Kalam stresses efficient water management on regional basis

BSS, Dhaka

Former Indian President APJ Abdul Kalam on Sunday said the co-riparian countries in the region should develop an efficient water management for their mutual benefit.
"Better management of water can ensure regional benefit of this resource," Kalam said during talks with Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus at the Grameen Bank headquarters after his arrival here on a three-day tour.
Kalam's brief comment came as Yunus sought his suggestions about the exploitation of natural resources like water through regional cooperation as the cross-border Tipaimukh issue currently dominates the center stage of Bangladesh-India relations.
Bangladesh is criss-crossed by nearly 230 rivers with 54 being trans-boundary ones and mostly originating from India.
The former Indian president suggested the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) to develop itself following the model of the European Union (EU).
During the 45-minute talks, the Grameen Bank chief, whose experiment of poor men's banking earned Bangladesh the repute of being the home of microcredit, suggested introduction of SAARC passport and visa systems.
Known as an advocate of an action plan to develop India into a knowledge-based superpower and a developed nation by the year 2020, Kalam said he was keenly interested about the Grameen Bank modus operandi for development.
Yunus briefed him about the Grameen Bank activities and reviewed the cross-sectoral development in different fields when Kalam said Bangladesh should lay more emphasis on women education as he observes "32 percent women education rate (in Bangladesh) is low".
"We cannot ensure social development without providing education particularly to the women," Kalam said.
The former Indian president presented two books he authored with one being his own biography and the other 'India 2020.' He also gave him a copy of the Hindi version of one of Yunus's books on microcredit.
An Indian private Jet Airlines aircraft carried him to Dhaka's Zia International Airport where Prime Minister's advisers Dr Syed Modasser Ali and Dr Gowher Rizvi, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Hasan Mahmud and Prime Minister's Principal Secretary Abdul Karim received the high-profile dignitary.
After a brief stay in the Dhaka Sheraton Hotel on his arrival, Kalam went straight to the headquarters of Grameen Bank to meet Yunus and then joined a dinner hosted by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her official Jamuna residence.