Latest news with #Bangladesh-based
Business Recorder
16 hours ago
- Business
- Business Recorder
Highnoon Labs partners with Bangladesh's Beximco to target high-burden diseases in Pakistan
Highnoon Laboratories Limited (HINOON), a Pakistani pharmaceutical company, has announced a strategic partnership with Beximco Pharmaceuticals Limited, a leading Bangladesh-based drug manufacturer, to collaborate on the distribution and marketing of specialised pharmaceutical products in Pakistan. The listed pharmaceutical disclosed the development in its notice to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Tuesday. 'The company has entered into a strategic partnership with Beximco Pharmaceuticals Limited, a leading Bangladesh-based pharmaceutical company having state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities, accredited by the regulatory authorities of the USA, Australia, the European Union, Canada, and Brazil,' read the notice. HINOON shared that a memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been inked between the two companies to collaborate for the distribution and marketing of specialised pharmaceutical products in Pakistan, with the focus on high-burden therapeutic areas including respiratory, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. Bangladesh firm opens outlet in Karachi 'Through this partnership, the company will bring newer therapies, dosage forms and delivery systems for the ease of use and better clinical results for patients and improve access to the advanced medications. This strategic alliance will make a significant contribution to the recent expansion of trade relations and economic cooperation between Pakistan and Bangladesh,' read the notice. Beximco Pharmaceuticals Ltd. is an emerging generic drug player committed to providing access to affordable medicines. It currently focuses on building presence in many emerging and developed markets around the world. Meanwhile, Highnoon Laboratories Limited was incorporated in Pakistan as a private limited company in 1984 and was converted into a public limited company in 1995. The principal activity of the company is the manufacturing, import, sale and marketing of pharmaceutical and allied consumer products.
The Hindu
a day ago
- General
- The Hindu
Shaping India's multidimensional fight against poverty
India's efforts to reduce poverty have produced admirable results. As per the World Bank's revised poverty line, between 2011 and 2023, approximately 270 million people have been able to come out of extreme poverty. That's more than the population of Germany and Russia, combined. The poorest caste and religious groups saw the fastest absolute reduction in this period. It is now widely recognised that poverty is multidimensional, encompassing more than just lack of money. It includes deprivations in health, education, and quality of life. India's Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) measures poverty using multiple indicators. It looks at 12 basic needs across health, education, and standard of living to understand how people are deprived in different parts of their lives. A person is considered poor if they are deprived in at least one-third of the indicators used. Based on this approach, NITI Aayog's discussion paper reminds us that nearly 200 million people in India still face multiple hardships. Poverty remains severe, with the poorest struggling to meet about half of their 12 basic needs. These people often live in mud houses in which piped water and proper sanitation are still considered luxuries. It is not unusual for them to skip meals in a day, and an illness or an unexpected life event can have disastrous consequences. It's important to remember that when people face simultaneous deprivations — especially non-monetary ones — these challenges can reinforce each other, keeping people trapped in poverty. For example, people who are deprived in both nutrition and sanitation are potentially more vulnerable to infectious diseases. These deprivation bundles are a recurring pattern observed among people living in extreme poverty around the world. Quite often, poverty reduction policies are not framed keeping these interlinkages in mind. Graduation Approach This multi-pronged way to measure and study poverty also demands a fresh approach to design anti-poverty programmes. For governments, it means investing in programmes that give people living in extreme poverty the tools to escape the poverty trap. Bangladesh-based NGO BRAC's Graduation Approach offers an effective model to do that. The Graduation Approach provides the poorest of the poor a sequential and complementary package that includes a productive asset such as livestock or small items for trading, training to manage them, some money for up to a year to meet their immediate needs, and mentorship to manage their income and savings. The programme has become a global success. It has reached and improved the standard of living for millions of households across 43 countries following randomised evaluations by researchers affiliated with the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), including Nobel Laureates Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo. Households around the world receiving the multi-component support package of the Graduation Approach made significant gains in all the key MPI indicators. Let's take a closer look at them. Standard of living: The model increased household spending on food, fuel, and assets — all key elements of the MPI's standard of living dimension. In Bangladesh, researchers observed that participants were more likely to own land and a shop just two years after the programme — activities which the rural middle class partakes in. Even in Yemen, among the poorest countries in the world, people spent more on refurbishing their houses, suggesting they had money to spare after meeting their essential needs. Families also reported better financial security and higher spending on children. In India, households held more assets and reduced their dependence on informal credit. Health: Graduation Approach's focus on improving food security and access to healthcare can directly contribute to better health outcomes. In Afghanistan, the programme helped reduce diarrhoea among children under five years of age by eight percentage points. A study in Pakistan, India, Honduras, Ghana, Ethiopia, and Peru found people reported better health and happiness. In India too, some emerging lessons from studies show significant and sustained improvement in food security with 99% of participant households not skipping meals. Education: Researchers found that certain adaptations of the Graduation Approach also increased school enrolment rates among children. A study in Afghanistan conducted over 2016-2018 found that school enrolment rose by 7 percentage points for boys and 5 for girls. The Graduation Approach's close alignment with the national MPI indicators gives Indian States as well as the federal government a useful blueprint to design anti-poverty programmes effective in handling its multidimensional nature. Common deprivations It helps policymakers to identify the key areas that need urgent attention. For instance, the most common deprivation bundle in India is across four categories: nutrition, housing, sanitation, and clean cooking fuel. More than 34 million people lack access to these in India. Policies that target these areas in tandem are likely to have a much greater impact on poverty reduction. Over the past few years, India has introduced a slew of policies to improve children's nutrition, health and well-being of mothers, and financial inclusion for people living in poverty. And it has been successful too. Initiatives such as Poshan Abhiyan have been instrumental in improving health outcomes, particularly in reducing malnutrition, and PM Awas Yojana has reached millions through affordable housing. But these actions are often led by different Ministries. A multifaceted programme such as the Graduation Approach makes it easier for policy planners to achieve these different goals through one concerted strategy. In 2024, the Ministry of Rural Development took an important step in this direction by piloting the Samaveshi Aajeevika Initiative (Inclusive Development Programme) initiative across 11 States with a consortium of partners including BRAC, The Nudge Institute and the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab ( J-PAL) South Asia. The programme — based on the Graduation Approach model — is designed to help rural women become entrepreneurs and put them on the path to self-sufficiency. Using this as a platform and in the spirit of cooperative federalism, States can identify vulnerability hotspots through MPI and target them through integrated proven solutions such as the Samaveshi Aajeevika to fight poverty and its multiple facets. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has laid down an ambitious vision for inclusive development with a singular objective: leave no one behind. And as India marches towards becoming a high-income country by 2047, States must embrace evidence-based, innovative models such as Samaveshi Aajevika that can set people free from the poverty trap. Parikrama Chowdhry is the Lead - Policy (Scale-ups) at J-PAL South Asia; views are personal
Time of India
3 days ago
- Time of India
How a video shot by this trader might bring Malda youth home
Malda: Paban Kumar Das was on his usual visit to Bangladesh's Ghumra on Wednesday when he came across a distraught youth at a corner of the street, across the Ghojadanga border outpost. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The youth looked pale and was sobbing when Das approached him. Little did the import-export trader know that he was about to play the role of an angel in 22-year-old Sk Amir's life. According to Amir, and his family, he was arrested by Rajasthan Police as a suspected Bangladeshi and jailed for two months before being pushed to Bangladesh. The Malda resident, who had gone to Rajasthan for work, had an Aadhaar, but no EPIC. Cops didn't accept his ID, his cell phone was allegedly seized. For a week, Amir has been roaming the streets in Bangladesh, without food and not a paisa in his pocket. Das fed him, found him shelter, and it was a video shot by him that went viral, bringing Amir's plight to light. Now, Kaliachak cops and the Bengal Migrant Workers' Welfare Board have taken up Amir's issue, working out the legalities to ensure his return home. Speaking to TOI over phone, Das was clearly frustrated over Amir's condition. "How long will it take(to get him back to Malda)? Don't people have any compassion," asked the North Dinajpur trader, who regularly crosses the border to visit Bangladesh import centres like Hili, Sona Masjid and Ghumra. Das almost choked up as he recalled Amir telling him that he had gone without a morsel of rice for two days. "I sent the video to some of my friends in Kaliachak to inquire about Amir. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now They somehow contacted his family," Das said. He has arranged for Amir's stay with a Bangladesh-based business associate but is afraid that little can be done if Bangladesh authorities imprison Amir — an illegal immigrant in the neighbouring country. For Amir's father Jiyem Sk, Das is a godsend. "Had he not been there I would not have received any information about my son. This stranger fed Amir, gave him shelter. May Allah bless him." Das, however, doesn't want to take any credit. "What I did was natural and human. Please help Amir return home, that would be the real help."
The Star
4 days ago
- Politics
- The Star
Security forces fired indiscriminately during Bangladesh protest: report
FILE PHOTO: Jamaat-e-Islami activists condemn the July 16 attack in Gopalganj on National Citizen Party leaders by supporters of the ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, during a protest in front of Baitul Mukarram National Mosque in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, July 17, 2025. - AP DHAKA: Security forces fired indiscriminately during clashes involving supporters of ousted premier Sheikh Hasina this month, killing at least five people, human rights activists said Friday (July 25). The clashes erupted in Hasina's hometown of Gopalganj after members of her Awami League party tried to foil a rally by the National Citizens Party (NCP), made up of many students who spearheaded the uprising that toppled her government last year. The Bangladesh-based human rights group Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK) said that it had "identified at least two gross violations of constitutional rights". "The law enforcement agencies fired at civilians indiscriminately, and the right to hold a peaceful assembly was not upheld," Abu Ahmed Faijul Kabir, senior coordinator at ASK, told AFP. Locals in Gopalganj told ASK that clashes erupted soon after NCP concluded its rally, with a crowd throwing bricks at the party members and security personnel. "Though some carried Molotov cocktails, they were not armed with firearms," ASK said. Those killed were not part of the demonstrations, the report quoted family members as saying. The organisation said the military declined to comment on its findings. The non-profit also said authorities had made "mass arrests during combing operations, including in areas that had not been involved in the clashes, including that of 18 children." Some of the children were imprisoned under the anti-terrorism law, the report added. The interim government under Muhammad Yunus has formed an inquiry commission to investigate the violence. - AFP
NDTV
4 days ago
- Politics
- NDTV
Bangladesh Security Forces Fired Indiscriminately During Clashes In Sheikh Hasina's Hometown: Report
Security forces fired indiscriminately during clashes involving supporters of ousted premier Sheikh Hasina this month, killing at least five people, human rights activists said Friday. The clashes erupted in Hasina's hometown of Gopalganj after members of her Awami League party tried to foil a rally by the National Citizens Party (NCP), made up of many students who spearheaded the uprising that toppled her government last year. The Bangladesh-based human rights group Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK) said that it had "identified at least two gross violations of constitutional rights". "The law enforcement agencies fired at civilians indiscriminately, and the right to hold a peaceful assembly was not upheld," Abu Ahmed Faijul Kabir, senior coordinator at ASK, told AFP. Locals in Gopalganj told ASK that clashes erupted soon after NCP concluded its rally, with a crowd throwing bricks at the party members and security personnel. "Though some carried Molotov cocktails, they were not armed with firearms," ASK said. Those killed were not part of the demonstrations, the report quoted family members as saying. The organisation said the military declined to comment on its findings. The non-profit also said authorities had made "mass arrests during combing operations, including in areas that had not been involved in the clashes, including that of 18 children." Some of the children were imprisoned under the anti-terrorism law, the report added. The interim government under Muhammad Yunus has formed an inquiry commission to investigate the violence.
