The Doel or the magpie robin is the national bird of Bangladesh. One of the more familiar birds about towns and villages. Shy, silent and unobtrusive during non-breeding season, then skulking in shrubbery and only uttering plaintive swee-ee and harsh chur-r. Conspicuous during breeding season when male sings lustily from favourite tree-top or post, chiefly early mornings and late afternoons. Song punctuated by upward jerks of white fringed tail. Also very good mimic of other birds’ calls. Breeding territories jealously guarded, and intruding males defied with puffing- out, strutting and much show of pugnacity.

The National Economic Council (NEC) will sit today to approve an Annual Development Programme (ADP) for the next fiscal year (2008-09) beginning from July 1.

NEC chairman and Chief Adviser of the Caretaker Government Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed is expected to chair the meeting.

Total 876 projects costing Tk 25600 crore will be placed before the NEC that have been lined up in the draft development budget for implementation in the upcoming fiscal.

Out of the total ADP outlay, 53 per cent will be supplied from the internal resources while the rest from the external sources (foreign aid).

The nature of the new ADP as well as the budget is going to be exceptional from the traditional process. The Government, shifting from the usual trend of increasing the ADP allocation every year, is going to lower it for the first time.

The New ADP will be Tk 900 crore less than the original allocation of the current ADP. In the current budget, the ADP is Tk 22,500 crore downsized (due to failure in implementation) from original Tk 26,500 crore.

Experienced from the records of poor ADP implementation in the previous years, the government has decided to limit it in planning the next year’s development. Rather, the government will increase subsidy in various sectors including agriculture, fuel and social safety-net schemes.

During the first 10 months of the current fiscal year, a total of Tk 12,233 crore has been spent to implement the ADP. This expenditure is 54 per cent of revised ADP of Tk 22,500 crore and 46 per cent of original ADP (Tk 26,500 crore).

Agriculture, water resources, rural development and education will get priority in the new ADP which will be given 24 per cent allocations from the total outlay.

Education, power and transportation sectors received close to 14 percent each of the total ADP allocations, followed by health 10 percent, and physical infrastructure and housing about 9 percent.

In absence of the parliament, the annual budget for FY 2008-09 is set to be announced through radio and television channels on Monday. According to available information, the size of the overall budget for the next fiscal year (2008-09) would be Tk 99600 crore.

The budget for the running fiscal stands at Tk 79,614 crore excluding Tk 7,523 crore liabilities of Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation.

Source: The New Nation

The Manipuri people are of Mongolian descent and speak a language called Meithei. Most Manipuri people lived in northeastern India. The Manipuri fled from their homeland in the northeastern Indian kingdom of Manipur to settle in East Bengal, which was then ruled by Britain. However, in 1947 East Bengal gained its independence and today most Manipuri people live in the district of Sylhet of northeastern Bangladesh.

In contrast to the flat plains of Bangladesh, the district of Sylhet is characterized by rolling hills and is famous for its tea plantations and lush tropical forests. Most of the Manipuri peoples are farmers and they have a succeeded in growing crops of rice, sugarcane, tobacco, oranges and pineapples.

The Manipuri, according to their custom, do not eat meat, but they do eat fish. Manipuri people are primitive in that they still wash their clothes and bathe in the rivers. Their huts of mud and reeds are commonly built near the river’s edge.

When it comes to marriage ceremonies the Manipuri People must find a spouse from another clan because they may not marry within their own clan. Manipuri enjoy their recreation and some of their activity involves polo, boat racing, drama and dancing. They are famous throughout the world for their beautiful expressive dances, which are closely tied to their religion. Their style pf dancing is graceful and gentle and the themes are usually centered on the life of the god Krishna. Manipuri dancing is also characterized by the balancing technique applied by the dancers. The costumes worn by the dancers are designed so as not to arouse any excitement of the opposite sex and the dance rhythm involves mostly the upper part of the body so as not to appear immodest.