BBC Radio to air Fauji Banijjya today

15 July 2010, 18:00 PM

Staff Correspondent

The first episode of the nine-part BBC Bangla documentary titled Fauji Banijjya (Military in business) will be aired on BBC radio service today. The weekly radio series will explore the extent of the business owned by the military in Bangladesh and its impact on the armed forces and on Bangladeshi society, said a BBC press release. The BBC radio evening programme Probaho will broadcast the documentary at 7:30pm and repeat it on the late-night programme Parikrama at 10:30pm. The army has become a major player in Bangladesh's business arena and its business interest is present across key sectors of the economy from manufacturing to services, said a BBC press release. In manufacturing there are cement, textile, food processing, electrical and electronics industries while the services sector includes banking, luxury hotels, fast food, retail, filling stations and training centres. The army has been involved in business activities before the independence, aimed at generating income to maintain the welfare of veterans and the families of servicemen. However, the welfare-oriented business model has led to the creation of many more entities, which can exploit the army's advantage in gaining commercial success, the press release added. Producer of the documentary series Kamal Ahmed said, ''There is a great unease within the force and among civil society about the army's growing business interests.” BBC Bangla radio is available in Bangladesh on BBC 100 FM in Dhaka, 101.2 FM in Comilla, 102 FM in Khulna, 105.4 FM in Chittagong, 105 FM in Rajashahi, 105.4 FM in Rangpur and 105 FM in Sylhet. Bangla-speaking online audience can get BBC news on demand and on the go via the wide-format, multimedia website www.BBCbangla.com.