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Department of Innovation & Entrepreneurship / Top Business and Technology Trends in 2021

« on: December 17, 2020, 09:42:25 PM »

10 fields that will see significant innovation in the new year.

Let's imagine customer experience in a post-Covid world. We should anticipate that the changes in consumer preferences and business models will outlast the immediate crisis. Once consumers acclimate to new digital or remote models, I expect some of them to change people's expectations permanently -- accelerating shifts already under way before the crisis.

Digital nomadism, philanthropy, and sustainable development goals (SDG) will be popular keywords in 2021, and we will also see rapid changes in top technological and business innovation -- all based on people's experience during the pandemic. Here are a few technology and business trends we will see in 2021.

Trend 1: Drug development revolution with advanced Covid-19 testing and vaccine development

Covid caused a major shakeup in the drug industry, making it quicker and easier to trial drugs. Researchers have put many traditional clinical trials on hold, or they have shifted to a virtual structure by performing consultations online and collecting data remotely. Remote clinical trials and other changes may permanently alter pharmaceutical development.

We've seen speedy Covid-19 test kit developments all over the world, as well as remarkably fast development of vaccines by U.S. and U.K.-based pharmaceutical companies: Pfizer, Moderna, and AstraZeneca.

Both Pfizer and Moderna have developed mRNA vaccines, the first in human history and huge technological innovations. We will see more innovations throughout 2021 in both Covid-19 test kits and new vaccine candidates.

Trend 2: Continued expansion of remote working and videoconferencing

This area has seen rapid growth during the pandemic, and it will likely continue growing in 2021.

Zoom, which grew from a startup in 2011 to going public in 2019, became a household name during the pandemic. Other existing large corporate tools such as Cisco's Webex, Microsoft's Teams, Google Hangouts, GoToMeeting, and Verizon's BlueJeans are also providing state-of-the-art videoconferencing systems, facilitating remote work across the globe.

Many new ventures are emerging in the remote working sector. Startups Bluescape, Eloops, Figma, Slab, and Tandem have all provided visual collaboration platforms enabling teams to create and share content, interact, track projects, train employees, run virtual team-building activities, and more.

These tools also help distributed teams keep track of shared learning and documentation. Users can create a virtual office that replicates working together in person by letting colleagues communicate and collaborate with one another easily.

Trend 3: Contactless delivery and shipping remain as the new normal

The U.S. has seen a 20 percent increase in preference for contactless operations, with various industries implementing alternative processes.

No-contact delivery is the new normal. DoorDash, Postmates, and Instacart all offer drop-off delivery options, reportedly borne from customer desires to minimize physical contact. Grubhub and Uber Eats also grew their contactless delivery options and will continue to do so in 2021.

China-based delivery apps like Meituan Dianping, which was the first company in China to implement contactless delivery in Wuhan, began using autonomous vehicles to help fulfill grocery orders to customers. While Meituan tested this technology last year, the company recently launched this service publicly.

China is not the only country looking to push robotic deliveries into its next phase. U.S.-based startups Manna, Starship Technologies, and Nuro are tackling this problem using robotics and artificial intelligence-based applications.

Trend 4: Telehealth and telemedicine flourish

Institutions, especially in health care, are working to lower the exposure of Covid-19 to patients and workers. Many private and public practices have started implementing more telehealth offerings such as doctor-patient video chats, A.I. avatar-based diagnostics, and no-contact-based medication delivery.

Telehealth visits have surged by 50 percent compared with pre-pandemic levels. IHS Technology predicted that 70 million Americans would use telehealth by 2020. Since then, Forrester Research predicted the number of U.S. virtual care visits will reach almost a billion early in 2021.

Teladoc Health, Amwell, Livongo Health, One Medical, and Humana are some of the public companies offering telehealth services to meet the current needs.

Startups are not far behind. Startups like MDLive, MeMD, iCliniq, K Health, 98point6, Sense.ly, and Eden Health have also contributed toward meeting the growing needs in 2020, and will continue offering creative solutions in 2021. Beyond telehealth, in 2021 we can expect to see health care advancements in biotech and A.I., as well as machine learning opportunities (example: Suki AI) to support diagnosis, admin work, and robotic health care.

Trend 5: Online education and e-learning as part of the educational system

Covid-19 fast-tracked the e-learning and online education industry. During this pandemic, 190 countries have enforced nationwide school closures at some point, affecting almost 1.6 billion people globally.

There is a major opportunity with schools, colleges, and even coaching centers conducting classes via videoconferencing. Many institutions have actually been recommended to pursue a portion of their curriculum online even after everything returns to normal.

17zuoye, Yuanfudao, iTutorGroup, and Hujiang in China, Udacity, Coursera, Age of Learning, and Outschool in the U.S., and Byju's in India are some of the top online learning platforms that have served the global community during the pandemic and will continue to do so in 2021 and beyond.

Trend 6: Increased development of 5G infrastructure, new applications, and utilities

There is no doubt that demand for higher-speed internet and a shift toward well-connected homes, smart cities, and autonomous mobility have pushed the advancement of 5G-6G internet technology. In 2021, we will see new infrastructure and utility or application development updates both from the large corporations and startups.

Many telcos are on track to deliver 5G, with Australia having rolled it out before Covid-19. Verizon announced a huge expansion of its 5G network in October 2020, which will reach more than 200 million people. In China, 5G deployment has been happening rapidly. But Ericsson is leading the charge globally. There are more than 380 operators currently investing in 5G. More than 35 countries have already launched commercial 5G services.

Startups like Movandi are working to help 5G transfer data at greater distances; startups including Novalume help municipalities manage their public lighting network and smart-city data through sensors. Nido Robotics is using drones to explore the sea floor.

Through 5G networks, these drones help navigate better and use IoT to help communicate with devices on board. Startups like Seadronix from South Korea use 5G to help power autonomous ships. The 5G networks enable devices to work together in real time and help enable vessels to travel unmanned.

Development of 5G and 6G technology will drive smart-city projects globally and will support the autonomous mobility sector in 2021.

Trend 7: A.I., robotics, internet of things, and industrial automation grow rapidly

In 2021, we expect to see huge demand and rapid growth of artificial intelligence (A.I.) and industrial automation technology. As manufacturing and supply chains are returning to full operation, manpower shortages will become a serious issue. Automation, with the help of A.I., robotics, and the internet of things, will be a key alternative solution to operate manufacturing.

Some of the top technology-providing companies enabling industry automation with A.I. and robotics integration include:

UBTech Robotics (China), CloudMinds (U.S.), Bright Machines (U.S.), Roobo (China), Vicarious (U.S.), Preferred Networks (Japan), Fetch Robotics (U.S.), Covariant (U.S.), Locus Robotics (U.S.), Built Robotics (U.S.), Kindred Systems (Canada), and XYZ Robotics (China).

Trend 8: Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies usage rises

Augmented reality and virtual reality have grown significantly in 2020. These immersive technologies are now part of everyday life, from entertainment to business. The arrival of Covid-19 has prompted this technology adoption as businesses turned to the remote work model, with communication and collaboration extending over to AR and VR.

The immersive technologies from AR and VR innovations enable an incredible source of transformation across all sectors. AR avatars, AR indoor navigation, remote assistance, integration of A.I. with AR and VR, mobility AR, AR cloud, virtual sports events, eye tracking, and facial expression recognition will see major traction in 2021. Adoption of AR and VR will accelerate with the growth of the 5G network and expanding internet bandwidth.

Companies like Microsoft, Consagous, Quytech, RealWorld One, Chetu, Gramercy Tech, Scanta, IndiaNIC, Groove Jones, etc. will play a significant role in shaping our world in the near future, not only because of AR's and VR's various applications but also as the flag carrier of all virtualized technologies.

Trend 9: Continued growth in micromobility

While the micromobility market had seen a natural slowdown at the beginning of Covid-19 spread, this sector has already recovered to the pre-Covid growth level. E-bikes and e-scooters usage is soaring, since they are viewed as convenient transportation alternatives that also meet social distancing norms. Compared to the pre-Covid days, the micromobility market is expected to grow by 9 percent for private micromobility and by 12 percent for shared micromobility.

There are hundreds of miles of new bike lanes created in anticipation. Milan, Brussels, Seattle, Montreal, New York, and San Francisco have each introduced 20-plus miles of dedicated cycle paths. The U.K. government announced that diesel and petrol-fueled car sales will be banned after 2030, which has also driven interest in micromobility as one of the alternative options.

Startups are leading the innovation in micromobility. Bird, Lime, Dott, Skip, Tier, and Voi are key startups leading the global micromobility industry.

China has already seen several micromobility startups reach unicorn status, including Ofo, Mobike, and Hellobike.

Trend 10: Ongoing autonomous driving innovation

We will see major progress in autonomous driving technology during 2021. Honda recently announced that it will mass-produce autonomous vehicles, which under certain conditions will not require any driver intervention. Tesla's Autopilot not only offers lane centering and automatic lane changes, but, from this year, can also recognize speed signs and detect green lights.

Ford is also joining the race, anticipating an autonomous driving cars ridesharing service launch in 2021. The company could also make such vehicles available to certain buyers as early as 2026. Other automakers, including Mercedes-Benz, are also trying to integrate some degree of autonomous driving technology in their new models from 2021. GM intends to roll out its hands-free-driving Super Cruise feature to 22 vehicles by 2023.

The fierce market competition is also accelerating self-driving technology growth in other companies, including Lyft and Waymo. Billions of dollars have been spent in acquiring startups in this domain: GM acquired Cruise for $1 billion; Uber acquired Otto for $680 million; Ford acquired Argo AI for $1 billion; and Intel acquired Mobileye for $15.3 billion.

Looking ahead

Technology development in 2021 will be somewhat of a continuation of 2020, but the influence of Covid-19 will evolve during the year. Many of our new behaviors will become part of the new normal in 2021, helping drive major technological and business innovations.

Collected
Source--https://www.inc.com/anis-uzzaman/top-business-technology-trends-in-2021.html

Artificial Intelligence / Bridging the Gap Between Data Science & Big Data

« on: December 14, 2020, 05:50:48 PM »

The fundamental problem is that many open-source analysis tools haven’t kept pace with hardware advances. The computer industry has built incredibly powerful systems but many data analysts lack the tools to use them.

For anyone not a data scientist or programmer, this would not seem an obvious problem. But among data scientists, the widening gulf between the data science world and big data systems is a major anxiety.

“Open source data science software has already become incredibly important to how the world analyzes data and builds production machine learning and AI models,” McKinney noted, but many open-source tools aren’t funded sufficiently to keep up with advances on the compute side, he added.

This could have dire consequences, including significantly lowered productivity among data scientists. If they can’t find an efficient way to extract useful data from big data repositories, which keep getting bigger, a chokepoint is inevitable. If algorithms can’t be shared among different programming environments, another problem looms. If data sets can’t travel over a network to be read by data scientists working in another environment, everything—including the scientists—will tread water.

Computer costs, most likely, would remain high if data scientists had to keep using less efficient computing tools. An even bigger threat, McKinney predicted, is that inefficiency might push organizations to forsake open source software and fall back on less flexible, more expensive proprietary soft(Source: Wes McKinney)

To illustrate the gap between data science and big data, let’s take an AI model.

We hear about the development of new machine learning technologies all the time. And yet, “to use machine learning models, data scientists still need to load and access data, clean and manipulate it, explore it, find features, and then they must do it all in a reproducible way so that whenever new data comes in, they can update their model,” McKinney explained in a lecture entitled “Data science without borders” three years ago.

The emergence of more sophisticated AI algorithms wouldn’t make them immediately available to data scientists, because they’d still need all these tools to shape data that fit their models.

Genesis of Apache Arrow
McKinney believes that huge advancements in hardware made it inevitable for open-source software (OSS) community to recognize that OSS tools must change substantially.

1. Computing power

First, “the data science tools themselves in languages like Python and R lagged significantly behind advances in computing hardware,” McKinney observed. Most such tools are not designed to run on multi-cores, GPUs, or systems with lots of RAM “because they were designed a decade ago when you didn’t have things like a CPU with 16 cores.”
Further, they were all developed well before the birth of Cuda, a parallel computing platform and application programming interface model created by Nvidia.

2.Memory acceleration

Similarly, a massive acceleration of memory has occurred. McKinney noted, “Disk drives are getting a lot faster. You also have solid-state drives. It’s not just about memory speeds, but your ability to get access to data is getting faster.” But not open-source data science tools; again, they became a bottleneck.

3.Need for efficient bulk data movement

Other factors that triggered the movement is “the need to do efficient bulk data movement,” noted McKinney.
In a traditional model, you ingest all data into your Oracle database, or your database system. Then, you send SQL queries. So, all the data is owned by the database.
Under new models like data lakes, which can reside in data systems on the premises or in the cloud, it’s common that you need to extract data, a process that can be very slow, partly due to issues such as the required protocols for database connectivity standards. McKinney said the solution is a technology like Arrow, designed for very efficient bulk transfers.(Source: Wes McKinney)

4. Language independence

Then, there’s the issue of incompatible programming languages. In Google, Facebook, and other industry research labs, Python is now the primary machine learning user interface. But in addition to Python, other programming languages such as R, JVM, Julia, have not bowed out and gone away. Different people us different programming languages because they regard them as keys to their own productivity, said McKinney.

The desire to unplug the bottleneck associated with data access and interchanging data between systems initially drove McKinney to launch the Apache Arrow Project — marking the birth of a massive endeavor by the open-source community to develop a programming language-independent software framework.

Under such a framework, McKinney explained, “You arrange the data so that it can be analyzed in situ. You run your code directly on the data, rather than moving the data around.”

Hence, a new software framework must be designed for an ecosystem with multiple programming languages. But “we want to deal with the data to not be contaminated with programming language-specific details,” noted McKinney. The goal [of Apache Arrow] is to offer “seamless programming language interoperability at the data level, not necessarily at the code level.”
Big endeavor

The development of Apache Arrow has been in the works for five years. McKinney acknowledged that assembling a team of open source developers shooting for a universal data standard has been “just an extraordinarily big endeavor.” The community bootstrapped the core to create a development platform on which they can begin to use for building either Arrow into their systems or building new systems based on Arrow.

Acknowledging the process has been “a grind,” McKinney said he is happy to report that things have gone well so far.
The next challenge is to build “a path to invest even more in the open-source community,” McKinney stressed. Rather than folding Ursa Labs, Ursa Computing will maintain a “Labs” team, and continue its leadership of the Apache project. Still a transition from a non-profit to a commercial operation is a big change.

McKinney defended the move, explaining, “Working more closely with enterprises to enhance their data platforms will allow us to learn more about how the Arrow project needs to evolve to meet current and future needs.” One example is working with managed cloud services. “It would be challenging to pursue as an open source project,” he added. Investment management fund to open source community.

McKinney became well known as “the man behind the most important tool in data science,” since he developed pandas, a software library written for the Python programming language for data manipulation and analysis. McKinney started with pandas as a closed source project in 2008 at AQR Capital, a Connecticut-based investment management firm.

The firm hired him after he earned his mathematics degree from MIT. A year later, McKinney had finished pandas and made it into a free open-source software. Looking back, McKinney said, “I thought I would try my hand at quant finance,” when he joined the hedge fund. But he ended up realizing that “working on data tools and data infrastructure was more my cup of tea than finance.”
He emphasized, “I really care a lot about empowerment and enabling people to be more efficient and more productive.” With Ursa Computing, his aspiration is to orchestrate the whole Apache Arrow ecosystem.

Collected
Source--https://www.eetasia.com/bridging-the-gap-between-data-science-big-data/

Department of Innovation & Entrepreneurship / The Best Children’s Books About Entrepreneurship For Kids

« on: December 13, 2020, 07:29:09 PM »

The Best Children’s Books About Entrepreneurship For Kids

By Stephanie Burns

A lot of parents (myself included) are always looking for ways to expand our children’s mind - especially when it comes to entrepreneurship. If you are eager to teach your kids about being a business owner, there are a few books that stand out. I sat down with Eevi Jones, an award winning & bestselling children’s book author, and the founder of Children’s Book University™, to get her take on what makes a children’s book great for budding entrepreneurs. She has extensive experience turning complex business concepts into lessons even a 5-year-old can grasp.

“People often assume entrepreneurial books for kids have to be about making money,” says Jones. “But a fun and creative entrepreneurial children’s story focuses on the values that help kids become good entrepreneurs. For younger kids, fiction books—where the lessons are nicely tucked into the story—are more memorable and these are the ones they’ll ask to read over and over again.”

Planting entrepreneurial seeds early can be highly rewarding for kids. Being exposed to these concepts and ideas during their most formative years means the deeply ingrained knowledge will be theirs for life. Empowering our little ones with nuggets of wisdom found in these children’s books is one of the best ways to help them become brave and strong to venture out into the world following their own dreams.

Here are Jones’s top five picks for entrepreneurial children’s books.

The Best Children’s Books About Entrepreneurship for Kids | Stephanie Burns
The Best Children’s Books About Entrepreneurship for Kids | Stephanie Burns EEVI JONES

1. The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes by Mark Pett and Gary Rubinstein

“Making mistakes (and being okay with it) is such an important part of being an entrepreneur,” says Jones. “It’s through errors that we grow and learn. This little book reminds readers that it's more important to enjoy the things we do rather than worrying about doing them perfectly all the time. Letting go, moving on, and trying again are all mantras of successful entrepreneurs.”

2. The Unicorn Who Sold Zero Cupcakes by Brenda Li

“What entrepreneur hasn’t struggled with sales? This cute read shares what it takes to finally sell those yummy cupcakes, while emphasizing the importance of problem-solving and persistence. Unicorn and his friend set a great example of how to handle early rejection and how to use creativity to propel yourself forward,” notes Jones.

3. My Auntie is a Writer by Eevi Jones

“All entrepreneurs are writers. We’re busy building our businesses by sharing our stories through blogs, Instagram posts, sales copy and weekly newsletter to our subscribers,” explains Jones. “This rhyming story shares the craft with little readers through the eyes of a little girl curious about her aunt’s profession. It will spark children’s imagination and creativity—and help them understand early on how powerful the written word truly can be.”

4. Whoever Heard of a Flying Bird? by David Cunliffe

“Doing things no one has ever thought of before - sound familiar? A little bird is determined to overcome failure and self-doubt to reach the much desired fruit high up on the trees. Mirroring an entrepreneur's stoney path that’s filled with trials and errors, this book emphasizes the importance of believing in oneself—even if others do not,” says Jones.

5. The Treehouse Trio by Lauren Eresman

“A little trio of friends foster and share an entrepreneurial spirit in young readers. Their story shows that, sometimes, it isn’t necessarily the first or even second business idea that will lead to success. When it comes to finding that right business idea, it’s all about our imagination and persistence, no matter how hard times get,” notes Jones.

So grab one of these books, curl up with your kiddo and get their little minds spinning!

Source- https://www.forbes.com/sites/stephanieburns/2020/12/12/the-best-childrens-books-about-entrepreneurship-for-kids/?sh=6cf12380216f (collected)

Liberation of Bangladesh / Letter from Indira Gandhi, PM, India to PM, Bangladesh

« on: December 07, 2020, 11:21:17 AM »

Collected

Department of Innovation & Entrepreneurship / How entrepreneurship can be taught to school students

« on: December 06, 2020, 11:11:00 AM »

Become a Junior Entrepreneur by Vrunda Bansode is a very different kind of entrepreneurship book – written for school students!

How entrepreneurship can be taught to school students – 12 tips from entrepreneur-author Vrunda Bansode

1. Begin with what-
Students are often asked what they want to be when they grow up – a doctor, engineer, or artist, for example. It may help instead to ask what they want to invent, build or sell. As product builders and job creators, students should be shown how entrepreneurs play a key role in the economy, the author explains. Since knowledge, skills and aspirations evolve over time, students need to learn self-reflection and map out what they like, what they are good at, how they can impact others, and how much others value their contribution. ALSO READ These Mumbai students sold 750 DIY cake kits and clocked Rs 3 lakh revenue in 9 months Sign up for our exclusive newsletters. Subscribe to check out our popular newsletters.

2. Start with simple examples-
The author shows how the quintessential example of making and selling lemonade can be used to teach concepts of market assessment, product packaging, samples, price estimation, customer research, differentiation, branding, stall positioning, and even environmental friendliness. Targeting the humble tea and fruit juice market led to the rise of Chai Point, Chaayos, Paper Boat, Raw Pressery, and Cane Crush. The examples should span the services sector also, such as designing the space for a weekend reading club at a library for kids. Local vegetable sellers offer useful lessons as well, on how to pitch fresh products, seasonal deals, and preferences of family members, the author shows. The broader focus should be not just on product or service, but the entire customer experience. Approaches like design thinking should be presented here, with visualised workflow. To explain what happens to startups at the scale stage, the author uses analogies like cricket team captains, managers and coaches.

3. Use local and global examples-
Tech-savvy youth today are quite familiar with digital media, so the stories behind the creation of Apple, Instagram and WhatsApp for global markets resonate easily with them. They will also be familiar with local brands in India – such as Swiggy, Flipkart, BookMyShow, Naturals Ice Cream, Wildcraft, and Biocon.

4. Show that many entrepreneurs started young-
The author shows that students get particularly inspired when they see that other successful companies had young founders. Examples include Google and Microsoft, founded by college students. The founder of iD Fresh Food ran a small sweets shop as a student. He later entered the market for products like batter, and now has a massive international business. “There are inspiring stories of real entrepreneurs all around you,” the author enthuses. ALSO READ This 13-year-old has designed a unique hydrating water bottle for pets

5. Emphasis problem spotting-
Through a range of examples, the author shows students that entrepreneurship begins by spotting problems. For example, Wildcraft spotted the gap in affordable, high-quality outdoor gear in India. BookMyShow spotted a problem in the queue-based model of buying movie tickets, and offered an online option.

6. Grasp the importance of money-
Since financial sustainability can be a key challenge for most entrepreneurs, the author shows how concepts like expenditure, investment, direct costs, indirect costs, sales, revenue, operating profit, and net profit can be taught to students using lemonade sales as a simple example. For the service sector, Vrunda explains project-based pricing, on-demand models, and markups for skills-based businesses like website design. Topics like break-even point, sales volume and subsidisation at launch stages can be explained later through examples like Amazon and Flipkart.

7. Leverage media-
Tech-savvy youth may already be conversant with creating digital content on the web and social media, the author shows. This can be used to showcase web and email strategies for marketing, though help from others may be needed to create payment gateways at this stage. The author advises aspiring entrepreneurs to focus on digital conversion to sales, and not just on “instant gratification” of social media popularity. For the offline world, she suggests activities like comparing posters and pamphlets of other companies to pick up design tips, eg Amul’s ads. ALSO READ Hear stories of empowerment from extraordinary women on this youth-led mentoring platform

8. Encourage self-paced discovery-
Instead of spoon feeding or hastening the journey, it helps to be a mentor or guide from the side, the author emphasises. A nudge towards business decisions by conducting surveys helps more than giving answers outright. A year-long programme may be better than a weekend crash-course. Choosing teams in such a way that the students work with others beyond their usual circles of friends helps them learn how to cement new friendships and build respect for teammates.

9. Recast failure as a learning-
Failures should be cast as features or products that did not work out. “Failing does not make one a failure, being afraid of failing does,” the author explains. A mistake or invalid assumption should be seen as a pointer to a change in the right direction.

10. Give guidelines, not a roadmap-
The journey of every entrepreneur is different, so it’s impossible to give an exact roadmap for the path ahead, the author cautions. Instead, guidelines, principles and tools help in the journey. Entrepreneurs often tackle problems for which there are no clear rules or formulas in the books. Many answers will come only from asking other people or doing experiments. For example, the author asks students: How much paint (and money) will it take to paint your house?

11. Share advice from successful entrepreneurs -
In addition to the author’s own advice, the book shares tips from the founders of The Better India. The entrepreneurs, a couple who were engineers, spotted an opportunity for a website providing positive stories of change, instead of the negative news dominating mainstream media. Anuradha Kedia and Dhimant Parekh show that a successful venture can begin as a side project, but requires fulltime commitment later on. Their singular focus led to a growth opportunity and success, even in the face of critics and naysayers.

12. Measure outcomes-
Based on her workshops, the author identifies a number of benefits that students reported. These include decision-making, taking responsibility and ownership, skills in listening and collaboration, ability to experiment and take risks, and appreciate the role of money in business. The book ends with a glossary of terms, and links to resources and organisations such as National Entrepreneurship Network, Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India, Atal Innovation Mission, and Startup India.

Source- https://yourstory.com/2020/12/entrepreneurship-school-students-vrunda-bansode

Import & Export Management / India opens four trade routes with Bhutan; Agartala to connect nation with BD

« on: December 05, 2020, 09:30:39 AM »

India has opened four new trade routes with Bhutan–at Nagarkata, Agartala, Jogighopa, and Pandu, of them are riverine ports. The Nagarkata port in West Bengal has been notified as a “permanent” Land Customs Station, with no restriction on commodity movement. Earlier it was a “seasonal” station, allowing only trade of certain commodities like oranges, ginger, cardamom.

The other trade route is Tripura’s capital Agartala, which will facilitate the country’s trade with Bangladesh. This comes, even as India plans to complete work on Agartala-Akhaura rail by next year as part of increased regional connectivity plans.

New Delhi has also given a go-ahead to Jogighopa and Pandu riverine ports for connectivity. Both ports are located on India’s national waterway 2 along the Brahmaputra passing through Assam. So far, Dhubri in Assam was the only riverine port designated for Bhutan’s trade with India.

A release from Indian mission in Bhutan said, “Bhutan is India’s closest partner and friend” and a “special bonds of trust and understanding between India and Bhutan that have existed over decades”.

India’s commerce minister Piyush Goyal had visited Bhutan in February 2020 and since then a number of virtual meetings have taken place at the trade ministries level leading to the opening of new trade routes. In October, India had allowed gave a green signal to trade on the Ahllay-Jaigaon axis which gives an alternative and leads to substantial decongestion on Phuentsholing-Jaigaon.

The opening of trade routes come, even as New Delhi is working to open new connectivity projects in South Asia and beyond. Towards the west, its the Chabahar project that has helped India reach out to Afghanistan, with Myanmar and beyond its the Kaladan multimodal project whose crucial link is Sittwe port.

Source--https://indiaseatradenews.com/india-opens-four-trade-routes-with-bhutan-agartala-to-connect-nation-with-bangladesh/
(Collected)

Islam & Science / China and the Muslim world: Civilizational partnership?

« on: December 04, 2020, 02:57:06 PM »

Over the past two decades, seismic shifts in global political and economic landscapes have taken place. Politically speaking, the traditional West that has dominated world politics during the 16th-20th centuries through colonialism, imperialism and nuclear hegemony has experienced a decline in its power.

Economically speaking, the same West has lost its position as the center of global production and economic power. This decadence in political and economic hegemony of the West is balanced by the proportionate rise of the East both politically and economically.

On a grand civilizational scale, the East is clearly represented by China with its increasing political influence and advancement in knowledge, technology, and innovation in the non-West through its grand economic and partnership diplomacy. So, overall the center of global political and economic power has been shifting from the West to the East, which is opening a new chapter in world history.

Retrospectively reflected, this shift makes us to believe that the civilizational cycle is reverting to its beginning 2,500 years back to China, the East. If the civilizational cycle of the past two and a half millennia is to repeat then it is logical that the next civilizational candidate is Islamic or the Muslim world. It is this connection that can potentially bring the rising global China and the Muslim world into an intimate partnership.

Over the past 400 years, the Muslim world has been controlled by the West through colonialism and excessive exploitation of resources. During the post-colonial period, the macro-pattern of relationship between the West and the Muslim world appeared that the ruling elites of the Muslim world have remained closed to and dependent on the West, while its populace generally remained eastern (Islamic) oriented.

This divide has become more evident over the past four decades through successive destruction of Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria and Yemen, and continuous denial of emancipation from Western-backed authoritarianism and a solution to Israeli occupation of Palestine. The recent wave of normalization of diplomatic relations between Israel and the hardline Arab monarchies has led the Muslim world to a new alliance-building politics in the region.

What is obvious now is that the Muslim world has lost its faith in the West and the gradual decadence of Western influence has created a power-vacuum; while simultaneously, an impetus to grow and develop economically from within has been in search for a reliable patronizing partnership from without. Can the rising China provide such partnership role to the Muslim world?

There are strong arguments that can provide answer to the question in positive. Firstly, China's insatiable thirst for energy is motivating it to reach out the oil-rich Muslim countries allover. Apart from China's ever increasing trade deals, China depends heavily on gas and petroleum in Muslim countries on the Arab peninsula, in Iran and Central Asia.

The South and Southeast Asian Muslim countries are also huge raw material suppliers as well as markets for Chinese industrial products. The dependence on these countries is balanced by increasing Chinese investment in those economies as well.

Jameh Mosque (Masjid-e-Jameh) in the old district of Borujerd City, Lorestan Province, Iran. /Getty

Secondly, Chinese economic policies with Muslim countries in Africa and Asia are generally dictated by "partnership," "political equality," and "win-win cooperation." In this way, Chinese investment is considered to be more favorable, readily beneficial and economic in nature because China's investment and foreign aid usually require no political preconditions.

While the Western powers have imposed economic sanctions on countries like Iran, Sudan and Syria on political grounds, the Chinese aid and investment flow is largely with no such string attached.

In other words, China's investment is based on non-intervention in domestic affairs. This approach of China makes it more popular and acceptable in the Muslim countries as a reliable partner for development and friendship.

Thirdly, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has been fostering a closer tie between China and the regional Muslim countries. It is believed by some that in the wake of growing unilateralism by the U.S. after the end of the Cold War, the SCO is an attempt to counter the U.S. influence in the Far East and Central Asia.

Therefore, while maintaining traditional relations with the West, the Muslim countries may find the SCO more attractive to increase their collective power by aligning with an alternative power pole.

Fourth, the Chinese grand Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) cannot bypass or ignore the Muslim world economies, and indeed it encompasses all the Muslim economies in Asia. Collectively, the Asian Muslim economies are all either rich or developing which are simultaneously large consumer markets as well as suppliers of raw materials, hard economic facts that are advantageous for China. So it is obvious that China and the Asian Muslim world (at least) cannot trade-off each other for practical reasons on either side.

And finally, the BRICS initiative to represent the global East/South at global political and economic stages also cannot bypass the vast majority of Muslim economies, people and societies that fall within the global East/South.

On the other hand, the Muslim world cannot ignore the rising power bloc of BRICS that is leading the global political and economic power shift. Since BRICS represents the eastward movement of civilizational cycle from the West, the Muslim world is bound to march with BRICS due to geographical and civilizational proximities.

In the final analysis, Chinese civilization has never been unfamiliar to the Muslim world which is reflected in the old Arab proverb – seek knowledge, even if it takes you to China, recognizing the facts of China's civilizational prosperity, knowledge and development. It also implies that fostering closer relation with China was encouraged at least for knowledge, technology and scientific purposes.

In the contemporary time, China as the leading power in the shift of civilizational cycle is acquiring trust of the Muslim countries for being non-interventionist in their domestic affairs.

Clearly, the Muslim world might increasingly find China as an alternative superpower patron to counter the influence of the West. If the present trend continues, the prophecy of Huntington on Islamic-Confucian alliance building in the process of Clash of Civilizations may not sound too fanciful in the future.

Furthermore, reflecting on the BRICS philosophy, China and the Muslim world have more reasons to develop an ever engaging civilizational partnership for the future global peace and prosperity.

Given the geographical landmass that the Muslim world occupies in the global East/South, a closer China-Muslim world civilizational partnership is rather indispensable to realize the shift in civilizational cycle that is to take place in the future.

Editor's note: Dr. Md. Moniruzzaman is an associate professor at the Department of Political Science, International Islamic University Malaysia, and an honorary Senior Research Fellow at the Muslim World Research Center (MWRC). This article, part of the project of "China and Muslim World Cooperation Research: CMWCR", led by Muslim World Research Center, Malaysia, reflects the author's opinions, and not necessarily the views of CGTN.

(Collected)
Link--https://news.cgtn.com/news/2020-12-03/China-and-the-Muslim-world-Civilizational-partnership--VTIF8i7xdK/index.html

Common Forum / China and the Muslim world: Civilizational partnership?

« on: December 04, 2020, 02:56:49 PM »

Islam / পরলোকগত কুয়েতি লেখক আব্দুল্লাহ যারাল্লাহ র মৃত্যুর আগে লিখে যাওয়া কিছু অনুভূতি

« on: December 04, 2020, 02:55:22 PM »

"মৃত্যু নিয়ে আমি কোনো দুশ্চিন্তা করবো না, আমার মৃতদেহের কি হবে সেটা নিয়ে কোন অযথা আগ্রহ দেখাবো না। আমি জানি আমার মুসলিম ভাইয়েরা করণীয় সবকিছুই যথাযথভাবে করবে।"

يُجَرِّدُونَنِي مِنْ مَلَابِسِي তারা প্রথমে আমার পরনের পোশাক খুলে আমাকে বিবস্ত্র করবে,

يَغْسِلُونَني আমাকে গোসল করাবে,

يَكْفِنُونَنِي (তারপর) আমাকে কাফন পড়াবে,

يُخْرِجُونَنِي مِنْ بَيْتِي আমাকে আমার বাসগৃহ থেকে বের করবে,

يَذهَبُونَ بِي لِمَسَكِنِي الجَدِيدِ (القَبْرُ)আমাকে নিয়ে তারা আমার নতুন বাসগৃহের (কবর) দিকে রওনা হবে,

وَسَيَأتِي كَثِيرُونَ لِتَشْيِيْعِ الجَنَازَتِي আমাকে বিদায় জানাতে বহু মানুষের সমাগম হবে,

بَلْ سَيَلْغِي الكَثِيرُ مِنهُم أَعْمَالَهُ وَمَوَاعِيدَهُ لِأَجْلِي دَفْنِي অনেক মানুষ আমাকে দাফন দেবার জন্য তাদের প্রাত্যহিক কাজকর্ম কিংবা সভার সময়সূচী বাতিল করবে,

وَقَدْ يَكُونُ الكَثِيرُ مِنهُم لَمْ يَفَكِّرْ في نَصِيحَتِي يَوماً مِنْ الأيّامِ কিন্তু দুঃখজনকভাবে অধিকাংশ মানুষ এর পরের দিনগুলোতে আমার এই উপদেশগুলো নিয়ে গভীর ভাবে চিন্তা করবে না,

أَشْيَائِي سَيَتِمُّ التَّخَلُّصُ مِنهَا আমার (ব্যক্তিগত) জিনিষের উপর আমি অধিকার হারাবো,

مَفَاتِيحِي আমার চাবির গোছাগূলো,

كِتَابِي আমার বইপত্র,

حَقِيبَتِي আমার ব্যাগ,

أَحْذِيَتِي আমার ‍জুতোগুলো,

وإنْ كانَ أَهْلِي مُوَفِّقِينَ فَسَوفَ يَتَصَدِّقُونَ بِها لِتَنْفَعَنِي হয়তো আমার পরিবারের লোকেরা আমাকে উপকৃত করার জন্য আমার ব্যবহারের জিনিসপত্র দান করে দেবার বিষয়ে একমত হবে,

تَأَكِّدُوا بِأَنَّ الدُّنيا لَنْ تَحْزَنْ عَلَيَّ এ বিষয়ে তোমরা নিশ্চিত থেকো যে, এই দুনিয়া তোমার জন্য দু:খিত হবে না অপেক্ষাও করবে না,

وَلَنْ تَتَوَقَّفْ حَرَكَةُ العَالَمِ এই দুনিয়ার ছুটে চলা এক মুহূর্তের জন্যও থেমে যাবে না,

وَالاِقْتِصَادُ سَيَسْتَمِرُ অর্থনৈতিক কর্মকাণ্ড কিংবা ব্যবসাবাণিজ্য সবকিছু চলতে থাকবে,

وَوَظِيْفَتِي سَيَأتِي غَيرِي لِيَقُومَ بَها আমার দায়িত্ব (কাজ) অন্য কেউ সম্পাদন করা শুরু করবে,

وَأَمْوَالِي سِيَذْهَبُ حَلَالاً لِلوَرَثِةِ আমার ধনসম্পদ বিধিসম্মত ভাবে আমার ওয়ারিসদের হাতে চলে যাবে,

بَينَمَا أنا سَأُحَاسِبُ عَليها অথচ এর মাঝে এই সম্পদের জন্য আমার হিসাব-নিকাশ আরম্ভ হয়ে যাবে,

القَلِيلُ والكَثِيرُ.....النَقِيرُ والقَطمِيرُ...... ছোট এবং বড়….অনুপরিমাণ এবং কিয়দংশ পরিমান, (সবকিছুর হিসাব)

وَإن أَوَّلَ ما مَوتِي هو اِسمِي !!!! আমার মৃত্যুর পর সর্বপ্রথম যা (হারাতে) হবে, তা আমার নাম!!!

لِذَلكَ عِنْذَما يَمُوتُ سَيَقُولُونَ عَنِّي أَينَ "الجُنَّةُت"...؟ কেননা, যখন আমি মৃত্যুবরণ করবো, তারা আমাকে উদ্দেশ্য করে বলবে, কোথায় “লাশ”?

وَلَن يَنَادُونِي بَاِسمِي.... কেউ আমাকে আমার নাম ধরে সম্বোধন করবে না,

وَعِندَما يُرِيدُونَ الصَّلاةَ عَلَيَّ سِيَقُلُونَ اُحْضُرُوا "الجَنَازَةَ" !!! যখন তারা আমার জন্য (জানাযার) নামাজ আদায় করবে, বলবে, “জানাযাহ” নিয়ে আসো,

وَلَن يُنَادُونِي يِاسْمِي ....! তারা আমাকে নাম ধরে সম্বোধন করবে না….!

وَعِندَما يَشْرَعُونَ بِدَفنِي سَيَقُولُونَ قَرِّبُوا المَوتَ وَلَنْ يَذكُرُوا اِسمِي ....! আর, যখন তারা দাফন শুরু করবে বলবে, মৃতদেহকে কাছে আনো, তারা আমার নাম ধরে ডাকবে না…!

لِذَلِكَ لَن يَغُرَّنِي نَسبِي وَلا قَبِيلَتِي وَلَن يَغُرَّنِي مَنْصَبِي وَلا شَهرَتِي .... এজন্যই দুনিয়ায় আমার বংশপরিচয়, আমার গোত্র পরিচয়, আমার পদমযার্দা, এবং আমার খ্যাতি কোনকিছুই আমাকে যেন ধোঁকায় না ফেলে,

فَمَا أَتْفَهُ هَذِهِ الدُّنْيَا وَمَا أَعْظَمَ مُقَلِّبُونَ عَليهِ ..... এই দুনিয়ার জীবন কতই না তুচ্ছ, আর, যা কিছু সামনে আসছে তা কতই না গুরুতর বিষয়…

فَيا أَيُّهَا الحَيُّ الآنَ ..... اِعْلَمْ أَنَّ الحُزْنَ عَليكَ سَيَكُونُ على ثَلَاثَةٍ أَنْواعٍ: অতএব, (শোন) তোমরা যারা এখনো জীবিত আছো,….জেনে রাখো, তোমার (মৃত্যুর পর) তোমার জন্য তিনভাবে দু:খ করা হবে,

1ــ النَّاسُ الَّذِينَ يَعْرِفُونَكَ سَطْحَيّاً سَيَقُولُونَ مِسْكِينٌ

১. যারা তোমাকে বাহ্যিক ভাবে চিনতো, তারা তোমাকে বলবে হতভাগা,

2ــ أَصْدِقَاؤُكَ سَيَحْزُنُونَ سَاعَات أَو أَيَّامَاً ثُمَّ يَعُودُونَ إِلَى حَدِيثِهِم بَلْ وَضَحِكَهُم.....

২. তোমার বন্ধুরা বড়জোর তোমার জন্য কয়েক ঘন্টা বা কয়েক দিন দু:খ করবে, তারপর, তারা আবার গল্পগুজব বা হাসিঠাট্টাতে মত্ত হয়ে যাবে,

3ــ الحُزْنُ العَمِيقُ فِي البَيْتِ سَيَحْزُنُ أَهْلِكَ أُسْبُوعاً.... أُيسْبُوعَينِ شَهراً ....شَهرَينِ أَو حَتَّى سَنَةً وَبَعْدَهَا سَيَضْعُونَكَ فِي أَرْشِيفِ الذَّكَرِيّاتِ !!!

৩. যারা খুব গভীর ভাবে দু:খিত হবে, তারা তোমার পরিবারের মানুষ, তারা এক সপ্তাহ, দুই সপ্তাহ, একমাস, দুইমাস কিংবা বড় জোর একবছর দু:খ করবে। এরপর, তারা তোমাকে স্মৃতির মণিকোঠায় যত্ন করে রেখে দেবে!!!

اِنْتَهَتْ قِصَّتُكَ بَينَ النَّاسِ وَبَدَأَتْ قِصَّتُكَ الحَقِيْقِيّةِ وَهِيَ الآخِرةُ ....

মানুষদের মাঝে তোমাকে নিয়ে গল্প শেষ হয়ে যাবে, অত:পর, তোমার জীবনের নতুন গল্প শুরু হবে, আর, তা হবে পরকালের জীবনের বাস্তবতা,

لَقدْ زَالَ عِندَكَ:

তোমার নিকট থেকে নি:শেষ হবে (তোমার):

1ــ الجَمَالُ ১. সৌন্দর্য্য

2ــ والمَالُ ২. ধনসম্পদ

3ــ والصَحَّةُ৩. সুস্বাস্থ্য

4ــ والوَلَدُ ৪. সন্তান-সন্তদি

5ــ فَارقَت الدَّور ৫. বসতবাড়ি

6ــ القُصُورُ ৬. প্রাসাদসমূহ

7ــ الزَوجُ ৭. জীবনসঙ্গী

وَلَمْ يَبْقِ إِلَّا عَمَلُكَ তোমার নিকট তোমার ভালো অথবা মন্দ আমল ব্যতীত আর কিছুই অবশিষ্ট থাকবে না,

وَبَدَأَتِ الحَيَاةُ الحَقِيقَيَّةُ শুরু হবে তোমার নতুন জীবনের বাস্তবতা,

وَالسُّؤَالُ هُنا : ماذا أَعْدَدْتَ لِلقُبَرِكَ وَآخِرَةَكَ مِنَ الآنَ ؟؟؟ আর, সে জীবনের প্রশ্ন হবে: তুমি কবর আর পরকালের জীবনের জন্য এখন কি প্রস্তুত করে এনেছো?

هَذِهِ حَقِيقَةٌ تَحْتَاجُ إلى تَأمَّلٍ ব্স্তুত: এই জীবনের বাস্তবতা সম্পর্কে তোমাকে গভীর ভাবে মনোনিবেশ করা প্রয়োজন,

لِذَلِكَ أحرصُ عَلى : এজন্য ‍তুমি যত্নবান হও,

1ــ الفَرَائِضِ ১. ফরজ ইবাদতগুলোর প্রতি

2ــ النَّوَافِلِ ২. নফল ইবাদতগুলোর প্রতি

3ــ صَدَقَةُ السِّرِّ ৩. গোপন সাদাকাহ’র প্রতি

4ــ عَمَلُ الصَّلِحِ ৪. ভালো কাজের প্রতি

5ــ صَلاةُ اللَّيلِ ৫. রাতের নামাজের প্রতি

لَعَلَّكَ تَنْجُو.... যেন তুমি নিজেকে রক্ষা করতে পারো….

إِنْ سَاعَدْتَ عَلى تَذْكِيرِ النَّاسِ بِهَذِهِ المُقَالَةِ وَأنتَ حَيُّ الآنَ سَتَجِدُ أَثَرَ تَذكِيرِكَ في مِيزَانِكَ يَومَ القِيامَةِ بِإِذْنِ اللهِ .....

এই লিখাটির মাধ্যমে তুমি মানুষকে উপদেশ দিতে পারো, কারণ তুমি এখনো জীবিত আছো, এর ফলাফল আল্লাহ’র ইচ্ছায় তুমি কিয়ামত দিবসে মিজানের পাল্লায় দেখতে পাবে,

قال الله تَعالى : ((فَذَكِّرْ فَإِنَّ الذِّكْرَ تَنْفَعُ المُؤمِنِينَ))

আল্লাহ বলেন: ((আর স্মরণ করিয়ে দাও, নিশ্চয়ই এই স্মরণ মুমিনদের জন্য উপকারী))

لِمَاذَا يَخْتَارُ المَيِّتِ "الصَّدَقَةَ لو رَجَعَ للدُّنيا....

তুমি কি জানো কেন মৃতব্যক্তিরা সাদাকাহ প্রদানের আকাঙ্খা করবে, যদি আর একবার দুনিয়ার জীবনে ফিরতে পারতো?

كَمَا قَالَ تَعَالى: ((رَبِّ لَو لا أَخَّرْتَنِي إلى أَجَلٍ قَرِيبٍ فَأَصَّدَّقَ....))

আল্লাহ বলেন: ((হে আমার রব! যদি তুমি আমাকে আর একটু সুযোগ দিতে দুনিয়ার জীবনে ফিরে যাবার, তাহলে আমি অবশ্যই সাদাকাহ প্রদান করতাম….))

ولَمْ يَقُلْ : তারা বলবে না,

لِأعتَمَرَ উমরাহ পালন করতাম,

أو لِأُصَلَّي অথবা, সালাত আদায় করতাম,

أو لِأصُومُ অথবা, রোজা রাখতাম,

قالَ العُلَماءُ : ما ذَكَرَ المَيِّتُ الصَّدَقَةَ إلا لِعَظِيمِ مَا رَأى مِن أَثَرِها بَعدَ مَوتِهِ

আলেমগণ বলেন: মৃতব্যক্তিরা সাদাকাহ’র কথা বলবে, কারণ তারা সাদাকাহ প্রদানের ফলাফল তাদের মৃত্যুর পর দেখতে পাবে,

فَأَكْثِرُوا مِنَ الصَّدَقَةِ وَمِن أَفضَلِ ما تَتَصَدَّقُ بِهِ الآنَ 10 ثَوَان مِنْ وَقْتِكَ لِنشَرِ هذا الكَلامَ بِنِيَّةِ النَّصْحِ فَالكَلمَةُ الطَّيِّبَةُ صَدَقَةٌ.

আর, গুরুত্ববহ এই সাদাকাহ’র কাজটি তুমি এই কথাগুলো ছড়িয়ে দিয়ে মাত্র ১০ সেকেন্ড সময় ব্যয় করে করতে পারো, যদি তোমার উদ্দেশ্য হয় এর মাধ্যমে মানুষকে উপদেশ প্রদান করা। কারণ, উত্তম কথা হল এক ধরণের সাদাকাহ।।

(Collected)

Famous Speeches / Ugandan President’s address to his nation- A wisdom to share

« on: November 25, 2020, 07:12:22 PM »

Uganda President YOWERI MUSEVENI warns against people misbehaving during this COVID-19 period, "God has a lot of work, He has the whole world to look after. He cannot just be here in Uganda looking after idiots...". Below is his reported statement.

"In a war situation, nobody asks anyone to stay indoors. You stay indoors by choice. In fact, if you have a basement, you hide there for as long as hostilities persist. During a war, you don't insist on your freedom. You willingly give it up in exchange for survival. During a war, you don't complain of hunger. You bear hunger and pray that you live to eat again

During a war, you don't argue about opening your business. You close your shop (if you have the time), and run for your life. You pray to outlive the war so that you can return to your business (that's if it has not been looted or destroyed by mortar fire).

During a war, you are thankful to God for seeing another day in the land of the living. During a war, you don't worry about your children not going to school. You pray that the government does not forcefully enlist them as soldiers to be trained in the school premises now turned military depot.

The world is currently in a state of war. A war without guns and bullets. A war without human soldiers. A war without borders. A war without cease-fire agreements. A war without a war room. A war without sacred zones.

The army in this war is without mercy. It is without any milk of human kindness. It is indiscriminate - it has no respect for children, women, or places of worship. This army is not interested in spoils of war. It has no intention of regime change. It is not concerned about the rich mineral resources underneath the earth. It is not even interested in religious, ethnic or ideological hegemony. Its ambition has nothing to do with racial superiority. It is an invisible, fleetfooted, and ruthlessly effective army.

Its only agenda is a harvest of death. It is only satiated after turning the world into one big death field. Its capacity to achieve its aim is not in doubt. Without ground, amphibious and aeriel machines, it has bases in almost every country of the world. Its movement is not governed by any war convention or protocol. In short, it is a law unto itself. It is Coronavirus. Also known as COVID-19 (because it announced its destructive presence and intention in the year of our Lord 2019)

Thankfully, this army has a weakness and it can be defeated. It only requires our collective action, discipline and forbearance. COVID-19 cannot survive social and physical distancing. It only thrives when you confront it. It loves to be confronted. It capitulates in the face of collective social and physical distancing. It bows before good personal hygiene. It is helpless when you take your destiny in your own hands by keeping them sanitized as often as possible.

This is not a time to cry about bread and butter like spoilt children. After all, the Holy book tells us that man shall not live by bread alone. Let's obey and follow the instructions of the authorities. Let's flatten the COVID-19 curve. Let's exercise patience. Let's be our brothers' keeper. In no time, we shall regain our freedom, enterprise and socializing."

In the midst of EMERGENCY, we practice urgency of service and the urgency of love for others✨
God bless us all

The best and most intelligent public speech ever made during Covid-19.

Hats off to him. SALUTE a great leader.

(collected)

Nutrition and Food Engineering / অপুষ্টি রোধে পুষ্টি চালের ব্র্যান্ডিং: ঘানার অভিজ্ঞতা

« on: November 25, 2020, 12:46:00 PM »

বাংলাদেশ ধান গবেষণা ইনস্টিটিউট (ব্রি) প্রতিষ্ঠালগ্ন থেকে নিরলসভাবে ধানের ওপর গবেষণা কাজ চালিয়ে যাচ্ছে। ফলে ব্রি ১০৫টি (৯৭টি ইনব্রিড ও ৮টি হাইব্রিড) ধানের জাত উদ্ভাবন করেছে। উদ্ভাবিত জাতগুলোর মধ্যে বেশির ভাগই উচ্চফলনশীল। এছাড়া রয়েছে সুস্বাদু, সুগন্ধিযুক্ত, রফতানিযোগ্য, পুষ্টিসমৃদ্ধ ইত্যাদি বিশেষ বৈশিষ্ট্যসম্পন্ন ধান। বর্তমানে ব্রি উৎপাদনের পাশাপাশি গুরুত্ব দিচ্ছে পুষ্টিসমৃদ্ধ ও রফতানিযোগ্য ধানের জাত উদ্ভাবনের দিকে। বেশকিছু পুষ্টিসমৃদ্ধ ও রফতানিযোগ্য ধানের জাত এরই মধ্যে উদ্ভাবিত হয়েছে। যেমন জিংকসমৃদ্ধ, লৌহসমৃদ্ধ, লো জিআইসম্পন্ন, অ্যান্টি-অক্সিডেন্টসমৃদ্ধ, গাবা ইত্যাদি ধান।

জিংক মানবদেহের জন্য একটি অত্যাবশ্যকীয় উপাদান, যা দেহের বৃদ্ধি, গঠন ও রোগ প্রতিরোধ ক্ষমতা বাড়ায়। দেহের শর্করা ও চর্বির বিপাক ক্রিয়ায় জিংক গুরুত্বপূর্ণ ভূমিকা পালন করে। পর্যাপ্ত পরিমাণে জিংক গ্রহণ না করলে শিশুদের খর্বাকৃতি ও দুর্বল হওয়ার সম্ভাবনা থাকে। ডায়রিয়া ও নিউমোনিয়া হলে মারাত্মক আকার ধারণ করে, অনেক সময় মৃত্যুও হতে পারে। বড়দের ক্ষেত্রে ডায়াবেটিসের ধরন-২ অথবা হার্টের সমস্যা হতে পারে। গবেষণায় দেখা গেছে, স্বল্পমাত্রার দীর্ঘ সময় ধরে জিংক গ্রহণ অধিক হারে স্বল্প সময়ে জিংক গ্রহণের চেয়ে বেশি কার্যকরী। ফলে জিংকসমৃদ্ধ চালের ভাত খাওয়ার উপকারিতা বেশি পাওয়া যাবে। ব্রি উদ্ভাবিত ব্রি-ধান ৬২, ব্রি-ধান ৬৪, ব্রি-ধান ৭২, ব্রি-ধান ৭৪ ও ব্রি-ধান ৮৪ জিংকসমৃদ্ধ। এসব জিংকসমৃদ্ধ ধান গ্রহণে খাদ্যনিরাপত্তা তথা পুষ্টিনিরাপত্তা অনেকটাই নিশ্চিত হবে। আরেকটি খাদ্য উপাদান হলো লৌহ, যা মানবদেহের জন্য প্রয়োজনীয়। ব্রি-ধান ৮৪ জিংক ও লৌহসমৃদ্ধ। বিটা-ক্যারোটিনসমৃদ্ধ ধান হিসেবে গোল্ডেন ধানের গবেষণা অনেক দূর এগিয়ে গেছে। বহুমূত্র রোগী বা ডায়াবেটিস রোগীদের জন্য লো জি আইসম্পন্ন ধান হলো ব্রি-ধান ১৬, ব্রি-ধান ৪৬ ও ব্রি-ধান ৬৯। এছাড়া অ্যান্টি-অক্সিডেন্টসমৃদ্ধ ধান বি-আর ৫, গাবা ও ব্রি-ধান ৩১ আলঝেইমার রোগীদের জন্য উপযোগী।

বিশেষ বৈশিষ্ট্যসম্পন্ন এসব ধানের জাত সম্পর্কে কৃষকদের ধারণা দেয়া এবং ধানের বীজ সহজলভ্য করা সময়ের দাবি। মাঠ প্রদর্শনীর মাধ্যমে এর চাষ পদ্ধতি ও উৎপাদন কলাকৌশল শিক্ষা দিলে কৃষকরা উপকৃত হবেন। মাঠ প্রদর্শনীর জন্য প্রান্তিক চাষীদের নিয়োজিত করলে ভালো ফল পাওয়া যাবে। কারণ তারা অন্যত্র কাজ করার চেয়ে নিজ জমিতে কাজ করতে বেশি আগ্রহী। সরকারিভাবে বিভিন্ন সময়ে সার, বীজ, সেচ ইত্যাদির জন্য প্রণোদনা দেয়া হয়। পাশাপাশি পুষ্টিসমৃদ্ধ ধানের বীজেরও প্রণোদনা দিলে কৃষকরা অধিক উপকৃত হবেন আশা রাখি।

পুষ্টিসমৃদ্ধ ধান চাষ করে যেমন কৃষকরা নিজেরা উপকৃত হতে পারেন, তেমনি অর্থনৈতিকভাবেও লাভবান হতে পারেন। এজন্য প্রয়োজন সরকারি পৃষ্ঠপোষকতা। অর্থনৈতিকভাবে লাভবান হওয়ার জন্য এসব ধানের বাজারজাত প্রক্রিয়া নির্দিষ্ট ব্র্যান্ডিংয়ের মাধ্যমে এবং বিজ্ঞানসম্মতভাবে করতে হবে। উদাহরণস্বরূপ, চীন দেশে ধানের ব্র্যান্ডিং কৌশল অনুসরণ করে চীনা চালকে উচ্চমূল্যের পণ্য হিসেবে প্রতিষ্ঠিত করেছে। এই উচ্চমূল্যের চাল মধ্যবিত্ত থেকে উচ্চবিত্ত উভয় শ্রেণীর লোকদের আকৃষ্ট করে।

সচরাচর ব্যবহূত চালের পরিবর্তে পুষ্টিসমৃদ্ধ চাল গ্রহণে উৎসাহিত করা এবং এ চালের খাদ্যগুণ, স্বাস্থ্য, অর্থনৈতিক ও সামাজিক সুবিধা সম্পর্কে সচেতনতা বাড়ানো উদ্যোক্তা কৌশলের জন্য খুবই গুরুত্বপূর্ণ। এছাড়া এই চাল দিয়ে কী কী ধরনের খাবার প্রস্তুত করা যেতে পারে, এটি সম্পর্কে ভোক্তাদের সচেতন করাটাও জরুরি। রেডিও, টিভিতে অনুষ্ঠানমালা, আকর্ষণীয় গান, বিজ্ঞাপন ইত্যাদি তৈরির মাধ্যমে ভোক্তাদের মনোযোগ আকর্ষণ করা যেতে পারে। খাদ্য সরবরাহকারী স্কুলগুলোয় প্রচলিত রন্ধনশিল্পীর সঙ্গে শেফের রান্নার প্রতিযোগিতার ব্যবস্থা করা যেতে পারে। পুরস্কার হিসেবে পুষ্টিসমৃদ্ধ চাল সুন্দর প্যাকেটে, ব্র্যান্ডের মাধ্যমে দেয়া যেতে পারে। ছাপানো টি শার্ট, ক্যাপ, কলম ও সিডি (যেখানে পুষ্টিসমৃদ্ধ চালের রেসিপি ও সুবিধাগুলো সংরক্ষিত থাকবে) সরবরাহ করা যেতে পারে।

তার পরেও কিছু কৌশল অবলম্বন করা কঠিন হয়ে পড়ে। যেমন দেশজুড়ে চাল উৎপাদনকারীর সঙ্গে বাজারের সম্পর্ক গড়ে তোলা, স্থানীয়ভাবে চাল সংগ্রহ কেন্দ্র স্থাপন করা, খাদ্য প্রদর্শনের জন্য উপযুক্ত পরিবার বাছাই করা, স্কুল, হাসপাতাল, জেলখানা ইত্যাদি জায়গায় খাবারের মেনুতে পছন্দের চাল সরবরাহ নিশ্চিত করা, প্রয়োজন অনুযায়ী চাল সারা বছর সরবরাহ নিশ্চিত করা ইত্যাদি। পুষ্টিসমৃদ্ধ চালের বাজার এবং প্রমোশনাল প্ল্যান তৈরি করতে বাজার এবং ভোক্তাবিষয়ক জ্ঞান মূল উপাদান হিসেবে বিবেচিত হয়। পুষ্টিসমৃদ্ধ চালের বাজার এবং প্রমোশনাল প্ল্যান তৈরির উদ্দেশ্য হলো পুষ্টিসমৃদ্ধ চাল উৎপাদন বাড়ানো, মার্কেটে সহজলভ্যতা বাড়ানো, দেশের সব অঞ্চলে চাহিদা বাড়ানো, ক্যাটারিং এবং পাবলিক ইনস্টিটিউশন যেমন স্কুল, হাসপাতাল, জেলখানা প্রভৃতি জায়গার মেনুতে পুষ্টিসমৃদ্ধ চাল রাখা ইত্যাদি। লুকানো ক্ষুধা অর্থাৎ অপুষ্টি থেকে জনগণকে রক্ষা করার জন্য পুষ্টিসমৃদ্ধ চালের বাজার তৈরি করতে হবে।

দক্ষিণ আফ্রিকার দেশ ঘানায় স্থানীয়ভাবে উৎপাদিত অর্গানিক ধানের পরিমাণ অপ্রতুল ছিল। ফলে সরকারিভাবে প্রচুর চাল আমদানি করতে হতো। উৎপাদনের মাত্র ২০ শতাংশ চাল শহর এলাকার লোকজন খাদ্য হিসেবে গ্রহণ করত। কারণ শহর এলাকার লোকজনের আমদানীকৃত চালের প্রতি আকর্ষণ ছিল। ফলে স্থানীয়ভাবে উৎপাদিত অর্গানিক ধানের কৃষকরা চাল বিক্রি করতে সমস্যায় পড়তেন। এ সমস্যা দূরীকরণের জন্য সরকার একটি আপস্কেলিং প্রোগ্রাম হাতে নেয়, যার উদ্দেশ্য ছিল স্থানীয়ভাবে উৎপাদিত অর্গানিক ধানের উৎপাদন এবং ভক্ষণ বাড়ানো। ফলে দেশকে খাদ্যে স্বয়ংসম্পূর্ণ করা। এজন্য তারা চাল বাণিজ্যের মূল চাবিকাঠি এবং ভোক্তার পছন্দের বিষয়টি বিশদভাবে বিশ্লেষণ করেছে, যাতে স্থানীয়ভাবে উৎপাদিত অর্গানিক ধানের চাল বাণিজ্যকে জোরপূর্বক নির্দেশনা দিতে পারে এবং পাশাপাশি এ চালের উৎপাদন, ব্যবহার ও গ্রহণকে নিশ্চিত করতে পারে। ফলে কৃষকদের আয় বাড়ানো এবং খাদ্য ও পুষ্টিনিরাপত্তা নিশ্চিত করা সম্ভব হয়েছে। পুষ্টিসমৃদ্ধ চালের বাজার তৈরি করতে আমরা এ ধরনের কার্যক্রম হাতে নিতে পারি।

আন্তর্জাতিক পর্যায়ে অন্যান্য পণ্যের ন্যায় চালের ব্র্যান্ডিংয়ের ওপর খুব একটা গবেষণা হয়নি। বেশির ভাগ গবেষণা হয়েছে ভোক্তার সিদ্ধান্ত গ্রহণ প্রক্রিয়ার ওপর। অতীত গবেষণা থেকে দেখা যায়, ভোক্তার গুরুত্বপূর্ণ বৈশিষ্ট্য হলো, ভোক্তারা পণ্য ক্রয়ের ব্যাপারে বিবেচনা করে প্রথমত কতটা নিরাপদ, স্বাদ কী রকম, চালের আকৃতি কেমন, ধানের আকার কী রকম, দাম কত এবং কী ব্র্যান্ডের। চাহিদা অনুযায়ী গুণগত মানসম্পন্ন হলে উচ্চমূল্য দিতে তারা কার্পণ্য করে না।

চালের ব্র্যান্ডিং একটি প্রক্রিয়া, যার মাধ্যমে ভোক্তারা বাজারে প্রচলিত পণ্যগুলোর সঙ্গে তুলনা করে। ফলে তারা পণ্যগুলোর মধ্যে পার্থক্য স্বীকৃত ও নির্দিষ্ট করে। বর্তমানে চাল উৎপাদনকারী ও ভোক্তা উভয়ের জন্যই চালের ব্র্যান্ডিং করাটা অতিজরুরি। চাল উৎপাদনকারীর ক্ষেত্রে চালের উদার নীতি ও এর বণ্টন চালের মূল্য কমিয়ে দেয়। পক্ষান্তরে চালের ব্র্যান্ডিংয়ের মূল্য বাড়িয়ে দেয়। যাহোক, ভোক্তার জন্যও চালের ব্র্যান্ডিংয়ের প্রয়োজনীয়তা রয়েছে। প্রথমত, ক্ষুধা নিবারণের জন্য ভোক্তার চালের প্রয়োজন। কিন্তু বর্তমানে ভোক্তার আরো কিছু প্রয়োজন, যেমন চালের কার্যকারিতা, নিরাপত্তা, গুণাগুণের ভিন্নতা ইত্যাদি। একদিকে চাল উৎপাদনকারী ও অন্যদিকে ভোক্তা উভয়ের জন্য চালের গুণাগুণ বিশ্লেষণের জন্য ব্র্যান্ডিংয়ের প্রয়োজন। কৃষকের আয় এবং খাদ্য ও পুষ্টিনিরাপত্তা নিশ্চিতকরণের নীতিমালা নির্ধারণের ক্ষেত্রে বাণিজ্য ও ভোক্তার পছন্দের বিষয় তথা চাল উৎপাদন, ব্যবহার ও গ্রহণ ইত্যাদি বিশদভাবে বিশ্লেষণ করতে হবে। ব্র্যান্ডিং করে কৃষকদের স্বাবলম্বী হিসেবে গড়ে তোলা যেতে পারে। আমাদের প্রতিবেশী দেশ ভারত একইভাবে ব্র্যান্ডিংয়ের মাধ্যমে ধানকে রফতানিযোগ্য পণ্যে পরিণত করেছে।

বাংলাদেশে বর্তমানে ২০১৯-২০ অর্থবছরে চাল উৎপাদন প্রায় ৩৮ দশমিক ৭০ মিলিয়ন টন। এর মধ্যে পুষ্টিসমৃদ্ধ চাল কতটুকু, তা নির্ধারণ করতে হবে। ব্রি পুষ্টিসমৃদ্ধ ধান উৎপাদন করে কিন্তু পুষ্টিসমৃদ্ধ চাল উৎপাদনের জন্য ব্র্যান্ডিং প্রয়োজন। পুষ্টিসমৃদ্ধ ধান থেকে পুষ্টিসমৃদ্ধ চালের রূপান্তর প্রক্রিয়া নির্দিষ্ট করতে হবে। মিলিংয়ের মাধ্যমে চালের পুষ্টিগুণ সর্বোচ্চ সংরক্ষণের জন্য কোন প্রক্রিয়া অবলম্বন করতে হবে তা স্থির করতে হবে। রান্নার রেসিপি নির্দিষ্ট করতে হবে। সব তথ্য দৃষ্টিনন্দন প্যাকেজিংয়ের মাধ্যমে ব্র্যান্ডিং প্রক্রিয়ায় জনগণের জন্য উন্মুক্ত করা হলে একদিকে ভোক্তার অধিকার সংরক্ষিত হবে, অন্যদিকে কৃষকরা কাঙ্ক্ষিত মূল্যের বিনিময়ে আর্থিকভাবে লাভবান হবেন।

বাংলাদেশে এখনো ব্রি উদ্ভাবিত পুষ্টিসমৃদ্ধ কোনো ধান তথা চালের ব্র্যান্ডিং হয়নি। এক্ষেত্রে আমরা প্রটোটাইপ ব্র্যান্ডিং উন্নয়নের ওপর গবেষণালব্ধ ফলাফল লক্ষ করতে পারি। থাইল্যান্ডে প্রান্তিক চাষীদের উৎপাদিত চালের টেকসইকরণের জন্য প্রটোটাইপ ব্র্যান্ডিং উন্নয়নের ওপর গবেষণা কাজ হয়েছে। গবেষণা থেকে কিছু নির্দেশনা চিহ্নিত করা হয়েছে। প্রথমত, স্ব-উৎপাদিত পণ্যের গুণাগুণ বিশ্লেষণ করতে হবে, মার্কেটের অন্যান্য পণ্য থেকে নিজ পণ্যের কোন গুণটি বিশেষ বৈশিষ্ট্যপূর্ণ, তা চিহ্নিত করতে হবে, ভোক্তার চাহিদা—হোক সেটা কার্যকরী অথবা আবেগীয়—বুঝতে হবে, সরকারি কোনো স্লোগান, ধারণা অথবা পলিসির সঙ্গে সামঞ্জস্যপূর্ণ কিনা, তা খতিয়ে দেখা যেতে পারে ইত্যাদি। দ্বিতীয়ত, পণ্যের গুণাগুণের সঙ্গে ভোক্তার আবেগীয় চাহিদার সমন্বয় করে ব্র্যান্ডের উপাদান সৃষ্টি করতে হবে, যাতে ভোক্তার মাঝে গ্রহণযোগ্যতা তৈরি হয়। ব্র্যান্ডের উপাদানের ভিত্তিতে স্লোগান, লোগো ইত্যাদি ঠিক করতে হবে। বাজার পরিকল্পনা অনুসারে কার্যকলাপ শুরু করতে হবে এবং বাজারের প্রতিক্রিয়া কী হয় তা দেখতে হবে। ব্র্যান্ডের গুণাগুণ একই মানের রাখতে হবে। প্রান্তিক চাষীদের জন্য সফল চালের ব্র্যান্ডের ক্ষেত্রে স্মার্ট কৃষক একটি গুরুত্বপূর্ণ ধারণা। বিজ্ঞানসম্মতভাবে উল্লিখিত ধারণাগুলোর সমন্বয় করে একটি সফল চালের ব্র্যান্ডিং করা যেতে পারে। সফলতার সঙ্গে দীর্ঘ সময় ধরে একটি ব্যবসা টিকে থাকার জন্য ব্র্যান্ডিং অন্য অনেক মাধ্যমের মধ্যে অন্যতম। গবেষকরা মনে করেন, কৃষকদের যদি শক্তিশালী ও সমাজবান্ধব চালের ব্র্যান্ড থাকে, তবে অবশ্যই তা বাজারে প্রতিযোগিতা করে টিকে থাকতে পারবে।

পরিশেষে, ব্রি উদ্ভাবিত পুষ্টিসমৃদ্ধ চালের ব্র্যান্ডিং করা এখন সময়ের দাবি। প্রান্তিক চাষীদের অর্থনৈতিকভাবে স্বাবলম্বী করে গড়ে তোলা, তাদের পুষ্টির নিরাপত্তা নিশ্চিত করা তথা বাংলাদেশের জনগণের পুষ্টির কথা মাথায় রেখে একটি বিজ্ঞানসম্মত যুগোপযোগী চালের ব্র্যান্ডিং করাটা জরুরি। সর্বোপরি ভিশন ২০২১, এসডিজি ২০৩০, ভিশন ২০৪১, আমার গ্রাম আমার শহর স্লোগান ইত্যাদির সমন্বিত প্রয়াসই পারবে একটি সুখী সমৃদ্ধশালী বাংলাদেশ গড়ে তুলতে।

ড. শাহানা পারভীন: সিনিয়র সায়েন্টিফিক অফিসার

বাংলাদেশ ধান গবেষণা ইনস্টিটিউট

Source- Bonikbarta https://bonikbarta.net/home/news_description/248169/%E0%A6%85%E0%A6%AA%E0%A7%81%E0%A6%B7%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%9F%E0%A6%BF-%E0%A6%B0%E0%A7%8B%E0%A6%A7%E0%A7%87-%E0%A6%AA%E0%A7%81%E0%A6%B7%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%9F%E0%A6%BF-%E0%A6%9A%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B2%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%B0-%E0%A6%AC%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%B0%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%AF%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%A8%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%A1%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%82:-%E0%A6%98%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%A8%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%B0-%E0%A6%85%E0%A6%AD%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%9C%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%9E%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%BE-?fbclid=IwAR37aOZU4n9c3ocqa_53jNsOFPlRUhK2SDliC-Rt6TAEhFqC9uKCcboYX_8

Department of Innovation & Entrepreneurship / Focus on SMEs for economic growth (Learn from Germany)

« on: November 24, 2020, 01:49:58 PM »

The small and medium enterprises (SMEs) should be considered as the driver of the economy like Germany has done as they add 22 per cent to the country's gross domestic product, a study suggests. More than 98 per cent of the enterprises are SMEs in Bangladesh. Over 84 per cent of rural non-farm employments were generated through cottage and micro enterprises, according to the study titled "Development of SMEs in Bangladesh: lessons from German experiences".

The SME Foundation and the Embassy of Germany conducted the study and released its findings through a virtual programme yesterday.

MA Baqui Khalily, a professor of the business administration department of the University of Asia Pacific and the team leader of the study, made a presentation on the study. The contribution of various categories of SMEs together is between 80 and 85 per cent of industrial employment and around 25 per cent of total employment, according to the study.

In Bangladesh, small enterprises contribute only a little over 3 per cent and SMEs together around 22 per cent to GDP, Khalily said.
In Bangladesh, manufacturing enterprises with employees between 16 and 30 are termed as micro while the ones with employees between 31 and 120 are classified as small enterprises. The medium enterprises constitute employees between 121 and 300 under the new National Industrial Policy 2016.

Despite the policy changes, development and growth of SMEs in Bangladesh is subject to some serious constraints.
He said limited or inadequate access to finance is still the number one constraint. "It is largely due to terms and conditions of loan contracts." It is followed by the second most important problem of the dearth of skilled workers, he said. Apprenticeship is not largely practised because of the perceived cost associated with high mobility of these skilled workers.

They also suffer from asymmetric information on markets and products because of the lack of effective social networking.
He said the development of SMEs in Germany is globally ranked second in terms of contribution to employment and value addition.
Most of the enterprises in Germany are SMEs. It is driven more by micro-enterprises that contribute to around 82 per cent of all employees and around 17 per cent to value addition. Micro and small enterprises together contribute to 96.5 per cent of all enterprise employees and around 35 per cent in value addition, the study said. SMEs are the main source of employment, accounting for about 70 per cent of all employment and are major contributors (50-60 per cent) to value addition.

In Germany, 99.4 per cent of the enterprises are micro, small and medium enterprises. It accounts for 63 per cent of all employment and contributes to over 54 per cent to value addition.

In emerging economies, SMEs contribute up to 45 per cent of total employment and 33 per cent of GDP.
According to the study, the development of SMEs in Germany has been guided by a set of principles -- think small first, take entrepreneurship as an attractive career choice, give a second chance to honest and bankrupt enterprises.
The principles also include establishing responsive administration to quickly respond to the needs of SMEs, give access to finance with different venture capital funds for young technical firms, young innovative enterprises, and growth firms and go for skills development, efficiency and innovation.

According to the study, micro and SME sector in Bangladesh needs to be nourished through different policy supports and action plan.
It recommended SMEs should not be left alone without being properly developed, and they should be classified not only by employment size but also by growth potential with different technology. Different policies should be taken for the development of different types of SMEs, it said. Different venture capital fund should be introduced for young firms like high tech firms, innovative firms and growth firms, it also suggests.

The study also stressed the need for the presence of supportive financial institutions for financing different types of SMEs and making an investment in research and development for technological development, innovation and efficiency. Strong technical education and apprenticeship system should also be there, according to the study.

The SME sector is promoting the development of Bangladesh and creating employment opportunities, Gowher Rizvi, international relation affairs adviser to the prime minister, said while addressing the launch of the report. Bangladesh needs to learn about how Germany became successful and worked to ensure economic development through SMEs, he noted. However, he said SMEs get the opportunity to supply raw materials to large industries.

Peter Fahrenholtz, ambassador of Germany to Bangladesh, said the SME sector contributes around 60 per cent to the German economy and overall 40 per cent of the annual turnover of the industrial sector comes from SMEs. He said 86 per cent of SMEs are vocational-based and they manufacture the world's best quality products. The entrepreneurs will be benefited if a collaborative effort can be taken to make the most use of Germany's know-how on SMEs, the ambassador believes.

Bangladesh should upgrade its business environment and conditions for investment to attract German entrepreneurs, he said.
The SME sector has been contributing to the positive growth of the economy, and they even helped the economy to recover after the Covid-19 outbreak, said Md Moshsaraf Hossain Bhuiyan, ambassador of Bangladesh to Germany.

In Bangladesh, there is no defaulter in the SME sector while the opposite scene is seen in case of big industrialists, he said.
"For employment and development of the country, this sector is very important," he said. He suggested providing them with technical training. Professor Masudur Rahman, chairman of SME Foundation, said they are facilitating technology adaptation through providing technical support and skills training to the SME sector.

He believes German experience will help in the development of micro and small enterprises in Bangladesh. Khondaker Golam Moazzem, research director of the Centre for Policy Dialogue, alleged that the policymaker and even the government do not think that the SMEs are the growth engine of the economy, which is the major barrier to develop the SME sector in Bangladesh. He also said most of the market is captured by the large-scale manufacturers in Bangladesh and they supply all products. He stressed the need for a strategy to change the SME sector in terms of value chain perspective.

There is a scope to introduce the experience of German SMEs in Bangladesh, he said. Among others, Md Shafiqul Islam, managing director of SME Foundation, also spoke at the event.

Source- Daily Star
https://www.thedailystar.net/business/news/learn-germany-focus-smes-economic-growth-2000029

Economy / Article-Bangladesh’s LDC Graduation

« on: November 23, 2020, 04:04:38 PM »

Writer-Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya

The most quoted line of modern English: "To be, or not to be, that is the question . . .", as is known, is the opening stroke of a soliloquy from William Shakespeare's celebrated drama The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Here the Danish Prince is tormented by the contemplation of death—lamenting the agony and injustice of life, but acknowledging that the alternative might be worse. One wonders whether such a "Hamlet's moment of truth" has arrived for Bangladesh in the context of exiting from the group of least developed countries (LDCs).

As may be recalled, in 2018 Bangladesh met all three eligibility criteria for leaving the LDC category in the next six years. This is of course subject to two satisfactory reviews by the United Nation's Committee for Development Policy (CDP). The second of these two triennial reviews is to take place in end February 2021. Things were going pretty well for the country till the Covid-19 intervened as a spoiler in the first quarter of the year. Currently, the vexing question fretting the concerned stakeholders (internal as well as external) is: are the Covid-19 induced damages substantive enough to derail Bangladesh from its scheduled path of leaving the LDC group?
Latest available data suggest that two eligibility criteria, i.e. Gross National Income (GNI) per capita and Human Assets Index (HAI) have significantly increased in Bangladesh since the last triennial review (2018). In spite of marginal deterioration, the third criteria, namely Economic and Environmental Vulnerability Index (EVI) also remains quite positive for the country.

Notwithstanding the immediate and visible adverse impacts of the contagion, all the three core criteria of Bangladesh will most probably be above (or below) the required thresholds. This projection is guided by the fact that the pre-pandemic scores had been high enough to withstand certain level of erosion. Moreover, even if the country does not fulfil one of the criteria, it will still be eligible for graduation based on the two other criterions.

Signals from official quarters suggest that the government of Bangladesh remains committed to the current path of exiting from the LDC group. It would be only politically opportune for the country if the triennial review in 2021 provides the final go, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the country's independence.

Incidentally, none of the fellow LDCs slated for transition in the coming years are yet to indicate that they are looking for a deferment because of Covid-19. For instance, Vanuatu will be going out of the list next month (December 2020), while Bhutan in 2023 and Laos and Myanmar in 2024. And the same may be said about Nepal and Timor-Leste. However, a final decision on all these candidate countries will be informed by an ongoing United Nations Economic and Social Council (UN ECOSOC) mandated study by CDP as well as recommendations by the respective country Rapporteurs, a newly instituted procedure.

Thus, it seems we are going to witness what the celebrated dramatist Bertolt Brecht would have called epic theatre (as against classic theatre). Epic theatre is not characterised by a tidy plot and story, but leaves issues unresolved—often confronting the audience with uncomfortable questions. Brecht believed classical approaches to theatre were escapist and he was more interested in facts and reality. For example, we need to consider a discernible opinion in the country which propagates that Bangladesh, in view of the evolving pandemic situation, should defer its exit from LDC group. Such postponement will allow Bangladesh to enjoy all the LDC-specific international support measures (ISM)—particularly duty-free and quota-free market access of the country's exports—for an extra three-year period.

There are of course instances when a candidate LDC has asked for more lead period given special circumstances affecting their development prospect. Maldives did that after the tsunami in 2008 and Nepal after the earthquake in 2015. Sometimes, such delaying efforts are not successful as was in the case of Sao Tome and Principe.
A three-pronged approach

It may be recalled that Hamlet's tragedy was of a man failing to deal with his critical circumstances. In contrast, recall Brutus in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. Hamlet and Brutus were both good men, wanted to do the right thing but contemplated too deeply with the tasks in hand. But Brutus was able to act immediately, while Hamlet was not. The lesson? Bangladesh needs to take an evidence-based political decision soonest regarding LDC graduation, keeping the Covid-19 in perspective. Accordingly, the country will be well advised to pursue expeditiously a three-pronged approach to prepare for a smooth and sustainable graduation from the LDC group.

First, Bangladesh has to articulate and campaign for a comprehensive agenda of transitional ISMs for the graduating LDCs. Admittedly, the country cannot expect to exit the LDC group and continue to enjoy all the current preferences for a protracted period. Thus, it is necessary to have a cleverly conceived and carefully crafted design including enabling ISMs ranging from trade measures to access to concessional finance to intellectual property right to availability of Covid-19 vaccines. Indeed, Bangladesh is well poised to lead this initiative globally on behalf of the graduating LDCs.

Second, the country has to develop and implement an "augmented LDC graduation strategy" in line with the concept of "build back better" from the pandemic impact. Such a strategy has to be coherent with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of 2030 Agenda and embedded in the upcoming Eight Five Year Plan (2021-25) and the Perspective Plan (2021-41). This will bind together the three projected development milestones of the country, i.e. 2024/25, 2030 and 2041.

Third, delivery of such a heavy-duty strategic design would demand enhanced efficiency and effectiveness of the current institutional arrangement of the Bangladesh government dealing with the LDC graduation. There is a National Task Force (NTF), created in January 2018 under the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), with the SDG Coordinator as the Convenor. Curiously, all the 10 members of the entity are government officials and thus devoid of representation from private sector or knowledge community. Reportedly, last month (October 2020), the NTF met for the first time after one year. However, a well-conceived and comprehensive strategic document is yet to come by from this entity.

Concurrently, under the External Relations Division of the Ministry of Finance, there is the "Support to Sustainable Graduation Project (2018-2024)"—costing more than USD 16 million of which two-third is coming from Japanese Debt Relief Grant Assistance-Counterpart Fund (DRGA-CF). It transpires from the website of the project that its activities are limited to awareness raising endeavours.

As Bangladesh enters the last lap of its race to the LDC finishing line, it is critical to have: (i) a strengthened work programme of the NTF; (ii) improved inter-ministerial coordination (at least among ERD, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Ministry of Commerce); (iii) expanded participation of stakeholders (by inclusion of private sector and knowledge community) in the official process; and (iv) superior internal and external communications (particularly with the international development partners).

If the Danish Prince would have been around today, he would have possibly called upon Bangladesh not to"suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune", but to "take arms against a sea of troubles and by opposing end them". What would that mean in our current parlance? Bangladesh is destined to confront the pitfalls of LDC transition competently and make the best of the potential opportunities to secure a "graduation with a momentum" as planned.

Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya is a member of the United Nation's Committee for Development Policy (CDP) and a Distinguished Fellow at the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD).

Source- The Daily Star
https://www.thedailystar.net/opinion/news/bangladeshs-ldc-graduation-1994929

Department of Innovation & Entrepreneurship / Article- Social Entrepreneurship Education as Innovation Hub

« on: November 23, 2020, 02:00:22 PM »

Article-

Social Entrepreneurship Education as an Innovation Hub for Building an Entrepreneurial Ecosystem:
The Case of the KAIST Social Entrepreneurship MBA Program (pls see the attachment)

Collected.......

Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) / Taiwan Sourcing Guide (Electronic Component)

« on: November 14, 2020, 11:34:20 AM »

Respected all,

Pls see the following link for the Taiwan Sourcing Guide (Electronic Component) where we may contact with the suppliers for sourcing the product.

http://a.globalsources.com/mag/EC_Sourcing_Guide_Oct20.pdf?WT.i_asset_id=Sourcing%20Club%20Weekly%2012%20Nov%202020%20ELEC&WT.i_dcsvid=sabur.khan%40gmail.com&WT.mc_id=3005654&elqTrackId=a70c1608a2484a899d698d11424fccab&elq=66d8a5e976de41e094ed2868f4601ed0&elqaid=4366&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=2775&elqcst=272&elqcsid=1432