A terrible incident occurred in the history of Bangladesh on April 24, 2013. An eight-story building called Rana Plaza collapsed near the Savar bus stand around 8:45 am. The building that housed a garment factory, became the topic of discussion in an instant all over the globe.
The Rana Plaza collapse in Savar remains the deadliest industrial disaster in Bangladesh’s history. On April 24, 2013, the eight-story commercial building crumbled, killing 1,136 people and shocking the entire world. Yet, more than a decade later, the murder trial stemming from the tragedy has yet to be completed even at the trial court level. The long judicial process—which still has to go through the High Court and potentially the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court after a trial court verdict—is prolonging the agony for victims and their families.
The collapse of Rana Plaza in Savar killed over a thousand garment workers on April 24, 2013, leading to both domestic and international pressure that began to change the overall environment of the sector. A decade after one of the deadliest tragedies in history, labor leaders say that significant improvements have been made in factory safety and that minimum wages have increased, although not enough. However, there has been little real change in the quality of life for the workers.
Nilufa Begum once walked freely, her active feet taking her everywhere. She used to climb the stairs to the fifth floor of a building to reach her workplace. With her skilled hands, she ran the machines that earned foreign currency and brought financial stability to her family. She covered all household expenses and took care of everyone.
Standing as a witness to time, the Badhaghat of the zamindars on the bank of the Chitra River in Narail still remains. Influential zamindar Kali Shankar Roy built this structure—known as the "Aquatic Taj Mahal"—in Kurigram 165 years ago beside the Narail-Lakshmipasha-Nowapara road.
Mir Shamsul Alam Babu is well-known for his work in archiving and documenting the history of Bangladeshi cinema. His two books published by the Bangladesh Film Archive—Kushali Chitragrohok Baby Islam and Chitroshampadok Bashir Hossain—have received considerable attention.
Walking down any street in Dhaka, you'll see heaps of used plastic lying along the roadside. Drains and manholes are covered in plastic. The canals are filled with it. Rivers surrounding Dhaka — Buriganga, Turag, Shitalakshya, Balu, Dhaleshwari — all have piles of plastic waste accumulating. This scene is replicated across the country. Even agricultural lands in remote areas are blanketed in plastic. People once used to grow vegetables around their homes; in many villages, this is no longer possible as the soil is now covered with plastic.
The interim government is set to present the country's 54th national budget on June 2.
In the modern world, knowledge is power, and for gaining and advancing in any field, substantial research is essential. Without research, knowledge cannot be generated. Without knowledge, real solutions to problems are not possible. However, in Bangladesh, research is inadequate in almost every sector. There is very little research in areas like education, health, science, and society. This is one of the main reasons our nation is lagging behind.
There is no doubt that internet speed in our country—whether through fixed broadband or mobile internet—still lags behind in comparison to many other places. The silver lining, however, is that the current interim government's telecom leadership has shown genuine intent to make quality internet services available at affordable prices for the people. If this intent is matched with trust and cooperation from the operators who understand the value of internet at various levels, then delivering quality service at a lower cost isn’t a far-fetched goal.
If there's another election in Bangladesh, then hear me out—I will cast my own vote, not you. I will not sell my rights, nor will I become anyone’s slave. If you sell your vote, you're not just betraying yourself—you are enslaving millions like me. No more of this! I can't even go back to Bangladesh, because what awaits me there is humiliation and insult. Do you know why? Because I refuse to be anyone’s servant—I cannot, and I will not! We fought for our independence, not to bow down to new masters.
A four-day international investment summit was recently held in Dhaka. Given the changing global and domestic context, this event carried particular significance. According to the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA), foreign investors attending the summit proposed investments amounting to Tk 310 billion. Some of these proposals were already in the pipeline. While this is certainly encouraging, especially amidst global economic instability, the mere announcement of investment proposals is not enough.