Civil society

The poor of Delhi and beyond are not just breathing polluted air – they are breathing the consequences of delayed justice. Blue skies remain a distant dream while painful breaths define their daily reality.

The gulper shark controversy in the Maldives encapsulates a broader global tension: how to steward oceanic biodiversity amid competing economic interests. For a nation once celebrated as a conservation pioneer, the unfolding debate raises hard questions about identity, priorities and legacy.

Farmer organisations have indicated that the February 12 protest could mark the beginning of a sustained campaign if their demands are not met or if the trade agreement proceeds without further consultation.

Bilateral trade reached $129 billion in 2024, with India enjoying a surplus. US agricultural imports from India rose, but concerns persist over subsidised US products undercutting Indian farmers. Agriculture employs about 42 per cent of India’s population, making it politically explosive – as seen in the 2021 farm law protests.

As the countdown to February 12 continues, the question hanging over Bangladesh is whether the interim government can deliver the security and fairness it promised – or whether the country’s most vulnerable citizens will once again pay the price for political change.

With the right policy signals and investments, reducing air pollution could become one of the most powerful levers for inclusive prosperity in the coming decade.

Critics accuse the interim government of failing to protect minorities and civil rights, amid allegations of arbitrary arrests. The withdrawal of the CAT reservation is seen as a crucial reform, potentially aiding over 1,000 custody deaths and 677 disappearances reported during Hasina’s era.

Bangladesh's Economic Relations Division described the combined investments as a “strategic offensive” to support Bangladesh’s transition to upper-middle-income status.