Thousands of people from different strata of life are seen flocking to the Shaheed Minars across the country since midnight to observe the Language Martyrs' Day. On this day in 1952, Salam, Barkat, Rafique, Jabbar and some other brave hearts laid down their lives for recognition of Bangla as an official language.
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'Shaheed Minar' on UN website...Dhaka, 21 February : For the first time the image of the "Shaheed Minar," the memorial of the historic Language Movement of 1952, has been incorporated into the United Nations website for the International Mother Language Day.
The website was launched in New York on Friday with the specific image on the front page of the UN portal at http://www.un.org/en/events/motherlanguageday. The International Mother Language Day website is available in all six official languages of the United Nations, said a message received here yesterday. The UNESCO also kept the image of the "Shaheed Minar" as the 'International Mother Language Day' symbol on its official website for the first time.UNB adds : Director-General of Unesco Irina Bokova in a message marking the International Mother Language Day, said the mother language, in which the first words are uttered and individual thought expressed, is the foundation for the history and culture of each individual.
On 16 May 2009, the United Nations General Assembly in its resolution called upon the member states "to promote the preservation and protection of all languages used by peoples of the world.” The International Mother Language Day has been observed every year since February 2000.
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Action against culprits in 7days, minister says in RangamatiRangamati, 21 February : Minister of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs Dipankar Talukder on Sunday assured the indigenous people that action would be taken against those responsible for Saturday's Rangamati incident within the next seven days.
The minister made the assurance while visiting Gangaram Mukh village in Baghaichhari upazila of Rangamati where two indigenous people were killed in army firing on Saturday. Meanwhile, the outraged villagers vandalised the car of Baghaichhari upazila nirbahi officer AHM Humayun Kabir in Ansar Camp area. However, the UNO was not inside the vehicle. Protesting imposition of the section 144 in the area, they damaged the car, the indigenous people said.
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'Sunderban Tiger Census' to be delayed by at least a year 
HT, Kolkata, 21 February : West Bengal will have to wait for at least one more year to know the number of Royal Bengal Tigers in the Sunderbans, the largest tiger habitat in India.
The project envisages tiger census through DNA sampling of the tigers’ droppings, a maiden application of the technology. The state forest department has decided to extend the time for collection of droppings for authenticity’s sake. “It won’t be possible to collect tiger scat (droppings) within 10 to 15 days. During the next one year, forest officials would collect scats and send them to Hyderabad for testing. After a year, we should be able to give a figure close to the actual number,” Sunderbans Biosphere Reserve director Pradeep Vyas told HT.The last tiger census report, released by government in 2008, put tiger population in India at 1,411, a 61% drop from the 2001-02 figure of 3,642. But the shrinking population didn’t include the tigers of the Sunderbans for lack of authentic figures.
Pending the DNA method, an interim study will be done employing the ‘All India Tiger, Co-predator, Prey and Habitat Monitoring’ method with a few modifications. It may be carried out between 4 and 8 March.
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Bangladesh govt allows Tripura to use Feni River's water
Agarata, 21 February : Chief Engineer (Drinking Water and Sanitation) Tapan Lodh here today said a five-member delegation, led by Executive Engineer of Bangladesh Water Development Board Md Shidul Islam, had attended a meeting with Tripura Drinking Water and Sanitation officials in Sabroom yesterday.
''At the initial stage itself, Bangladesh officials agreed to the Tripura Government's proposal to install 6.5 lakh gallon capacity water treatment plant near the international border, which would run with 250 cubic metres water of Feni River,'' Lodh said, adding, ''We have also assured that India would not object to Bangladesh using the water on mutual understanding.'' He said officials of both the countries had decided that farmers from either side of the border would be allowed to use the river water for irrigation as well as drinking purpose.
Agarata, 21 February : Chief Engineer (Drinking Water and Sanitation) Tapan Lodh here today said a five-member delegation, led by Executive Engineer of Bangladesh Water Development Board Md Shidul Islam, had attended a meeting with Tripura Drinking Water and Sanitation officials in Sabroom yesterday.
''At the initial stage itself, Bangladesh officials agreed to the Tripura Government's proposal to install 6.5 lakh gallon capacity water treatment plant near the international border, which would run with 250 cubic metres water of Feni River,'' Lodh said, adding, ''We have also assured that India would not object to Bangladesh using the water on mutual understanding.'' He said officials of both the countries had decided that farmers from either side of the border would be allowed to use the river water for irrigation as well as drinking purpose.
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