Economist Rehman Sobhan on Saturday lamented that his expectation to see a discrimination-free society after the War of Independence in 1971 has not been fulfilled till date.
The social and economic disparities have grown, he said while addressing a discussion and launching of eight publications on marginalised communities in the capital.
Amid the trend, the problems of the marginalised communities have become acute, said Rehman Sobhan, also chairman of local think-tank Centre for Policy Dialogue.
The celebrated economist, who will turn 90 in the next March and still loves romantic imaginations to solve the social and economic discriminations, said that the recent revolution created scopes for ending disparities.聽聽
Brattyajan Resource Centre, Society for Environment and Human Development, and Power and Participation Research Center organised the event to highlight the problems faced by ethnic minorities, tea garden workers, harijon, rishi, kaiputra, bede, jaldash, sex workers, hijra and bihari people.
Terming the construction of dam in Kaptai a disaster for people living in the country鈥檚 hill tract areas, Rehman Sobhan also said the tea garden workers had been facing discrepancies since 1960s.
According to him, land has become like gold under the free market economy. No rivers and ponds will be left natural, he said, adding that developers had even encroached banks of the River Padma.
To elaborate his romantic imagination, Rehman Sobhan said he asked CPD to make a dialogue on basic income to determine the amount of money needed by different types of household.
The interim government chief adviser Muhammad Yunus, one of his early students during his stint with the Dhaka University from 1957, can take a programme based on social business to address the problems of marginalised communities, he added.
Noting the recent revolution created scopes for the marginalised communities to realise their long standing demands, he asked them to raise their voices.
A commission can be set up to address the long standing problems, he added.
Supporting the idea of the commission, PPRC executive chairman Hossain Zillur Rahman, who presided over the discussion, said problem of the marginalised communities should be ended so that they enjoy social recognition.
He hoped that the interim government would not disappoint the associations of the marginalised communities if their representatives appear before the chief adviser with specific recommendations.
CPD鈥檚 distinguished fellow Rounaq Jahan and BRAC University Professor Syed M Hashemi, Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua and representatives of marginalised communities participated in the discussion.
SEHD director Philip Gain presented the key note speech.
