Bangladesh in world media this week

The Ukraine war still dominates world news. However, several news from Bangladesh were featured in the outgoing week. Many of them were economy-related, while others were political. Lighthearted news of a Bangladeshi man sneaking into India to watch IPL was also caught in international news.

Following is a pick of five stories on Bangladesh that made headlines on international media in the outgoing week (April 16 to April 22). The stories are sorted according to their merits.

Bangladesh slams US human rights report

Turkish news outlet Anadolu Agency on April 18 reported that Bangladesh’s Foreign Ministry criticised a US human rights country report on the South Asian nation, saying the sources of the report are questionable and it also contains a few factual errors.

“For example, though we do not endorse their information, the Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) mentioned 275 extrajudicial killings (in Bangladesh) in the January-May 2018 period, while the US report wrongly cited ASK in mentioning that there were 606 extrajudicial killings in May-June 2018,” said the statement.

The US Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor of the US Department of State published a report Wednesday on the human rights situation in Bangladesh titled Bangladesh 2021 Human Rights Report.

It focused on reported extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests of government critics and rights abuses against Rohingya refugees.

Referring to the US report, all mainstream media in Bangladesh have picked up on the issue and massively circulated it in the last couple of days while opposition political parties have slammed the government based on the report.

In reviewing the impacts of the report, the Foreign Ministry in its formal reaction late Sunday denied the charges and raised questions about the report’s credibility, saying it contains some factual errors and unconfirmed figures.

India, Bangladesh set to formalise electricity sharing system

The Times of India on April 21 reported that the Bangladesh government is considering a plan to enter into a cross-border exchange of electricity with India through the Indian Energy Exchange (IEX).

The move will formalise the electricity trade and increase the scope of electricity exchanges between the two countries.

The demand for Indian power is rising in Bangladesh which purchased 17.31 per cent more electricity from India worth Tk 4712.91 (Rs 4,150.99) in 2020-21 compared to the previous year.

At present, Nepal and Bhutan buy and sell electricity across borders with India through the IEX. Bangladesh is not yet a part of it but it buys Indian power on a contract basis.

Electricity flowing from India costs Tk 5.8 kWh compared to the price of Tk 8 charged for coal-based gas and a whopping Tk 52.8 charged by private producers using diesel.

The cost of power subsidy meant for local private generators works out to around 30 percent of the total electricity bill for the government in Dhaka. Opting for the cross-border exchange would enable it to reduce the amount by way of subsidy.

It will not be easy for Dhaka to opt for cross-border exchanges because the plan is being resisted by private producers who fear losing a part of their market, informed sources said.

The government may have to find a way to enter the power exchange without hurting the interests of local producers.

World Bank lends Bangladesh $250M to build economic resilience

The World Bank will lend Bangladesh $250 million to support the country’s reform efforts to sustain growth following the Covid-19 pandemic and to enhance resilience to future shocks, including climate change, Turkey’s Anadolu Agency reported on April 19.

The Bangladesh First Recovery and Resilience Development Policy Credit -- the first in a series of two credits -- will help Bangladesh build a stronger fiscal and financial sector to sustain growth, according to a World Bank Dhaka statement.

The UN development financier and the Bangladesh government signed a financing agreement to this effect on Monday, the media statement said, adding that the program supports adjustments to the interest rates of public savings instruments such as the National Savings Certificates.

The credit is from the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA), which provides concessional financing, and it has a 30-year term, including a five-year grace period.

Bangladesh currently has the largest ongoing IDA program totaling over $14.5 billion.

The program will also support the National Tariff Policy to modernize taxes and foster a globally competitive export industry.

Bangladesh minister says want to invest in West Bengal

Bangladesh Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi Wednesday praised West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and said that his country is keen to make investments in the state, reported NDTV on April 20.

Munshi, who was speaking at the inaugural session of Bengal Global Business Summit, 2022 here, said that Indian investors should reciprocate and invest in Bangladesh.

Bhutan Minister for Economic Affairs, Loknath Sharma said the country shares 300km border with West Bengal, which has made remarkable progress in technology.

"Bengal means business and so do Bhutan ... 90 per cent of Bhutan's trade is with India. So we are inseparable," he added.

Bangladeshi Man Sneaks Into India To Watch IPL, Sent Back

"Cricket has no boundaries!" The saying was proved right by a 31-year-old Bangladeshi man who sneaked into India to watch Indian Premier League (IPL) matches, NDTV reported on April 16.

Md Ibrahim, a resident of Purva Chandpur in Narayanganj district of Bangladesh, was apprehended on Friday night near the International Border in West Bengal's North 24 Parganas, the BSF said.

"During interrogation, he revealed that he is a cricket fan and was going to Mumbai to watch IPL matches," a BSF official said.

"He gave 5,000 Bangladeshi Taka to a broker for crossing the international boundary," the official said.

The man was handed over to the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) as a goodwill gesture, he said.