Composition: Bangladesh, at the Age of 50

Bangladesh became independent from Pakistan in 1971. The Pakistani rulers, before and during the war destroyed the physical infrastructure of the country to a large extent. It has taken a long for Bangladesh to get out of the ruin. At the age of 50, Bangladesh stands as an emerging economically developed country in South Asia.

In the 2018-19 Fiscal Year, the country’s economic per capita income stood at $1,909 while GDP per capita reached $2,554 in 2021. Besides, exports grew from $ 10.5 billion to $40.53 billion within the last 30 years. Poverty lowered to 20.5% in 2019 from 40% in 2005.

The education sector of the country has developed substantially. The government now successfully distributes textbooks among school students across the country free of cost. Moreover, they provide scholarships to female students from primary to secondary levels. The literacy rate jumped to 74.7 percent in 2019 from 64.6 percent in 2015.

The health sector of Bangladesh has also developed significantly. The country has created a great impact in the global area through remarkable progress in child immunization. Of late, the way the government tackled the global pandemic known as ‘COVID-19’ was impressive. In order to keep the virus under control and to ensure proper treatment for all, the government left no stone unturned. Although more than 27 thousand people died of COVID-19 so far, it can be said that the government has handled the difficult situation quite well. The government has already started mass vaccination against COVID-19 and by early 2022, almost 80 percent of the total population will have been fully vaccinated.

There are many other sectors such as women and children affairs, women empowerment, social security, food security and success in agriculture, infrastructure development, etc. where progress is noticeable. Indeed, Bangladesh has made a visible progress in these 50 years. And now, it is time to set another development goal for the next 50 years.