provides support to 150 million people in 80 countries.
The Bangladesh media usually ignores the poverty issue and give highest importance on politics and crime, the speakers said
The media can play a great role in eradicating poverty by addressing the issue with due importance, they said and sought all out cooperation of the media people in reaching the targets of the Poverty reduction Strategy Paper locally and Millennium Develop Goals internationally.
Appreciating the WFP efforts in Bangladesh’s poverty reduction, they also called for a stronger collaboration between the development partners and media to address the chronic food insecurity.
‘The media in Bangladesh has a hue potential of determining the development agenda,’ the WFP representative in Bangladesh, Douglas Broderick, said and hoped that the media would play a larger role in advocating for improved food security of the millions of ultra-poor, especially of women and children.
Moderated by Professor Sakhawat Ali Khan of the mass communication and journalism department of the Dhaka University, the seminar was addressed, among others, head of WFP advocacy unit, M Emamul Haque, and the executive editor of daily Sangbad, Manjurul Ahsan Bulbul.
Resignation of edn minister demanded
STAFF CORRESPONDENT
The National Front of Teachers and Employees, an alliance of eleven teachers and employees unions of non-government schools and colleges, on Thursday demanded immediate resignation of the education minister for his alleged corruption in different projects under the ministry.
It also demanded formation of an inquiry commission to investigate the irregularities, and misuse of money for the uni-track education system in the secondary level which the government decided to introduce from 2006.
The government in July, 2005 took the decision, but the cabinet at a Monday meeting deferred the system by a year.
‘A huge amount of money has already been spent, although the government deferred the system by a year,’ the front coordinator and convener, Quazi Faruque Ahmed, told a press conference at the National Press Club in Dhaka.
Leaders of the Awami League-backed front also demanded cancellation of the uni-track education system. The organisation will organise a seminar on state of education at the National Press Club on December 18. The front leaders Mohammad Azizul Islam, Mohammad Shahjahan, Asadul Haq, M Abdur Rashid, and MA Sattar were present at the press briefing.
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