U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Julieta Valls Noyes again assures to continue US support to solve rohingya refugee crisis and problems of Bangladeshi communities alongside many other countries, NGOs, and international organizations, to Rohingya refugees. In his recent visit to Bangladesh, Julieta Valls Noyes met Bangladeshi officials, other Bangladeshis, Rohingya refugees, and humanitarian partners to understand the effects of the violence in Burma on the lives of Bangladeshis and Rohingya during her recent visit in Bangladesh.   In a press release she stated, The United States takes its partnership with Bangladesh seriously in supporting the Rohingya refugees.  Since 2017, the American people have provided more than $1.9 billion in humanitarian assistance to affected populations in Burma, Bangladesh, and elsewhere in the region, for Rohingya and their host communities.   She again acknowledged the Rohingya problems by saying, As Human Rights Day approaches, I am reminded that the five-year crisis Rohingya refugees have endured has impacted their basic freedoms.  We have placed strong sanctions on Burma to encourage changes in behavior that will stop the violence and allow Rohingya to return to their homeland.  We also support efforts to hold the perpetrators of the genocide against Rohingya accountable and to ensure justice for the victims.   As part of our unwavering partnership with the Government of Bangladesh and our comprehensive response to Rohingya refugees, the U.S. government is very pleased to establish, in coordination with United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and other resettlement countries, a resettlement program for the most vulnerable Rohingya refugees, she added.  The United States commends the people of Bangladesh for generously welcoming refugees into their communities and for recognizing what is also clear to us— it is not yet safe for refugees to return home.  We stand with Bangladesh in responding to the needs of refugees and the Bangladeshis who host them because all people deserve to live in safety and with dignity.    

Too much noise is not only annoying for us on land but also to animals underwater. Worse, too much noise can kill them. Three solutions for making the oceans quieter and why less noise is good for the climate. What may look like a calm and still ocean from shore is anything but. From the magical song of whales to the clicking of dolphins and chattering of crustaceans, the sea hosts a symphony of sounds. Here animals use sound to communicate, navigate, find mates or prey. Sound is essential for the survival of almost all sea creatures. Clownfish, which you might now from the animation film Finding Nemo, set in Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, make it clear who is boss by clacking with their jaws. Small shrimp advertise their services to reef fish by flapping their fins. And some coral fish listen carefully when choosing the right reef. The ocean sounds inform them if the reef is healthy enough to provide for their offspring. Disturbing the peace But in reality, oceans are being infiltrated by alien sounds that have intruded an ancient underwater symphony. Global waters are noisier today than ever before. It’s disastrous for a wide range of marine life. Some sea creatures are being exposed to noise levels that could deafen or even kill them. It’s like walking around in a fog, Lindy Weilgart, a marine biologist for the nongovernmental organization Ocean Care and Dalhousie University in Canada, told DW. For underwater life, undue noise affects foraging, protection from predators, awareness of surroundings, reproduction, Weilgart explained. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Ocean noise can be reduced in numerous ways. More efficient ships are better for the climate and noise levels Ship noise is generated primarily by the ship’s propeller an effect called cavitation. Container ships that are used to conduct 90% of global trade are the main source of this noise pollution. Over the last 50 years, noise along major shipping routes is estimated to have increased 32-fold. In response, more efficient container ship propellers can make the sea quieter while also saving polluting fuel. Max Schuster, who advises shipping companies on how to reduce underwater acoustic noise at the consulting firm DW-ShipConsult, explains how rapid propeller movement is to blame for all the racket. As the propeller churns through the water the pressure is extremely low in some places, which causes the water to boil and form vapor bubbles that grow, shrink and collapse, he said. The noise level caused by collapsing bubbles during ship propeller cavitation is comparable to that of a rock concert. Less cavitation would not only mean less noise but less fuel consumption and cost which would also be a win for the climate and balance sheets. In 2017, the Danish company Maersk retrofitted the engines and propellers on five of its cargo ships to save fuel. However, noise levels also dropped by 75%. Retrofits are not cheap, however, and shipping companies are rarely required to do them. Incentives for shipping operators have, however, been provided by the Port of Vancouver. Ships that are proven to be quieter pay only half the port fees. Using air bubbles to combat noise As a rule, the less man intervenes in the marine ecosystem, the less disturbing the noise. However, if noise does occur, such as during the installation of wind turbines, so-called bubble curtains can help. Offshore wind energy is an important part of the energy transition to limit climate change. To meet our climate targets, we need to install 150,000 new offshore wind turbines worldwide by 2050. This generates noise underwater that is more or less comparable to an airplane taking off on land, said Michael Bellmann of the Institute of Technical and Applied Physics (ITAP). Bubble curtains, whereby compressed air flows through tubes on the seafloor, can help reduce this noise. When installed, the tubes sit around the turbine pylons and allow air bubbles to rise to the surface and form an insulating veil. Fewer sound waves can pass through this curtain of bubbles, with noise reduced by up to 90%. Normally, construction site noise can be heard miles away underwater. In the North Sea, it was sometimes so loud that porpoises suffered hearing damage and were scared away from their feeding and breeding grounds. However, due to stricter regulations, the curtains are now almost standard for offshore installations in the German North Sea. And interest is also growing in the US, the Netherlands and Taiwan. Environmental protection is very affordable in this instance. The cost of using bubble curtains during the turbine construction phase amounts to just 1% of the total investment for an offshore wind farm. Ending oil and gas exploration would make the sea quieter If the search for new sources of oil and gas were to be stopped, we would not only come much closer to the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. The seas would also suddenly become much quieter. So-called seismic airguns are used in the search for oil and gas in the seabed, the reflected sound waves providing information about the geological profile. Air guns are towed behind ships and fire compressed air every 10 seconds for days, weeks or months. This produces noise as loud as the launch of a rocket. With each explosion, a large proportion of the larvae of the smallest marine animals die immediately within a radius of 1 kilometer (0.6 miles). Airguns are far too loud for their intended use, says Lindy Weilgart. But instead of stopping fossil fuel exploration and production, the oil and gas industry is working on quieter exploration technologies. One technique, so-called marine vibroseis, uses a device to generate sound waves using vibration rather than an explosion. It creates a kind of constant hum instead of a big bang. An airgun is so powerful, it could rip your arm off. Whereas on land, you could put an egg under a vibroseis device and it wouldn’t break, Weilgart continued. With the new method, it is estimated that only 10% of marine life would be affected in any way compared. But investors, including ExxonMobil, TotalEnergies or Shell, may be targeting another advantage. Marine vibroseis, unlike airguns, can also detect oil and gas in shallow waters. Weilgart says the attempt to create sustainable methods of fossil fuel exploration are absurd. Instead of searching for new oil and gas deposits, it would be better to promote the energy revolution, says the marine biologist.

“Current Tobacco Tax — who benefits, loses or suffers” was the subject of an Exclusive Live program on the world’s largest Online Tobacco Control Platform “Stop Tobacco Bangladesh” on the evening of the 6th of April, 2022. The panelists for this program included Dr. Habibe Millat, MP, Sirajganj 2; Barrister Shameem Haider Patwary, MP, Gaibandha 1; Farida Akhtar, Managing Director, UBINIG and Sushanta K. Sinha, Special Correspondent, Ekattor TV. The Live program was moderated by Mr. Nasir Uddin Sheikh, Spokesperson, Stop Tobacco Bangladesh. Through the discussion, different facets of Tobacco Control, including how tobacco companies are reaping the benefits of the current tax structure, how the government is losing valuable national revenue, and how the general people are suffering due to the widespread tobacco-led diseases. The discussion also shed light on the shortcomings of the current tax structure as well as what should be the revamped structure, what reforms are necessary for the tobacco control law, the status of Tobacco-free Bangladesh by 2040 as promised by the Honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the future plans towards reaching that goal — these were also discussed during the session. Answering a question by the Moderator, Dr. Habibe Millat said, “Increasing Tobacco Tax would lead tobacco users towards other addictions— this notion is completely baseless. This is biased publicity to keep tax and prices of tobacco within reach.” He added, “Tobacco is difficult to quit and that is why it is crucial to help tobacco users out of this horrible addiction. To achieve this, the world-renowned method is to impose a high specific tax, which will eventually help us achieve a tobacco-free Bangladesh.”Mr. Millat also mentioned taking several additional initiatives to unite his fellow MPs to ensure that the customary, yearly low tax increase is not the case during this budget. Barrister Shameem Haider Patwary, when asked about the Tobacco control Law amendment, said, “We have proposed several amendments to the government including 90% Graphic Health Warning on tobacco packs, banning e-cigarettes, stopping single stick selling of cigarettes, stop tobacco advertisements in point-of-sales, eradicating smoking in public places including removing of “Designated Smoking Areas”, etc. Provided these reforms are made and strict implementation of law is ensured, tobacco control will be very much possible. ”Prominent female leader Farida Akhtar mentioned “One in four women in the country consumes Tobacco— this is mainly due to smokeless tobacco. This often overlooked, yet deadly, smokeless tobacco needs to be strictly monitored, bring under the tax regime, and taxed heavily by imposing a high specific tax. Sushanta K. Sinha said, “Tobacco companies pay a measly 800 crore taka in tax, but falsely publicize it as 23000 crore. This extra amount comes through consumers. On the other hand, government monitoring of tobacco production by the companies could not yet be digitized, which leaves ample room for fraud. Just like the 4-tier price level of cigarettes, there are many gaps in the current tax system which the tobacco companies are exploiting, leading to a loss of revenue for the government. The live program was in view of the upcoming budget session. This anti-tobacco movement is being spearheaded by Vital Strategies, a not-for-profit developmental organization. Since 2017, Stop Tobacco Bangladesh has been creating awareness of the dangers of tobacco as well as working towards forming public opinion on the implementation of the tobacco control policy of the government, and in the process have become the largest online anti-tobacco platform in the world. More than 7 lakh people currently follow the page, with more than 40 thousand people attributing their quitting motive to the page and its informative contents. The people have become more resilient against tobacco and stated their strong demands to implement strict tobacco control policies. The platform is currently working towards achieving high specific tax on tobacco during this budget and working towards amendment and strict implementation of tobacco control law to achieve a tobacco-free Bangladesh by 2040 as promised by the Honorable Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina. Source: Press release.

For the last eight months, Los Angeles mayor Eric Garcetti has been struggling to get himself confirmed in the US Congress so that he can wing his way as America’s new ambassador to India. The complicated US process means that Roosevelt House in Delhi has been headless not just when US Secretary of State Antony Blinken showed up six months ago, but also when US deputy National Security Adviser Daleep Singh last week made his unfortunate remarks about India’s growing relations with Russia—there will be “consequences,” he said—despite its invasion of Ukraine.   Now it seems as if Garcetti may never show up – the US Senate is charged up by the fact that sexual harassment allegations against a Garcetti staffer were made when he was mayor of LA. (Garcetti claims he had no clue.) And while this may mean that Joe Biden will now need to start looking for another envoy to India, the lack of an effective American in Delhi at an important time like this is certainly coming in the way of a less-crumpled relationship. Perhaps if there was a serving US ambassador in Delhi, he would have warned Singh that Indians don’t take kindly to verbal coercion. Certainly, Singh would have talked to his Indian interlocutors privately about American unhappiness over the possibility of India and Russia recreating the rouble-rupee mechanism to settle dues, as an alternative to dollar payments. They would have exchanged notes. India would have responded by asking why Europe was being given a free pass for continuing to buy oil and gas from Russia – and spending $1 billion every day – but it was being censured for buying discounted oil from Moscow. That’s the stuff of diplomatese. India has an able ambassador in Washington DC whose job it is to smoothen the way, but because DC has been unable to repay the compliment, the gaffes escape. Source: Mint

With super cyclones like Amphan in the east or Tauktae in the south, severe droughts in Maharashtra, incessant rains, and flooding in Chennai or Uttarakhand, and Delhi on a complete lockdown earlier because you couldn’t see or breathe, threats from climate change (and pollution at the local level) for India are not in the distant future. We are right in the middle of it. To make matters worse, we are dealing with an unprecedented economic crisis, partly pandemic-induced and partly pre-pandemic. Given the magnitude and severity of the crisis, we need to think out of the box. Minor tweaks won’t work anymore. What is required is to rethink the model of development itself, to chalk out a just, inclusive, and sustainable path. A start can be made in the upcoming budget. The Indian government had promised 10 per cent of the GDP as Aatmanirbhar (self-reliant) package for Covid recovery. We believe if this amount is spent judiciously on what we call an Indian Green Deal (IGD), India can come out on top of the crisis and stay ahead of the climate change curve. We put forth a proposal, which can form the blueprint of a policy required for India to achieve the net zero target by 2070, as per the commitment made at COP26 in Glasgow. We pick a few sectors of the Indian economy, some of which currently have a high carbon footprint, and propose a 10-year plan to fundamentally alter this impact even as they generate jobs. The overall plan has three categories: Infrastructure development, care economy, and a green energy programme. The promised 10 per cent of the GDP should be split into three parts — 5 per cent for infrastructure development, especially rural infrastructure; 3 per cent for the care economy; and the remaining 2 per cent for green energy. It helps that the employment generating capacity of these sectors is quite high. Our calculations, based on the PLFS May 2019 report on employment, tell us that not only does the IGD absorb those who are currently unemployed, it also generates extra jobs, which can certainly absorb a significant section of disguised unemployment. To contrast the IGD with a business-as-usual scenario, let us say, if the amount committed to green energy in IGD were spent on the fossil fuel sector, it would have generated only 2.4 million jobs instead of the 8 million it generates in our proposal. So, quite contrary to the common perception, the move to a green economy is a win-win proposition both on emissions (and pollution) and employment. How would the deal impact emissions? The green energy programme would result in curbing India’s total carbon emissions by 0.8 gigatonnes by 2030 as compared to the projections based on the Stated Policies Scenario (STEP) by the International Energy Agency (IEA). Investment in this programme has two components — energy efficiency and clean renewable energy. India’s use of energy per unit of GDP (energy intensity) is substantially higher than the global average, which can be significantly reduced through the first component. As a result, India would save almost one-third of the energy it would have used in the absence of the programme. The elephant in the room, though, is how will this 10 per cent of the GDP be financed, that too for 10 years. This is indeed a huge sum, especially for a developing country. There are two ways this can be financed — a global just transition package from the greatest emitters of the world, and a tax on the Indian elite. Both, quite justifiably, put the burden of adjustment on those whose lifestyles are primarily responsible for the climate crisis. If looked at globally, India’s carbon emissions stand at 3 per cent of the cumulative global emissions as compared to the US’s 25 per cent. A just way to address this gross inequality could be for those countries that have contributed (currently or cumulatively) more emissions than the global average pay for the energy transition of those who have contributed less. The extent of the payment would depend on where a country lies on the global scale of emissions. According to our calculations, such an international global carbon tax settlement process would yield an annual sum of around $270 billion for India, a little more than what is required for IGD. If we look at this inequality nationally, the richest 10 per cent of Indians emit five times as much as the poorest. To hold the elite responsible, IGD can be made into a revenue-neutral policy where part of the expenditure is financed through an increase in taxes on luxury items, wealth and inheritance taxes, which are either low or non-existent in India. Another part can be financed by a carbon tax, which also addresses emissions but would be regressive, unlike the other taxes. To compensate for that, a carbon dividend — in the form of free electricity, public transport, and free rations — can be built into the policy proposal. The Indian Green Deal will simultaneously solve two of the most pressing challenges of today — emissions and equity. The problem lies not in the realm of ideas but the political will to deliver on them. (Words about authors: Azad teaches economics at JNU and Chakraborty is a research assistant professor at Political Economy Research Institute (PERI), University of Massachusetts, Amherst) Source: The Indian Express  

Though being a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, performance of India indicates that the world needs new delhi to be at the horseshoe table permanently, the country's envoy to the United Nations TS Tirumurti has said. "India took its place in the Security Council for the eighth time as an elected member - The highlight of our presence in the Security Council so far has been our presidency in August," Mr Tirumurti, who is India's Permanent Representative to the UN, said in a video. India's Permanent Mission to the UN posted the special video highlighting the several achievements by India as its first year in the UN Security Council draws to a close. The video chronicles India's journey as a non-permanent UNSC member in 2021 including its Presidency of the 15-nation Council in August, on combatting terrorism, UN peacekeeping, Afghanistan, Myanmar, Africa, Middle East and Climate action. "Our performance again indicates that the world needs India to be at the horseshoe table permanently," Mr Tirumurti said, as he underscored the need for New Delhi to have a seat at the UN Security Council as a permanent veto-welding member. Narendra Modi also became the first Indian Prime Minister to preside over a UN Security Council Open Debate as he chaired the high-level session on 'Enhancing Maritime Security - A Case for International Cooperation' on August 9. For the first time, the Security Council adopted a presidential statement on maritime security. The visit of the Indian Prime Minister to the United Nations and to address the UN General Assembly was "certainly a high point this year", he said. It was during India's August presidency of the Council that the situation in Afghanistan rapidly deteriorated, requiring the Security Council to act without any delay, Mr Tirumurti said, adding that Resolution 2593 on Afghanistan was adopted under India's presidency, which demands assurances that Afghan soil will not be used for terrorism against other countries and that the authorities in Kabul will act against all terrorists, including those designated by the 1267 Sanctions Committee. Significantly, India firmly opposed the attempt by countries to bring the issue of climate change into the Security Council. Mr Tirumurti had said at the Council meeting earlier this month that "India is second to none when it comes to climate action and climate justice. But the Security Council is not the place to discuss either issue. In fact, the attempt to do so appears to be motivated by a desire to evade responsibility in the appropriate forum." At the flag installation ceremony in the beginning of the year for the incoming UNSC members, Mr Tirumurti had highlighted that India comes into the Security Council "as a largest democracy, representing 1/6 of humanity and a very strong commitment to reformed multilateralism, rule of law, a fair and equitable international system and to peace, security and development." Mr Tirumurti also said in the video that India has been consistent in its support for transition to democracy, whether in Myanmar or in Africa and on issues affecting the developing world, India has been a strong voice to protect their interests."Our steadfast commitment to safeguarding the interests of the developing world is reflected in our performance," he said. Further, given its predominant role in UN peacekeeping, India gave UN peacekeeping a strong focus in the last one year, including during its August Presidency.During a meeting in August, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had said that peacekeeping continues to play a crucial role in India's vision of ensuring international peace and security and providing greater clarity, direction and professionalism in UN peacekeeping operations is at the heart of the vision. After nearly five decades, India piloted a resolution on 'Protecting the Protectors', calling for accountability for crimes against peacekeepers. India also gifted 200,000 COVID vaccines to cover every peacekeeper in every peacekeeping mission throughout the world. Indian forerign minister Jaishankar had also chaired a briefing on ISIL Daesh during India's presidency and New Delhi helped shape the Global Counterterrorism Strategy in the UN General Assembly. During the year, India also sought to bring the necessary balance to the debates relating to Africa, Mr Tirumurti said adding that India made its views clear on the issue of burdening African countries with unrealistic benchmarks on their sanctions regime and called for greater commitment from the international community to assist Africa fight terrorism. India chaired the Taliban Sanctions Committee and the Libya Sanctions Committee this year and will chair the Counter-terrorism Committee next year. In a historic decision, the UN General Assembly granted observer status to the International Solar Alliance. Source: NDTV

    Nesta, a renowned UK based not for profit innovation foundation concluded that India’s distinctive competence lies in frugal innovation in 2012. To make this conclusion, they cited iconic frugal innovations institutions from India such as Aravind Eye Care that provides low-cost, high-quality cataract surgery; the GE MAC 400, a low-cost, portable ECG machine and the Jaipur foot, affordable, individually-fitted prosthetics. Driving these innovations were different approaches: process reconfiguration, frugal engineering and ‘Gandhian innovation’, respectively. Frugal innovation is a result of process reconfiguration — reviewing the entire process of production or delivery for opportunities to use scarce resources better and reduce costs. Frugal engineering is a clean-sheet approach to production of goods that aims at maximising value for the customers while minimising non-essential costs. C. K. Prahalad and R. A. Mashelkar’s concept of `Ghandhian innovation’ is driven by affordability and sustainability, rather than premium pricing and abundance approach. Now a decade later Where we are? Has India lived up to its reputation? What does India should do to take frugal innovation to the next level? Is innovation from Indian industry getting scarce now? When we recently made a list of  top innovations in india during the 2011-20 decade and  made a comparison with the top innovations in the preceding decade, we found some interesting differences. We didn’t find many visible, big-ticket innovations from large Indian companies or MNC research laboratories in India during 2011-20. Instead, what stood out were public platforms like Aadhaar, the Unified Payment Interface (UPI) and the Government e-Marketplace (GeM); data- and behavioural science-driven innovations like Niti Aayog’s Aspirational Districts Programme (ADP); and a fusion of frugal engineering and virtual intelligence (through digital technologies) manifesting itself in, like Nirmai’s Thermalytix platform that uses a safe and affordable thermal imaging technology, coupled with machine learning to enable early detection of breast cancer. Thousands of Indians have experienced the benefits of Aadhaar in obtaining direct benefit transfers. UPI is probably the easiest, cheapest and reliable peer-to-peer financial transaction mechanism that was our lifeline during the Covid-19 lockdowns. These findings indicates that India has the potential to secure a leading position in frugal innovation going forward but perhaps in a different way from what Nesta identified a decade ago. The creation of public platforms prevents end-to-end monopolies and enhances the ability of startups to build specialized applications meeting the needs of specific segments of users. And more interestingly, these public digital platforms have not been built by traditional public sector agencies instead by groups of technical experts on a low-cost, largely pro bono basis. But then the end product is a public good, which is too managed and maintained by a government agency. This innovation in creating the framework or scaffolding  will help next generation to lead this sector. The next generation of “public platforms” that can enable specific solutions is already on the horizon. These platforms include an account aggregator and the national health stack – the former will facilitate consented sharing of personal financial information in real-time that will help enhance access to credit as well as investment management services; the latter will help access health records and process health insurance claims in both private and public systems. Solving India’s problems with frugal innovation Though the locus of frugal innovation has shifted to the government and startups, this needs to be sustained, industry needs to be a partner as well. India needs more frugal innovation is beyond question. Though absolute poverty might have declined from 1947 to 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic has cause thousands of our citizens to slip backwards. Several reports also indicate increasing income inequality with the top decile accounting for more than half of national income. With our per capita income of about USD 2,000, improving India’s human resource development index is an important goal and possible only with frugal innovation. To further enhance India’s innovation capability, it needs to solve problems accurately, nurture capabilities in emerging tech areas, create new generation innovators, collaborate in industry academia, enhance R&D and in established firms, and focus on india’s commitments to climate change. Source: The Print

Indian Army chief General M M Naravane on Monday said the of COVID-19 pandemic has taught everyone many lessons and highlighted the importance of global and regional cooperation while tackling any pandemic or pandemic-like situation. He was talking at the inauguration session of PANEX-21, a trans-national, multi-agency exercise organised in Pune from December 20 to 22 with a focused aim to "foster jointness and develop capabilities in disaster management aspects for the BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation) nations". General Naravane said the outspread of the COVID-19 pandemic across the world has taught everyone many lessons in terms of preventive control, mitigation strategy and protocols. "We all have witnessed in the recent past the massive disaster caused by the COVID-19 pandemic since the end of 2019 in the entire world and which is still causing havoc in many countries," he said. "India has already seen its worse effects during the second wave in April-May 2021, during which we lost a lot of precious lives. The COVID-19 pandemic has, indeed, congressed the world community together to tackle the problems, challenges and to mitigate at the earliest," he said. He noted that the development of various vaccines and vaccination drives to inoculate citizens at the earliest is a major step in this regard. "The outbreak of the pandemic also witnessed the world community rising to the circumstances with incredible and farfetched levels of not only cooperation amongst each other, but also garnering support to provide assistance in terms of medicines and other administrative requirements of the affected states during these testing times," he said. General Naravane said the country is well-versed that a natural disaster will not wait for the pandemic situation to subside. "Moreover, a dual disaster is a current reality that we must be prepared for, so as to mitigate its impact on our populations. Therefore, the importance of trans-national cooperation to gain regional cooperation on this is imperative. BIMSTEC is such a group of member nations which share many commonalities and have been involved culturally & economically since many years," he said. The BIMSTEC is a regional organization aims to regional cooperation and development comprises Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand, besides India. Sorce: The Telegraph.

The Environmental Protection Act is a comprehensive law that covers all aspects of environmental protection. In 2016, the environmental policy was renewed. Waste management is one of the five main aspects of that policy. Although the government attaches great importance to it in the environmental policy, it is not implemented. City corporations, the Ministry of Shipping, the Ministry of Commerce and all those who produce solid waste have to come up with an integrated policy. Engineer Md. Abdus Sobhan, former Additional Director General of the Department of Environment of the govt. and General Secretary of Paribesh Bachao Andolon (PABA) said. He said this in a virtual dialogue titled 'Solid Waste Management' on Monday. The talks were organized by BARCIK under the 'Dhaka Calling Consortium' Project, supported by USAID and FCDO and technically supported by Counterpart International. Writer and researcher Pavel Perth presented the concept paper in a discussion meeting and chaired by Md. Jahangir Alam, URP researcher and coordinator of Barsik and conducted by Ferdous Ahmed Uzzal. Lawyer Syed Mahbubul Alam and journalist Emran Hossain participated in the discussion as panellists. At the beginning of the program, the project manager of DSK Md. Rakibul Islam presented the details of the project. Khandaker Rebecca San Yat, Executive Director of the Cup, Sumon Ahsanul Islam, Technical Adviser, Dhaka Calling Project, Mesbah Uddin Sumon, Secretary of POBA also participated in the discussion. 

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Friday said the government urgently needs to free their party Chairperson Khaleda Zia on humanitarian ground instead of doing politics over the issue. He came up with the remarks while talking to reporters after a meeting of BNP standing committee members with senior lawyers at BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office. “The family members of our leader (Khaleda) have submitted a written application seeking arrangements to send her abroad for treatment as her condition seriously deteriorated,” the BNP leader said. He further said, “I think it’s crucial for the government to free her on humanitarian ground instead of doing politics over the issue.” The BNP leader said their party has been talking about the release of their chairperson alongside carrying out a legal battle for the last two years. “People are demanding her release and her family also doing the same,” he added. Fakhrul said Khaleda’s family members gave a letter to the BSMMU VC for ensuring advanced treatment for her. Earlier, BNP standing committee members sat in a meeting with Khaleda’s lawyers around 4pm where they discussed various ways to free Khaleda. Senior lawyer Khandaker Mahbub Hossain said they will again seek bail for Khaleda from the High Court next week. He hoped that the court will grant bail to the BNP chief this time demonstrating that there is rule of law in the country. Source: UNB AH