Though some parts of Jammu and Kashmir are struggling economically, the region overall is seeing a tourism revival after Article 370 was abrogated in 2019 by the central government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership. Kashmir, the centre of tensions between India and Pakistan, is seeing a boom in tourism. India aimed to spotlight Kashmir's stability, at a conference on tourism held under the auspices of the Group of 20 major economies, which India chaired this year on May 22-24. The art and play industry is also booming back in Jammu and Kashmir after 370 was removed. Ladishah, a storytelling musical genre of Jammu and Kashmir, was slowly and steadily dying. But a few youngsters are reinventing the old musical storytelling technique to preserve Kashmir's age-old fading culture. Since the tourism industry is booming rapidly, the Administrative Council (AC) chaired by Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha last week gave approval to the absorption of 145 Employees of Hotel Corporation of India Limited (HCIL) working at Centaur Lake View Hotel, Srinagar, into different corporations under the Tourism Department. The decision was taken on the recommendations of the committee that the Union Territory of J-K will absorb the existing staff of the Hotel Corporation of India Limited on the existing terms and conditions.  New Delhi grabbed this opportunity and showed through the event with delegates from more than two dozen countries, that life was returning to normal in the region after years of conflict. At the famous Dal Lake, the delegates were seen enjoying colourful boat rides in Shikaras. "Ended the day with a scenic shikara ride on the Dal Lake followed by a cultural performance and delicious wazwan dinner! Thank you@g20org@JandKTourism@srinagaradmin@tourismgoi for the impeccable arrangements!" tweeted Singapore in India. The mega G20 tourism meet in Srinagar has clearly caught the attention of international media, with many of them highlighting India's efforts of showcasing the restoration of stability and normalcy in Kashmir. In a resounding display of cultural opulence and artistic finesse, the G20 delegates at the Sher-e-Kashmir International Convention Centre (SKICC) found themselves captivated by the exquisite handicrafts of Kashmir. The third Tourism Working Group meeting witnessed a vibrant gathering of craftsmen and vendors, as they showcased their masterpieces to an international audience. From the plush Pashmina shawls that enveloped visitors in luxurious warmth to the hand-woven carpets that told stories through intricate patterns, the tapestry of Kashmir's artisanal brilliance was on full display. Delicate hand-embroidered fabrics, exquisitely carved walnut wood masterpieces, ancient Kangris (fire pots), and vibrant papier-mache art added further depth to the exhibition. The Jammu and Kashmir government set up a special food stall Jammu Kashmir Rural Livelihood Mission (JKRLM) Millet Hub" for foreign delegates at Sher-i-Kashmir International Conference Centre (SKICC) in Srinagar during G20 meetings. Jammu Kashmir was once a place where schools remained closed for extended periods, but now even girls are visiting schools without any fear from the extremist militants. District Development Commissioner Doda, Vishesh Mahajan along with Senior Superintendent of Police, Abdul Qayoom on Tuesday inaugurated the All India Women Cricket Championship here in Sports Stadium Doda. The tournament is being organised by the Department of Physical Education and Sports, Government Degree College Doda in collaboration with Sports & Fitness Hub, Doda. Around 8 teams including teams from Uttar Pradesh, Hyderabad, GDC Doda, and GMC Doda are participating in the tournament. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's face appeared on billboards showing India's role in the G-20, with slogans like "Srinagar: the city beautiful," Wall Street Journal reported. Local business owners also agree that they have seen an economic revival. Tangmarg and Gulmarg, two picturesque health resorts in north Kashmir's Baramullah District have undergone a remarkable transformation by implementing a beautification plan by the Urban Local Bodies (ULB) Kashmir. Expenditure of Rs 1.64 crore on the beautification project aimed at repairing, redeveloping, restoring municipal assets, and enhancing the overall appeal of these towns. on May 30, the plan was approved by the ULB Kashmir while the works were completed by the Municipal Committee Tangmarg, Gulmarg. Jawed Bakhar, 43 years old, said tourists have flocked back to his souvenir shop, which sells the area's famed cashmere pashmina shawls. "The tourism business is good," he said. During the G20 event, Singapore's High Commissioner to India Simon Wong has praised the beauty of Kashmir and said that he is "very happy" to be in Srinagar. Taking to his official Twitter handle, Simon Wong said, "Very happy to be in Srinagar. Pure beauty. Thank u so much for your warm welcome. HC Wong." New Delhi said that its 2019 move to revoke the partially autonomous status of Jammu and Kashmir would help stabilize the area's economy, protecting it from militant separatist groups and allowing the region to draw in more investment and migration. The move proved its correctness when the G20 event was completed peacefully without any potential terrorist activity. Jitendra Singh, a government minister and parliament member from the area, said at the G20 event that Kashmiris are ready to seize economic opportunities after years of terrorism. "The common man has moved on," he said at a news conference, adding, "He can see the enormous opportunities unfolded by Modi across the country, and he does not wish to miss the bus." Some countries protested India's decision to host the event in Kashmir. Pakistan, who isn't even a member of the G20, condemned the move, and expansionist China, which has territorial disputes with India, boycotted the meeting. Indian officials at the event described an economic renewal bolstered by an influx of more than 18 million tourists to Jammu and Kashmir last year, up from 7.7 million in 2008. Indian officials have said the overall economy, which is heavily agrarian, grew by an estimated 8 per cent in the past fiscal year. But some sectors like manufacturing have struggled in a region that suffers from frequent power outages and lack of connectivity with the rest of India. This is also because of geographical and climatic conditions. Railway connectivity was an area, in which J-K was lagging behind for years, but under Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party government at the Centre, thumping progress has been made towards connecting the region with the rest of the country. In July 2014, after inaugurating the 25-km Udhampur-Katra railway line in July 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured the people that Kashmir would be connected and integrated with the rest of the country during his tenure. While the unemployment rate has fallen from a peak of more than 30 per cent last year to 23.1 per cent in March this year, the fall was India's third highest, behind the states of Haryana and Rajasthan, according to the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy, Wall Street Journal reported. The G20 summit in Srinagar is a step towards projecting Jammu and Kashmir as international film shooting destinations. The three-day Tourism Working Group Meeting of G20 delegates in Srinagar on May 22, 2023, commenced with the side event on "Film Tourism for Economic and Cultural Preservation." Participants deliberated upon the importance of film tourism and its impact on the economy and culture. They unanimously agreed upon the fact that J-K is the best place to shoot the films. With the G20 Tourism Working Group (TWG) meeting being held in Srinagar, North Kashmir's Bandipora district is leveraging the opportunity to promote its famous products to foreign delegates attending the summit. These products include black cumin (kala jeera) from Gurez Valley, organic rajma (kidney beans) from Tulail Valley and exquisite paper mache art pieces from the Sumbal subdivision. These offerings highlight the district's diverse and rich products. Jammu and Kashmir haven't held assembly elections since 2014. But elections are expected later this year after New Delhi implemented new rules that allow more residents to vote, Wall Street Journal reported. The tourism rebound has been a tremendous help for the locals that had to keep their businesses closed when the militancy was at its peak. Sameer Ahmed, a 34-year-old manager of a store selling Kashmiri cashmere, said that earlier political instability had forced the shop to close for an average of six months each year during the past seven years. Covid lockdowns also hurt. Ahmed said sales have bounced back to pre-Covid levels after India lifted pandemic restrictions, triggering a surge in tourist arrivals. "It's like they broke out of jail," he said of the visitors. Nadeem Mulla, a 29-year-old travel agent from Gujarat, was on holiday in Kashmir along with 37 members of his extended family. He said they had admired the lush pine trees and clear lakes, and that the entire trip was costing him thousands of dollars, Wall Street Journal reported. "I'm spending like crazy," he said. Many hotel operators and souvenir shop owners say they are cautiously optimistic, but they are still bracing for possible future turmoil. Anees Noor's family houseboat, outfitted with thick Kashmiri rugs and carved wooden furniture, was booked out almost every single day during last year's summer season. Demand was so high that he tripled the rate to 10,000 rupees, equivalent to USD 120, a night, Wall Street Journal reported. "There was not a single empty room," he said. Still, the 23-year-old said his family is stocking up on rice and cooking oil in case tensions boil over again. Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Monday inaugurated the Jambu Zoo at Nagrota and said that the new addition to the tourist destinations of J-K will attract both local residents and tourists visiting the Union Territory. "Spread over the 70-hectare area, the new addition to the tourist destinations of J-K UT attracts both local residents and tourists visiting Union Territory," LG Sinha said. The recent G20 meeting in Jammu and Kashmir has given foreign dignitaries and observers a good opportunity to witness a change in the Union Territory since the abrogation of Article 370, Federico Giuliani wrote in Inside Over, an Italian-based news website. The three-day G20 meetings in Srinagar were concluded last week where various foreign dignitaries came and took a tour of the city.

Following the abrogation of Article 370, the union territory Jammu and Kashmir has made progress in the spheres of education, health, and power, with a special focus on providing education, training, and job opportunities to the youth, reported Asian Lite International. Moreover, in its ongoing G20 meetings in various sectors, India will soon host a tourism working group meeting in Srinagar - the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir -- in May. By holding the meeting in Srinagar, India also wants to convey a strong message to the global community about the stability of the place. It wants to portray the peaceful ambience of the place. Now there are 50 new degree colleges, offering a total of 25,000 seats, established in J-K; seven new medical colleges with 1,400 extra medical/paramedical seats have been made operational; also five new nursing colleges and one state cancer institute are coming up in the Union Territory, bringing much-needed healthcare to local communities, reported Asian Lite International. Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Jammu and Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Jammu has been made functional. The number of government degree colleges/engineering colleges has increased from 96 to 147. Giving a fair chance to women in the union territory, are getting 10 to 20 per cent higher subsidies as compared to men while availing the benefits of the Integrated Dairy Development Scheme for the year 2022-23. Over 40,000 women in Jammu and Kashmir have been classified as millionaires as they earn over Rs 1 lakh a month with 65 per cent among them entrepreneurs, reported Asian Lite International. The administration is investing in programmes to ensure that school and college dropouts are given training as per their skills and out of the ones who are trained 70 per cent are given wage employment. Employment generation in the union territory is on an upswing. Under the Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) as many as 16,807 (78 per cent) of the 21,640 PMEGP units in J&K belong to the service sector, that is, units like beauty parlours, boutiques, embroidery, mobile/computer repair shops, and food outlets, reported Asian Lite International. Jammu and Kashmir is giving a big thrust to sustainable agriculture in the Union Territory. It has approved a five-year project on "Innovative Extension Approaches for Revitalizing Agriculture in Jammu and Kashmir". The project, worth Rs 463 crore, aims to empower farmers and educated youth through technology-driven and inclusive agri-extension services. One of the critical outcomes of the project would be the creation of 2,000 Kissan Khidmat Ghars (KKGs), which will serve as a One Stop Center for extending farmer-oriented services, reported Greater Kashmir. "In the last 2.5 years, J-K has become the champion of the country as far as digital transactions are concerned. We have built a digital society, offering 446 services online, and our entire administration is paperless. J-K is witnessing a digital revolution," L-G Manoj Sinha said at the G20 meeting International Education Fair 2023, Rising Kashmir.

Prime Minister and Parliament leader Sheikh Hasina today criticized some MPs as they opposed the article 70 of the Constitution despite the article has given stability to the government and the development of the country. She said, "Article 70 protects democracy and strengthens it to deliver the benefits of democracy to the people. But, some of our parliament members are against the article.  Because of this article, they are not able to play the game of creating and breaking the government as they wish. She said this while delivering the valedictory speech at the 22nd (special) session of the 11th National parliament on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee of the Parliament chaired by Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury. The prime minister said, "Some parliamentarians were expressing concern over Article 70 of the Constitution due to their inexperience, mainly citing the overthrow of governments formed after the 1946 and 1954 elections due to floor crossing by parliamentarians." She also said, "Many people are expressing concern about Article 70 of the Constitution. Those who are doing it may have lack of experience. Article 70 has given stability to the government in our country - due to which the country has witnessed development." Deputy leader of opposition in the parliament Ghulam Muhammad Quader in his speech called for the abrogation of Article 70 of the Constitution. Before this, a special discussion was held in the Parliament based on a resolution adopted by the Prime Minister on April 7 under section 147 of the rules of procedure of the parliament. President Abdul Hamid gave a memorial speech highlighting the achievements of the country.

Three years ago, on 5 August 2019, the Parliament of India voted in favor of a resolution tabled by Home Minister Amit Shah to revoke the temporary special status, or autonomy, granted under Article 370 of the Indian Constitution to Jammu and Kashmir. In the Hindu majority Jammu region, people held widespread “massive celebratory” demonstrations over several days with the distribution of sweets, bursting of firecrackers and dancing. In Ladakh, the Buddhist organizations celebrated the removal of Article 370 provisions and making the Ladakh region a separate Union Territory. The people in Leh and Matho celebrated 15 August as a day of “independence from Kashmir” and welcomed their Union Territory status.   Kashmir-Army Soldiers along with locals take part in Kargil Vijay Diwas Tiranga boat rally in River Jhelum during the celebrations of Kargil Vijay Diwas in Srinagar-Umar Ganie (13).   The impact of the Revocation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir encompassed a year without high-speed Internet, changes in the politics and bureaucracy of the region, priority of counter-insurgency & counter-terrorism operations, new domicile rules, talks of restoration of statehood, judicial lethargy, and decline in stone-pelting among other things. But one thing that has made a big impact on the lives of the ordinary people is that the Kashmir Valley is witnessing an exponential increase in the tourism flow due to the successful campaigns to attract maximum tourists towards the region. And ordinary Kashmiris are embracing the rise in business.   As per figures collected from Kashmir Tourism Department,  the number of tourists between January and 15 May 2022 jumped to 700,000, the highest in the last 10 years. With every passing year and gradual return of normalcy the number of tourists visiting Kashmir is also rising. This is more than four times the 125,000 people seen in the same period last year. between January and 15 May 2022, it saw 700,000 visitors, the highest in the last 10 years. As per the Union tourism ministry, around 1.42 lakh tourists visited J&K during February alone. Such is the rush this time that hotels are fully booked till mid-Aug this year. On 4 April, the Srinagar Airport saw its busiest day ever in history, with 15,014 people travelling on 90 flights in and out of Kashmir. And in Srinagar, almost all 60,000 hotel rooms that can accommodate nearly lakh visitors are booked until the first week of June.   And the most important part is that unlike the propaganda meted out by Pakistan, ordinary Kashmiris have welcomed the tourists and the business they bring wholeheartedly. Athar Yamin, the owner of Earth Explorers Travel and Tours, told First post that he hasn’t seen this rush before. His family has been in the travel business since 1975. “We are simply not able to manage things. This is beyond our capacity! We have to decline hundreds of queries, because there is no accommodation,” he said.   In a first ever, the Ministry of Civil Aviation approved the five flights a week between Srinagar-Sharjah. Union Home Minister Amit Shah had inaugurated Go First’s Srinagar-Sharjah flight on October 23 last year, connecting Jammu and Kashmir with the United Arab Emirates after around 11 years.   Ohana Holidays, a Srinagar-based travel agency, is swamped with the number of bookings doubling since March. Its owner, Mehreen Ali Chat, is moving fast to expand operations. “We are burdened by work and are left with no option but to expand the hiring,” she said, adding that she is hiring around 12 more employees to handle coordination and reservations.   To boost adventure tourism in Jammu and Kashmir, the government has launched J&K Tourist Village Network under Mission Youth. “The initiative is aimed at transforming 75 villages of the Union Territory known for historical, picturesque beauty, and cultural significance into tourist villages,” a statement said. Highlighting the objective behind the initiative, the statement said that government is adopting best practices recognizing the uniqueness of each village and showcasing the landscapes, indigenous knowledge systems, cultural diversity and heritage, local values and traditions, besides encouraging film shooting and offering financial incentives as well as ensuring a digital platform to all these villages. The objective of this unique youth-led sustainable tourism initiative is to strengthen rural economy and community entrepreneurship, empowering youth and women by providing direct and indirect employment opportunities.   Added to the tourists enjoying the beauty, weather and culture of Kashmir, are those who are on holy pilgrimage taking the total visitors to Kashmir through the sky! After a gap of two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the government announced the Amarnath Yatra on a “much bigger” scale this year. According to an estimate over 0.8 million pilgrims have yet visited the cave shrine in south Kashmir, till now. And expectations are that the numbers will continue to rise. The move will further bolster tourism in Kashmir. “We are utterly happy and our business is booming, and we are praying that the situation stays normal throughout the summer,” Gulzar Ahmed, 48, a local transport facilitator, said.   Before the abrogation of Article 370, the shadow of Islamic militancy meant that Kashmir’s beauty remained inaccessible and unexplored for security reasons. Anti-national sponsored militant forces try to present a picture of heavy handed braver on part of Indian security forces. But the fact is that in law and order, not a single person died in police firing after the revocation of article 370 and stone pelting incidents came down. The real fact is that in Kashmir now as a Union Territory, directly controlled by Delhi, the scope of separatists in the functioning and decision-making even in internal affairs gets marginalized. Pak’s deep penetration in the institutions of the state also comes to an end.   During her reply to a recent debate on Jammu and Kashmir Budget in the House, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said, “We were shown fake normalcy since 1947 under the garb of Article 370. Now, after the removal of 370, Kashmir has real normalcy.”  The rise in tourism and the manner in which local Kashmiris are welcoming visitors indicates that for the vast majority, the concept of ‘normalcy’ is rising business opportunities combined with security cover.   Write Up: Dr Sakariya Kareem   Source: Asian Lite

Abolition of Article 370 has paved the path to a new Jammu and Kashmir, said former Deputy Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Kavinder Gupta on Sunday. Gupta said, "Mohan Bhagwat had visited Jammu and Kashmir this October. It is true that after the abrogation of Article 370, terrorism, corruption and separatism have been curbed today. The efforts made by our security forces, administration, and central government show that a 'Naya Jammu and Kashmir' is moving forward. "Discrimination against Ladakh and Jammu was going on continuously and no rights were given to Valmiki Samaj, Pakistani refugees and Gorkha Samaj for 70 years. They were deprived of their rights while living in their own country. Today a new era of government has started where Kashmir and Jammu are being treated equally. Terrorism is being curbed. Those who used to openly support terrorism are also being restrained," he stated. On Mehbooba Mufti, Gupta said, "She has said that she will do constructive dialogue with the local people. What does she want? The relations among people are becoming better than before. The reason for conducting district development council and block development council elections was that the local people can be vocal about their issues. I do not know why she repeatedly supports Pakistan. The only connection we should have from Pakistan is that we will take back our Kashmir (PoK). So stop advocating their issues." Asked about the removal of late Hurriyat leader Ali Shah Geelani's son from the administration, the BJP leader said, "He used to constantly support the activities of terrorism. One of his brothers is already a terrorist."   Source: ANI

Indian Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh has said that after abrogation of Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir in August 2019 there is a visible change in every field including completion of unfinished projects, implementation of centrally sponsored schemes, infrastructure development and security situation. The Minister reviewed the progress of highways and road projects of Jammu and Kashmir with Managing Director of National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited KK Pathak. During the meeting, Singh asked Pathak to expedite the pending projects on a war footing. Pathak told the Minister that all the ongoing projects would be completed in a time-bound manner though some work got hampered due to COVID-19 and timelines had to be increased. Singh said Narendra Modi government has allocated more than Rs 1,08,621 crore budget for Jammu and Kashmir, which is highest ever. The Minister said the budget will help in rebuilding the economy, create jobs and will usher in all-round development for the new Union Territory. The NHIDCL Managing Director said that work on most of 17 highways projects with a sanctioned cost of over Rs 15,385 crore is going on smoothly. Out of 17 approved projects, 12 are in Jammu region, while five are in Kashmir region. Singh noted that out of 12 such projects in Jammu region, six major ones are in his Lok Sabha constituency of Udhampur-Kathua-Doda. These include Chenani-Sudhmahadev Road, Goha-Khellani Package 1 and 2, Goha-Khellani Package 3 that is Khellani Tunnel and Khillani-Khanabal Package-2.   Sihgh, who is also Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, said that out of six prospective projects to be awarded in near future, five are in the Jammu region and Sudhmahadev-Daranga Tunnel package 1 and 2 fall in his parliamentary constituency. Earlier, in March this year, Singh had met Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, for allocation of funds to enable timely completion of the proposed Chattergala tunnel which will connect district Kathua with district Doda in Jammu and Kashmir, en route the new Highway via Basohli-Bani through Chattergalla to touch Bhaderwah and Doda. "This is going to be a historic landmark project providing all-weather alternate road connectivity between the two distant regions and reducing the travel time from Doda to Lakhanpur to just around four hours," Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions said in a release. Source: ANI BM

US-based Newsweek weekly in its latest issue today (Wednesday) carried an article of Prime Minister’s ICT Affairs Adviser, Sajeeb Wazed Joy saying incumbent government’s “Digital Bangladesh” campaign yielded over 1.3 million tech professionals and 10,000 tech entrepreneurs since 2009. “Since the inception of Digital Bangladesh, more than 1.3 million tech professionals have made Bangladesh their home. So have over 10,000 tech entrepreneurs,” he said in the article titled “Bangladesh: A Surprise Digital Leader in Asia”. The article analyzed the South Asian nation’s transformation into a digitalized country just over a decade reaching benefits and making available the Information Communication Technology (ICT) facilities at grassroots. The following is the text of his article: More than a decade ago, Bangladesh pledged to transform itself into a technologically advanced nation by 2021, the 50th anniversary of the nation’s founding. Not many people believed we could do it. After all, when Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina – the project’s chief champion – took office in 2009, only 20 million Bangladeshis had mobile phones. But now more than 120 million Bangladeshis do, and millions more have access to high-speed connections even in remote villages. Countless lives have been improved and saved as a result. The ambitious Digital Bangladesh plan, launched in 2009, was designed to convert plodding, paper-based government services into easy-to-use internet and smartphone-based programs. E-signatures and electronic filing were widely rolled out and encouraged. It worked. The government created a network of 8,500 Digital Centers that now provide online services literally from cradle to grave. They help register births, locate jobs and provide online access to health care. Many national programs were put online. There was almost no interruption in government services when the coronavirus forced lockdowns last year. Courts continued to operate with the aid of a new judiciary portal. Farmers were able to get crucial weather updates and other data through an agricultural portal. Average citizens were kept informed about COVID-19 through now-pervasive mobile devices. Bangladesh boasts one of the largest government portals in the world–an internet link to almost every government service. The country’s goal is to place 85 percent of services at citizens’ fingertips (through smartphones) and 10 percent at their doorsteps, leaving only 5 percent that would require visits to government offices. So many programs have been connected online that doing almost anything with the government–from getting a passport to applying for a driver’s license–has been dramatically streamlined. Mobile phones are a key to this success story. Bangladesh now has a toll-free national emergency helpline, 999, which citizens use to report accidents, crime, including cybercrime, violence against women, fires and medical emergencies. The national help desk responds to 60 calls every minute. Thanks to the allied national digital health strategy, telemedicine is not only possible but commonplace, especially in underserved rural areas. Its programs disseminate basic health information, which has led to a healthier population. In addition, the government has become more accountable and responsive. The online grievance redress system allows Bangladeshis to easily submit online complaints about public services or products. Broad connectivity also has helped the economy and created jobs. Training programs were put in place to develop a skilled, digital-ready workforce. Bangladesh retooled its entire educational system for the purpose and now graduates 500,000 workers annually. Last year alone, more than 65,000 information technology professionals were among the cohort. The Digital Centers are themselves job generators. At least one in three positions in each center is designated to a woman. With roughly two thirds of its population under 25, Bangladesh is fertile ground for cyber workers. Young people are jumping at the opportunity. In years past, most of them could not even imagine a life beyond their family farms. Today, young Bangladeshis are increasingly urban, mobile and ready to enter the new economy. Bangladesh is reaping significant benefits from digitization. Since the inception of Digital Bangladesh, more than 1.3 million tech professionals have made Bangladesh their home. So have over 10,000 tech entrepreneurs. All together, they now bring in more than $1 billion annually in foreign earnings from information technology services. Put another way, Bangladeshis have saved 2 billion hours, $8 billion and 1 billion visits to government facilities since Digital Bangladesh began. Bangladesh is literally shooting for the stars. It launched its first communications satellite, Bangabandhu-1, in 2018. The satellite boosted our economy by providing an array of telecommunications services. What a ride it has been! In 2008, Bangladesh’s annual growth rate of Gross Domestic Product hovered around 5 percent. Today, it tops 8 percent. Readily available high-speed connections are largely responsible for the increase. Bangladesh has achieved many things under Prime Minister Hasina. But few of them are more remarkable than the country’s dramatic move into the internet age. We’re even exporting our digital expertise. Bangladeshi trainers are helping spread digitalization to our Asian neighbors in the Maldives, Bhutan and Sri Lanka. No one would have thought that would be possible a mere decade ago. Source: BSS AH

Forbes, an American business magazine, featured eight women global leaders, including Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who "deserve to be recognized" for their efforts in dealing with COVID-19 challenges to reshape the future.    Bangladesh, a country of some 161 million people, led by Sheikh Hasina, is no stranger to crises, the magazine wrote.   She was quick off her feet standing up to this one, with a response the World Economic Forum called “admirable”.    Sheikh Hasina, the country’s longest-serving Prime Minister, started evacuating Bangladeshi citizens from China in early February.    After the first case was diagnosed in early March, she closed educational institutions and nudged all non-essential businesses to go online.    Then she harnessed tech, installing screening devices across international airports which screened some 650,000 people (of which 37,000 were immediately quarantined), something the UK still is not doing, the article reads.   Both Singapore under President Halima Yacob and Hong Kong, China, under Chief Executive Carrie Lam, have been globally admired for their early and highly effective lead in getting ahead of the crisis, it said.   Now Singapore is scrambling with a second-wave whiplash, while Lam has done better at nipping resurgence in the bud.    Different cultures and issues in every country mean responses will never be a one-size fits all.   Women now govern 18 countries and 545 million people globally.   That is 7 percent of the world’s population (Exactly the same percentage, by the way, of women CEOs on the Fortune 500.)   From Bangladesh and Ethiopia, to Georgia and Singapore, women are emerging into political leadership across the globe. And this revelatory crisis is showing their talents.    Avivah Wittenberg-Cox, CEO of 20-first, a global gender-balance consultancy, wrote the article.  Source: UNB

The High Court on Sunday rejected a writ petition that challenged legality of Article 70 of the Constitution which deals with the cancellation of membership of a lawmaker for voting against his or her political party. The bench of Justice Abu Taher Md Saifur Rahman passed the order saying that the court cannot interfere in the Article 70 of the Constitution as this provision has been incorporated in the original constitution of 1972. The parliament members are elected from the political parties under their political manifesto and people elect them as per their political manifesto. So the members of the parliament cannot vote against their political party, the court observed. The court also said the writ petition is not acceptable as there are no substances in the petition. According to Article 70, a lawmaker has to vacate his or her seat if he or she votes in parliament against the party that nominated him or her. But he or she will not be ineligible for running in the next elections. Senior lawyer Z I Khan Panna and writ petitioner lawyer Yunus Ali Akand took part in the hearing for the petition while Attorney General Mahbubey Alam took part for the state in the hearing. In April last year lawyer Dr. Yunus Ali Akand filed the writ petition. In the writ cabinet secretary, secretary of parliament secretariat and law secretary were made defendant. AH