Agri scientists aggrieved

A government decision to increase the retirement age for only a section of scientists drew immediate flak and deep resentment from agricultural scientists, who have long been promised special incentives but remained deprived till date.
The cabinet yesterday gave final approval to a draft bill that seeks to increase the retirement age of the scientists working at Bangladesh Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (BCSIR) from 59 years to 67 years.
Some 320 scientists and researchers of the BCSIR, popularly known as science laboratory, would be the beneficiaries of this decision, BCSIR Secretary Md Jahangir Alam told The Daily Star.
Agricultural scientists, who have made the nation proud through some breakthrough innovations and research in recent years, felt deprived as some 1,700 agro-scientists working under the National Agriculture Research System (NARS) remained out of the purview of the increased retirement age benefit.
“The government has decided to extend the length of their [BCSIR scientists] services since they have been doing various researches and working to serve the people,” Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan told journalists after the cabinet meeting at the secretariat yesterday.
Asked about other researchers and scientists, Mosharraf said the cabinet would also consider increasing their retirement age if such proposals are put forward by the ministries or institutions concerned.
Executive Chairman of Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council (Barc) Dr Wais Kabir and Director General of Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (Brri) Dr Md Syedul Islam told The Daily Star that many proposals were forwarded to the government seeking incentives to agro-scientists.
“I heard today that the government has increased the retirement age for scientists at science laboratory. The prime minister had pledged to provide the agro-scientists with such incentives and also a separate pay scale for the scientists like in India,” he noted.
Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury, however, last night said, “It's under process…. The agriculture ministry has already placed the issue [incentives for agro-scientists] before the establishment ministry.” She hoped incentives for agro-scientists would be announced soon.
Administrators overseeing the NARS were worried at agriculture scientists' quitting jobs and going abroad. They attributed this to the government's failure to announce a long-pledged special incentive package for the scientists.
Unhappy with the poor pay package and other facilities at home, and attracted to greater opportunities abroad, at least 300 scientists went into self-retirement from the public research institutions under the NARS over the last decade, while 30 percent more out of a 1,700-strong scientists' pool were now fast approaching retirement age, show official statistics.
Officials and scientists at Barc said such a massive brain drain has created a shortage of experienced and skilled agriculture scientists in the public sector institutions when there is a growing need for research to innovate and introduce new and improved seeds and farm technologies to combat climate change fallout and help feed the country's ever growing population.
Chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the cabinet meeting yesterday also approved the draft of the National Integrated Multimodal Transport Policy, 2013 aiming to make the country's multimodal transport system safe and cost-effective.
Musharraf said the proposed policy was given approval in line with the government's bid for sustainable development, Millennium Development Goals, Sixth Five-Year Plan and the Perspective Plan.
The integrated policy would prioritise rail and river communication, he added.
Objectives of the policy are to make transport system more affordable and environment-friendly by reducing transport costs and accidents, enhancing competitive edge and developing service sector.
Development of roads, rail, domestic river ports, sea ports and human resources are also included in the policy, under which emphasis will be given on regional cooperation for effective transport by ensuring land use plan and proper training for the transport workers. The policy also covers ensuring due facilities for women, senior citizens and physically challenged people while using transport.
To monitor the policy, said Mosharraf, a cabinet committee will be formed by the prime minister, under which another National Multimodal Transport Coordination Committee will be formed.
The cabinet also endorsed the draft of the Bangladesh Handloom Board Bill, 2013 to make the existing law of 1977 more time befitting for boosting the handloom industry.
The proposed law has relaxed the provision of holding the monthly meeting of the handloom board as it could now be held in every two months. The proposed law has been formulated in Bangla as per the higher court verdict.