Economy
Int. Women’s day Today
International Women’s Day will be observed on Wednesday (8th March) across the country as elsewhere in the world with the theme ‘Digit ALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality’.
Different women, social and political organisations have taken separate programmes to observe International Women’s Day.
On the evening of the day, President Md Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday issued separate messages, greeting all women across the world.
Marking the day, the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs will organise a procession at 2:30 pm on Wednesday.
The procession will start from the central Shaheed Minar and end on the Bangladesh Shishu Academy premises.
According to the ministry, the seminar scheduled for this year will be held later as Wednesday is a public holiday on the occasion of the holy Shab-e-Barat.
Processions, rallies and cultural programs will be held under the arrangement of the Jatiya Morcha Samajik Protirodh Committee at Central Shaheed Minar around 2.30 pm on March 9.
Health and Hope Hospital will arrange a discussion on ‘Breast and Cervical Cancer’ around 11:30 am in the city’s Panthapath area on Wednesday.
The National Press Club (NPC) will hold a special discussion at Jahur Hossain Chowdhury Hall on JPC premises at 3 pm on March 9.
The Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) has taken various programmes throughout the day.
The programmes include holding a procession at 10 am on Wednesday, unveiling of the annual Women’s Day compilation or souvenir ‘Konthoshor’ and organizing a discussion at 11 am.
The Association of Development Agencies in Bangladesh, Bangladesh Nari Sangbadik Kendro and Bangladesh Manobadhikar Sangbadik Forum will arrange a procession along with a discussion on the occasion of International Women’s Day.
The discussion titled ‘Projukti O Udvabonitey Somvabonar Bangladesh Gori, Nari-Purusher Somota, Samprity O Souhardo Bojay Rakhi’ will be held on JPC premises at 10 am on March 9.
Besides, the well-known theatre troupe ‘Swapnadal’ will stage a play named ‘Helen Keller’ at 7pm at Studio Theater Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy on Wednesday.
Swapnadal will also honour actor and theatre activist Jayita Mahalanobish with ‘International Women’s Day Sanmanana 2023’ for her contributions to theatre.
International Women’s Day (IWD) is celebrated on March 8 every year.
After the Socialist Party of America organised a Women’s Day on February 28, 1909 in New York, the 1910 International Socialist Women’s Conference suggested a Women’s Day to be held annually.
After women gained suffrage in Soviet Russia in 1917, March 8 became a national holiday there.
The day was then predominantly celebrated by the socialist movement and communist countries until it was adopted in 1975 by the United Nations.
At least 20 Umrah pilgrims were killed and 29 injured in a horrific bus crash southwest of Saudi Arabia, according to Gulf News reports.
The passenger bus crashed into a bridge on Monday, overturned, and caught fire, killing 20 and injuring 29.
According to Saudi media, the accident occurred around 4pm on the 14 km-long Aqabat Shaar road in the Asir province, as the bus was traveling from Khamis Mushayt to Abha.
The road, according to Saudi Press Agency, cuts through mountains, and has 11 tunnels and 32 bridges. When the bus was making its way down a bridge it underwent a brake failure, which caused it to crash into a barrier at the end of the bridge, overturn and catch fire. About 29 other people were also injured in the accident, according to reports.
The Saudi civil defense and Red Crescent Authority teams rushed to the site of the accident and cordoned off the area.
The deceased and the injured have reportedly been transferred to nearby hospitals.
Greeting Bangladesh, the United Nations on Sunday (26th March) said Bangladesh has many accomplishments — extraordinary economic development, a significant cultural legacy, leadership on a global stage for climate-vulnerable countries, and immense generosity in welcoming and hosting nearly a million Rohingya refugees.
“The hospitality of Bangladesh’s diverse people is just one of the many facets of a country that my colleagues and I have been fortunate to experience every day,” UN Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh Gwyn Lewis said in a press statement on the occasion of the country’s Independence Day.
“On behalf of the United Nations, I warmly congratulate the people of Bangladesh on the 52nd anniversary of independence,” she said.
Over the last 52 years, Bangladesh has made impressive and remarkable achievements: evolving from a war-torn country to one of the leading economic powers in South Asia, standing at the threshold of upcoming graduation from least developed countries (LDCs) in 2026, and planned achievement of the sustainable development goals (SDG) by 2030, she said.
The UN fully supports Bangladesh’s commitments to economic and sustainable development and appreciates the strong and long-lasting relationship with Bangladesh and our shared values.
The constitution of the country, which was adopted even before Bangladesh had formally become a member of the United Nations in 1974, guarantees fundamental human rights. The right to freedom of speech, religion, movement and assembly, the right to speak one’s own language and other rights that are in line with the UN charter, said the UNRC.
“Wishing you all a Happy Independence Day!” — she concluded.
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina & President M Abdul Hamid paid rich tributes to the Liberation War martyrs by placing wreaths at the National Memorial at Savar on the outskirts of Dhaka early on Sunday (26th March), marking the 53rd Independence and National Day.
The president first placed the wreath at the altar of the memorial followed by the prime minister.
After laying the wreaths, the president and the premier stood in solemn silence for some time as a mark of profound respect for the memories of the martyrs of the Great War of Liberation in 1971.
A smartly turned-out contingent drawn from Bangladesh Army, Navy and Air Force presented a state salute at that time while the bugles played the last post.
The head of the state and the head of the government also signed the visitors’ book kept on the memorial premises.
Flanked by her party leaders, Sheikh Hasina, also the president of the Awami League, paid glowing tributes to the Liberation War martyrs by placing another wreath at the National Memorial on behalf of her party.
Jatiya Sangsad Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, Chief Justice Hasan Foez Siddique, senior AL leaders, leaders of AL-led 14-party alliance and high civil and military officials, among others, were present there.
Later, the Jatiya Sangsad (parliament) speaker and the chief justice also paid homage to the martyrs by placing wreaths at the National Mausoleum.
Every year, March 26 brings the most tragic reminiscence of history’s blackest episode that heralded a nine-month bloody ordeal from the night of March 25, 1971, achieving the long-cherished independence on December 16 the same year at the cost of a sea of blood.
In the wake of the military crackdown by the then Pakistan occupation force, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman proclaimed the independence of Bangladesh through the then EPR (East Pakistan Rifles) wireless at 00-30 hours on March 26 (the night following March 25) in 1971 at his historic Road-32 residence at Dhanmondi in Dhaka.
The day is very auspicious and precious to the Bengali nation.
