Regional Capacity Development Centre

International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Christine Lagarde on Saturday urges Asian nations to employ growth-friendly monetary and fiscal policies to counter challenges posed by a fragile global economy. She was addressing a gathering during 'Advancing Asia: Investing for the Future' conference in New Delhi, India, March 11, 2016. Photo: Reuters

Sohel Parvez

Bangladesh is going to be the part of a joint initiative to establish a regional body in South Asia to enhance skills and capacity development of public sector officials and bankers.
The initiative to set up South Asia Regional Training and Technical Assistance Centre (SARTTAC) was launched today by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and India at the opening of the conference ‘Advancing Asia: Investing for the Future’ in New Delhi.
IMF and the Indian government jointly hosted the conference.
Five countries Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka have agreed to be a part of the initiative.
“This will be the first centre that fully integrates training and technical assistance and is a model for our future capacity development work,” said IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde at the programme at Taj Palace Hotel.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke at the opening session of the high level conference, stressing on Asia’s strong economic performance, its increased resilience to crisis, and the region’s ongoing economic policy challenges.
Senior officials, corporate executives, academics, and civil society representatives from more than 30 countries of Asia and the Pacific region took part in the programme.
The SARTTAC, to be based in New Delhi, is expected to become the focal point for planning, coordinating, and implementing the IMF’s capacity development activities in the region on a wide range of areas, including macroeconomic and fiscal management, monetary operations, financial sector regulation and supervision, and macroeconomic statistics, said the IMF.
The centre will also help address existing training needs and respond to the demand for IMF training in India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, while bringing the region’s training volume on par with those of other regions, it added.
“It is the beginning of a good initiative. We will be the beneficiaries of the centre,” said Bangladesh Bank Governor Atiur Rahman, who was present at the programme.
IMF and India also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish the Centre.
Bangladesh also inked an MoU with India in this regard, said the governor, adding that the institution would be formed in six months.
The SARTTAC will offer courses and seminars for policymakers and other government agencies from the six countries, according to the IMF.
It will build upon the IMF’s in-depth experience with capacity development by drawing on the experiences of the IMF’s Regional Technical Assistance Centers and Regional Training Centres, which have a proven track record of delivering technical assistance on economic institution building, said IMF.
Funding will come from contributions by regional member countries and development partners. The Australian Agency for International Development, the Republic of Korea and India has pledged financial support for the Center, it added.
Meanwhile, Reuters reported that International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Christine Lagarde on Saturday urged Asian nations to employ growth-friendly monetary and fiscal policies to counter challenges posed by a fragile global economy.
The call comes as policymakers the world over are struggling to revive their economies, which have been buffeted by slowing productivity and high debt.
Central banks in Europe and Japan have resorted to negative interest rates to stimulate consumer demand and perk up worryingly low inflation. But the strategy has added to the volatility in the financial markets and raised the spectre of competitive currency devaluation.
The multilateral lender earlier this week warned of a further downgrade to the global growth outlook on increasing risks of economic derailment.
"What should be Asia's response?...It is safe to say that structural reforms are key - to boost competitiveness, growth, and jobs," Lagarde told a conference jointly hosted by the IMF in New Delhi.

International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Christine Lagarde and India's Finance Minister Arun Jaitley (L) exchange gifts during "Advancing Asia: Investing for the Future" conference in New Delhi, India, March 11, 2016. Photo: Reuters

In January, the IMF projected global growth of 3.4 percent and 3.6 percent in 2016 and 2017, respectively, having revised down its October forecast for both years by 0.2 of a percentage point.
The third downgrade in less than a year was triggered by China's worst slowdown in 25 years that has exposed vulnerabilities in the country's corporate and financial sector.
Lagarde said Beijing should improve credit allocation to rebalance the economy away from debt-fuelled investment.
The Daily Star is a media partner in the event.

4 'robbers' killed by mob in Hatiya

Four suspected robbers are beaten to death and another two critically injured by a mob at Noakhali's Hatiya late Friday night. In the Star photo, an injured policeman is lying on a hospital bed in the upazila.

Star Online Report

Four suspected robbers were beaten to death and another two critically injured by a mob at Noakhali's Hatiya late last night.
The deceased:  Akbar Siddik, 28, son of Abdul Mannan of Joypurhat, Ashikur Rahman, 27, his brother Saiful Islam Sujon, 25, sons of late Abdul Mannan of Dinajpur, and Sunam, 25, son of Abul Hashem of Chapainawabganj, died on the spot, quoting police, reports our Noakhali correspondent.
Law enforcers with the help of locals were able to detain two other suspected robbers, Anisul Haque, officer-in-charge of Hatiya Police Station, said.
Two policemen were also injured when the suspected robber gang attacked them.
Fazlul Haque, a policeman was admitted to Noakhali General Hospital, while Jahangir Alam and Md Kamrul Islam were admitted to Char Jabbar Upazila Health Complex, the official said.
Suspicious locals confronted a group of strangers getting off a trawler in Chairman Ghat area around 11:00pm, the OC said.
Later, they caught them and handed them over to law enforcers at a nearby police camp, the he said.
However, the detainees allegedly swooped on the policemen with sharp weapons at the camp, leaving three policemen injured.
Hearing the policemen’s screams, locals again chased them down and beat them up.
Four of the suspected robbers died on the spot and two others were arrested, the OC said, adding that other robbers managed to flee.
The bodies were sent to Noakhali General Hospital morgue for autopsy, Nobojyoti Khisa, assistant superintendent of police, told reporters while visiting the spot today.
Condition of one of the arrestees is critical, he said.
Hatiya, being surrounded by rivers, is no stranger to robbery.

MAKE WAY FOR THE TIGRESSES!

This week, we decided to do something a bit different, a bit out of character for us if you will. March 8th marked a special day in our calendar; International Women's Day. A day to celebrate all the achievements, and there are tons of it too, brought about by women all over the world. It is also a day to celebrate the special women in our lives as well; our mothers, sisters, friends, lovers etc. To mark this special occasion, we at Star Showbiz have decided to bring to light our women's international cricket team for our cricket crazed citizens. The men's division has already gained international fame and had taken on the Indian team for the finals of the Asia Cup T20 2016. With our tigers' international fame firmly established, it's now time for our tigresses to roar and put the fear of God in their rivals.

With their first World T20 outing in 2014, they played 5 matches in Round 1 with 2 wins and 3 losses. They are currently ranked 9th on the ICC Women's Championship Ranking, ahead of Ireland and behind Sri Lanka. They are scheduled to take part in the ICC Women's World T20 2016, with their first match on 15th March against India. So don't forget to cheer for the Tigresses on match day. Their jersey, bathed in the lush green and deep red of our flag, will be sponsored by Cute.
The Line-up
Jahanara Alam (c)
Hailing from Khulna, she made her T20I debut against Ireland in Dublin in August 2012. She is playing in her second ICC WWT20, having taken three wickets twice in her first six matches – against South Africa and Sri Lanka in late 2012. She also played all five matches in the ICC WWT20 2014 but struggled with the ball, only taking two wickets in 16 overs.

Rumana Ahmed
Another Khulna resident, she made her T20I debut against Ireland in Dublin in August 2012 playing in her second ICC WWT20 and scored 41 against Sri Lanka in the ICC WWT20 2014 and took six wickets in the tournament. Her best figures were 4-8 against Zimbabwe in the semi-final and 3-9 against Scotland.
Nahida Akter
Making her T20I debut against Pakistan in Karachi in September 2015 playing in her first ICC WWT20, she took two wickets in each of her first three T20Is, bowling her full quota of overs each time. She is the youngest player to represent Bangladesh in Women's T20I cricket, aged a little under 16 years.

Sharmin Akhter
Hailing from Gaibandha, she made her T20I debut against Ireland in Dublin in August 2012 playing in her second ICC WWT20. In her two matches in the ICC WWT20 2014, she scored 18 against Sri Lanka and then 35 against Ireland. On her ODI debut against Ireland in 2011, she hit 52 while opening and played all five matches in the qualifying tournament, making a total of 77 runs.
Panna Ghosh
She made her T20I debut against Sri Lanka in Guanggong in October 2012 playing in her second ICC WWT20. She took successive hauls of 3-18 against Sri Lanka and 3-25 against Ireland in the ICC WWT20 2014 and played two matches in the qualifying competition, bowling economically each time. She won a silver medal for cricket at the 2010 Asian Games.

Fargana Hoque
Making her T20I debut against Ireland in Dublin in August 2012 playing in her second ICC WWT20, she was Bangladesh's leading run-scorer in the qualifying tournament with 100 runs in her five matches with a top score of 43. She also boasts two ODI half-centuries to her name, with a top score of 63 against South Africa in Benoni in 2013.
Sanjida Islam
Hailing from Rangpur, she made her T20I debut against Ireland in Dublin in August 2012 playing in her second ICC WWT20. She was just 16 years old when she made her T20I debut.
Fahima Khatun
Making her T20I debut against India in Vadodara in April 2013 playing in her second ICC WWT20, she played all five matches in the ICC WWT20 2014, taking 2-27 in the first match against the West Indies and took five wickets in the qualifying tournament at an average of just 8.80 apiece.

Salma Khatun
The former captain also hails from Khulna, and made her T20I debut against Ireland in Dublin in August 2012 playing in her second ICC WWT20. She was Bangladesh's leading run-scorer and wicket-taker in T20Is.
Khadija Tul Kubra
Hailing from Bogra, she made her T20I debut against Ireland in Dublin in August 2012 playing in her second ICC WWT20. She took six wickets in ICC WWT20 with best bowling of 3-24 against the West Indies. She has three hauls of three wickets in an innings in her ODI career, with her best bowling of 3-8 coming against South Africa in 2012
Lata Mondal
Hailing from our fair city, she made her T20I debut against Ireland in Dublin in August 2012 playing in her second ICC WWT20. She has had greater success in ODI cricket, scoring 52 against South Africa in 2012 and taking 4-35 against Pakistan in 2014
Ritu Moni
Hailing from Bogra, she made her T20I debut against Ireland at Dublin in August 2012. She played all five matches in the qualifying tournament, scoring 31 runs and taking two wickets in her only over. Thanks to a succession of not-out innings, her batting average after six ODI matches stands at 74.

Ayasha Rahman
Making her T20I debut against India in Vadodara in April 2013 playing in her second ICC WWT20, she made scores of 34 and 42 in her first full T20I series against South Africa. She was consistent with the bat in the ICC WWT20 with scores of 10, 10, 10, 6 and 12 and scored 60 runs in the qualifying tournament, playing in four of the five matches, with a top score of 30.
Shaila Sharmin
Hailing from Khulna and making her T20I debut against South Africa in Potchefstroom in September 2013 playing in her second ICC WWT20, she played two matches in the ICC WWT20 2014 against India and Ireland. She won a silver medal in the 2014 Asian Games for cricket in Incheon.
Nigar Sultana (wk)
She made her T20I debut against Pakistan in Karachi in September 2015 playing in her first ICC WWT20.
As a nation completely enamoured with the sport of cricket, it's now time for our women's division to get a piece of the action so be sure to cheer loud and proud on their day out in the sun.

By Intisab Shahriyar