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Translate the following sentences into Bangla/English

1) Youth demographic should be better utilised

This window of opportunity won’t last forever
The United Nations Population Division in its data for 2017 estimates around 68 percent of our population
are of working age. This means Bangladesh currently has a rare demographic window of opportunity—
where the working age population surpasses that of non-working age. At this crucial juncture, about 29.8
percent of our population aged 15-29 are not in education, employment or training (NEET). And, as a result,
we are missing out on reaping the “demographic dividend” that this window of opportunity presents.
Out of all the unemployed people in the country, about 80 percent of people are between the ages of 15-29.
And out of the total unemployed population of 26.77 lakh, the number of educated unemployed people
stands at 10.43 lakh. This is particularly concerning as it demonstrates the failure of our higher educational
institutions to produce graduates who are finding success in the job market, and a clear disparity between the
skills they are providing to young people and the skills that the market is demanding.
In order to bridge this gap, institutes of higher education need to form better connections with suitors in the
job market, and the vocational training that students are being given needs to be attuned more towards
employability. As experts have highlighted, while expatriate workers are sending in about USD 15.5 billion
in remittances, over USD 5 billion is leaving the country every year as salary of foreigners employed mostly
in top managerial positions within Bangladesh. While foreign experts are necessary, many of these positions
could be occupied by domestic workers if they are given the right skillset, which is what we should be
aiming for.
Besides restructuring our education sector, the government also needs to find ways to increase employment
opportunities for people in general, keeping in mind that not everyone should have to receive higher
education to find jobs. And it should do so soon in order to ensure we do not end up squandering this rare
opportunity that we now have, and to make the most of our current wealth of human resources.

2. Many business in Bangladesh still consider their corporate social responsibility as an act of philanthropy rather
than integrating the practices into their core business activities. Many companies view CSR as philanthropy. A lack of
awareness has created a narrow perception on the CSR programs among the business houses in the country. For most
companies, it is about meeting the need of the community by creating opportunities for the employment and
education, improving standards of living and providing healthcare services. CSR is an opportunity to build better
relationships with all stakeholders by paying closes attention to how we fulfill our social, economic environmental and
ethical responsibilities.

3. Pests take a heavy toll on food production in Bangladesh. Estimates show that annually as much as 16% of rice and
25% of vegetables and pulses produced in the country are lost due to pests. As a response, farmers increasingly use
chemical controls. Over the past 15 years, pesticide consumption has increased substantially, from 1,695 metric tons
in 1995 to 41,791 metric tons in 2009. This development was particularly driven by forceful marketing campaigns by
pesticide producing countries and importers in Bangladesh. While pesticides may temporarily prevent, control or kill
pests, their prolonged and intensive use has profoundly negative impacts.
Apart from economic losses, environmental and health concerns are also significant, Rainfall, irrigation and flooding
carry pesticides into waterways, thereby damaging fisheries and contaminating drinking water. Bangladesh provides
an alarming example, Already in 1995, when pesticide consumption was much lower than it is today, a government
survey found that 11% of water samples contained pesticide residues above the acceptable limits suggested by the
World Health the acceptable limits suggested by the World Health Organization. However, solutions to chemical pest
control exist. In different parts of the country, “Integrated Pest Management” (IPM) has helped to reduce the use of
chemicals and even increase yields.

(Sharif Hossain Ahmad Chowdhury)

1
 What India can learn from Bangladesh’s success
Mark Tully

India’s former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said India benefitted from
reaching the verge of bankruptcy in 1990 because the crisis enabled him and then Prime
Minister Narasimha Rao to overcome the political opposition to the reforms they believed
were needed. Bangladesh, it seems to me, also benefitted from the economic crises.

Samples of pulses are displayed in a wholesaler at Khari Baoli spice market in New Delhi. India’s economy
grew at its slowest pace in over six years in the June quarter following a sharp deceleration in consumer
demand and tepid investment. (Bloomberg)

Ploughing through the recent spate of bad news about the Indian economy, I learnt Bangladesh is now the
world’s second largest exporter of apparel. It seems that companies that are finding Chinese workers
expensive are migrating to Bangladesh and Vietnam. Once again, India is missing out on the migration of
labour-intensive industries in the search for cheaper manufacturing costs. Looking back on Bangladesh’s
history as an independent nation, its export success is remarkable, some might say miraculous. Many of its
achievements are ahead of India’s. In Bangladesh, there has been a successful family planning programme.
Furthermore, gender equality is better in Bangladesh than India. Both these achievements run contrary to the
traditional portrait of Muslim society and women.
In the 1970s, I used to visit Bangladesh regularly. The war between the Pakistan army and the Mukti Bahini
destroyed most of the bridges, and sunk most of the ferries in that riverine country. Law and order had
collapsed. Young freedom fighters challenged the authority of the State. The army was split between those
who had been posted in Bengal when the war broke out, and deserted to fight alongside the Bahini, and
those who were holed up in West Pakistan. The economy had collapsed, and, as a result, there was a famine
in 1974. The government said 27,000 people died of starvation; unofficial estimates were as high as 1.8
million. The famine was followed by the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and almost his entire
family, leading to a series of military coups and political instability.
Amid this shattered economy and political instability, two remarkable NGO’s arose. Fazle Hasan Abed
founded BRAC in the first year after Bangladesh was born. It was established to provide health care,
education, livelihoods and disaster preparedness for those who were deprived of them. BRAC has played a
key role in the development of Bangladesh, and has spread to other parts of Asia and Africa. It educates 1.8
million children in 66,000 schools. In 1974, Mohammad Yunus founded the Grameen Bank, which proved
to be the beginning of micro-financing to empower women.
India’s former prime minister Manmohan Singh has said India benefitted from reaching the verge of
bankruptcy in 1990 because the crisis enabled him and then prime minister Narasimha Rao to overcome the
political opposition to the reforms they believed were needed. Bangladesh, it seems to me, also benefitted
from the economic crises. It has had to depend on aid and had to accept the advice that comes with it. This
hasn’t always been a happy relationship. Bangladeshi NGOs, for instance, have often clashed with
international donors. The Bangladeshis have claimed, with some justification, that they know what is best
for their country. There have also been accusations that Bangladesh has developed an aid-dependence
syndrome, and some donors have given bad advice at times, prompted by their country’s commercial
interests rather than the interests of Bangladesh.
But Bangladesh’s dependence on aid has meant that it’s been far less easy for politicians to politicise
economic decisions or twist them to their own advantage. It has given NGOs the freedom to make a
contribution to the county’s development. Guided by their experience of working on the ground, they have
also influenced policy.
India has been reluctant to accept aid, and insists there should be no strings attached – no advice is needed.
Indian governments have tended to be suspicious of NGOs. Those that accept foreign contributions have
been harassed and still are. A foreign development expert told me, “The laws which control NGOs in India
seem much stricter than those in Bangladesh”. Maybe India should be more open-minded and less
suspicious when it comes to NGOs.