Bangladesh Rising Conference to be held at Harvard University

Bangladesh Rising Conference to be held at Harvard University May 12

  News Desk,  bdnews24.com

Published: 2018-04-21 

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The International Sustainable Development Institution (ISDI) is organising the ‘Bangladesh Rising Conference 2018’ at Harvard University in Boston on May 12, 2018.

The daylong conference will be on the topic of ‘How Bangladesh can maintain its momentum of development and potentially accelerate the growth’ and will be co-hosted by ISDI and the Center for International Development at Harvard Kennedy School.

The event will be the largest academic conference in the US devoted to development issues of Bangladesh and will “bring participants across the globe to exchange ideas, discuss and debate various strategies for development, meet international stakeholders, and take back new tactical knowledge”, ISDI said in a statement.

International development partners, elected officials and civil servants of the government, researchers and academics, private sector representatives and civil society stakeholders are expected to attend the event to discuss how Bangladesh can maintain its development momentum and accelerate the growth it has achieved in the past decade.

 

Key topics of discussion include macroeconomic promise and reform, foreign direct investment, economic zones and their promise, accelerated growth in power production, women’s leadership in business and wider reach through information and communication technology.

The conference will also address issues of financial inclusion, foreign investment, generation and provision of electricity, and sustainable development goals.

The discussion will also touch upon how development partners can facilitate and assist in solving key challenges for sustainable development, how to enhance the role of the international community and focus on practical solutions.

A dinner reception will also be held, where the attendees will discuss ways in which Bangladeshi expatriates living in the US can support continued development in Bangladesh.

The event is being supported by Summit Power, GE, Max Group, Bashundhara Group and Energypac of Bangladesh.

Student Rajib Hossain

Student Rajib Hossain’s two madrasa-going brothers stare into uncertain days

  Ummey Habiba and Tarek Hasan Nirjhor  bdnews24.com

Published: 2018-04-18 02:17:14.0 BdST Updated: 2018-04-18 02:17:14.0 BdST

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The two orphaned brothers of Rajib Hossain see a uncertain future ahead of them as they have lost their breadwinner elder brother.

"Brother is no more. We’ve lost the drive to move forward,” said Mehedi Hasan, the elder of the two brothers at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital’s mortuary while waiting to receive Rajib’s body on Tuesday.

The loss of Rajib’s right arm from elbow in a race between two buses in Dhaka on Apr 10 shocked the nation.

He also suffered head injuries and died early on Tuesday.

Mehedi and Abfdullah, his two brothers, study in Tamirul Millart Kamil Madrasa in Dhaka’s Jatrabarhi in grade VII and VI respectively.

Rajib, hailing from Patuakhali, lost his father when he was a grade-III student and mother at grade VIII.

After the series of setbacks, he was soldiering on with hard work and help from relatives. He was an undergraduate student of Government Titumir College in the capital and lived in a hostel in Jatrabarhi.

He also took a job at a computer shop to pay for his and his brothers’ expenses.

 

Rajib Hossain

Mehedi, to whom Rajib was a hero, said, “My brother’s interest was in study. He himself took admission tests and passed. He did not need any private tutor. He never asked for others’ help unless there was a big problem.”

“Now we have uncles and aunts only, and the government. If the government helped us…” Mehedi said.

Their maternal uncle Jahidul Islam was also there. 

“I used to speak to Rajib late in the night. Many times he told me he was still working after midnight as he needed money,” Jahidul said.

He said Rajib was learning graphics design to earn more.

Rajib’s relatives said though Health Minister Mohammed Nasim promised Rajib a government job and other support during a visit to the hospital, they were yet to get any help.

Jahidul thanked the doctors , nurses and staff of the hospital for their attempts to keep Rajib alive.

The relatives later left for Patuakhali for Rajib’s burial after receiving his remains

Police Sub-Inspector Al Amin, an uncle of Rajib, said they now wanted the Tk 10 million damages the High Court mentioned in a rule on the accident.

The High Court asked why state-owned BRTC and Swajan Paribahan, whose buses were involved in the accident, should not pay the money to Rajib as compensation.

Jahidul said the two transporters paid Tk 20,000 each but did not get in touch with them anymore.

He demanded tough punishment to the people responsible for the accident.