12/04/2017
The Daily Star_Editorial: 12.04.2017
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গুরুত্বপূর্ণ শব্দগুলোর অর্থসহ আজকের "The Daily Star" পত্রিকার সম্পাদকীয়। (তথ্য ও তত্ত্ব জানার পাশাপাশি English proficiency বৃদ্ধির উত্তম সুযোগ)
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Ed-1:
1. soar - অনেক উঁচুতে ওঠা
2. amid - মধ্যভাগে
3. Flash floods -
আকস্মিক বন্যা
4. millers - মিলের মালিক
5. toll on - চাঁদা
6. adversely affected - বিরূপ প্রভাব ফেলা
7. boils down to - Being based on or depending on something
8. retail prices - খুচরা মূল্য
9.coarse rice - মোটা চাল
10. miniscule - অতি ক্ষুদ্র
11. hoarding - মজুদ
12. price manipulation - কৌশলগত দাম
13. imperative - অত্যাবশ্যক
14. swiftly - দ্রুতগতিতে
15. compensate - ক্ষতিপূরণ করা
16. crunch - সংকোচন
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Ed 2:
1. epitomise - be a perfect example of
2. ghastly trend - ভয়ানক প্রবণতা
3. impunity - মুক্তি
4. grim statistics - ভয়ানক পরিসংখ্যান
5. societal taboo -
সামাজিক নিষেধাজ্ঞা
6. molestation - উত্পীড়ন
7. malady - ব্যাধি
8. deterrent - প্রতিবন্ধক
9 . potential perpetrators - সম্ভাব্য অপরাধীদের
10. heinous crimes -
জঘন্য অপরাধে
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Rice prices soar amid flash floods****
Farmers suffer, big millers cash in
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Flash floods in the greater Sylhet region have taken its toll on farmers and created a shortage of paddy for small to medium-sized rice mills. The haor areas in northern Sylhet account for nearly 10 percent of the total cultivation area of about 4.8 million hectares this year and the flooding has adversely affected about 140,000 hectares. The mills usually stock up near the end of the season, which isn't happening this season due to unexpected floods and only the big millers are well stocked with paddy. What it all boils down to is a rise in retail prices of coarse rise in Dhaka by nearly 6.5 percent over a week and there is upward price rise of such rice in other parts of the country.
Although farmers in the north have sustained losses, by Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) estimates, the loss of paddy is miniscule in terms of total paddy production. Then why are we seeing such a sharp increase in price? The shortage may be the outcome of hoardingpotential perpetrators and price manipulation since only a fraction of mills has enough paddy stock to be turned into rice. Whatever may be the case, it is imperative that the government take steps to stabilise the price of this essential commodity. If there is indeed any hoarding going on, authorities must act swiftly against these parties. There may be need to reduce the import duty on rice in the short term to compensate for any crunch in supply. Finally, farmers' losses need to be made bearable through soft loans so that they can tide over the current situation and be ready for next season's sowing.
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145 children r***d in three months! ***
Prevent this ghastly trend
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A picture published in this paper on March 11 epitomises our failure to protect children from abuse and the culture of impunity that rules supreme regarding this issue. It shows a group of child-right activists holding placards that read grim statistics: 145 children have been r***d in the first three months of the new year, and in the first couple of months, 50 children were killed. Given the societal taboo that exists centring r**e and molestation, there is a possibility that a lot of such cases have gone unreported.
This points to a disturbing rise of violence and a breakdown of moral values. Not only that, conviction rate under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act 2000 between 20019-2014, according to a study, has been less than 1 percent. Such sad statistics speaks volumes of the state's failure to protect the weak and the vulnerable.
This, after all, is not a mere law enforcement issue, this malady is criminal and social in nature and it should be handled as such. A speedy trial process in case of child r**e can act as deterrent to potential perpetrators. It is also important to give the affected families legal and emotional support, as instances of out of court settlement in such cases is extraordinarily high. This is especially important in cases where the victim comes from a lower income background. Also, it is crucial to sensitise the society to take a comprehensive approach to tackle such heinous crimes.
