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Per capita income not yardstick of dev

Says Dr Kamal

Staff Correspondent
People's access to basic rights and state of good governance is the original yardstick of a country's development, not its per capita income, said eminent jurist Dr Kamal Hossain yesterday.
"Per capita income cannot be an indicator of development and it has been recognised internationally. When we studied economics 50 years ago, development meant the rise of per capita income, but it has been proved totally wrong lately, ” he said at a national conference.
"If discrimination prevails in the society, 10 to 20 percent of upper-class people will possess 90 percent of wealth while the condition of other 90 percent will deteriorate. So, per capita income can't be the yardstick of development," he continued.
"We have to see whether people are getting access to basic human rights like food, clothing, residences and also the state of good governance. These are the yardsticks of development, “ said Dr Kamal, also the president of Gono Forum.
He was speaking at the national conference titled "Access to Justice for All” in Bishwo Shahitto Kendro auditorium in the capital.
Twenty-eight non-government organisations, working for human rights and providing legal aids to people, organised the two-day conference.
Dr Kamal said the administration, on its own, should work for protecting people's rights.
There are examples that administration was directed by the court to do their works but administration should discharge their duties without being instructed, he added.
Development of a society would be possible if people are made aware of their rights, he said. He also urged the organisations to work in this regard.
Mohsin Ali, executive director of Wave Foundation, said
though the country saw huge developments in recent years and reduction in poverty, discrimination has been increasing.
"We are heading for an imbalanced development. Besides development, the government should look into it [discrimination]...," he said.
Sara Hossain, honorary executive director of Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST), said besides getting remedy, seeking it is also very important. Researches show that only two percent people, whose rights are violated, sought remedy.
She said apart from courts, there are forums where one can seek remedy.
SM Masum Billah, assistant professor of the law department of Jagannath University, also spoke.
Advocate Fawzia Karim Firoze, president of Bangladesh National Women Lawyers Association (BNWLA), chaired the session, moderated by Zakir Hossain, chief executive of NagarikUddyog.