Before showing the causes, I would like to delineate the present situation of poverty in Bangladesh. Around 31% of the rural population presently suffers the indignity of chronic poverty low consumption, hunger and under-nutrition, lack of access to basic health services, illiteracy and other deprivations for more than a decade. About 24% of the total population currently lives in extreme income-poverty. About 19% of rural households cannot have 'full three meals' a day; about 10% subsist on two meals or less for a number of months every year. While Bangladesh has come out of the "shadow of famine", the problem of starvation still persists. However, 47% people are staying below poverty line and 28% of our population lives under the extreme poverty line. About 40 million people go to bed without meal every night. This observation shows that Bangladesh is a country of poor. Although, several international organisations like IMF, World Bank; Government and Non Governmental organisations have been working for the alleviation of poverty but the success in the field is very negligible i.e. 1% or 1.8% at best each year. Statistics show reduction of poverty in the last five years (1999---2004) from 44.7% to 42.1%. But according to the principles of Millennium Development Goals (MDG), we have to reduce poverty by 1.15% every year.

Now what are the causes of poverty, which was the question of Miraz Ahmed. As regular readers of DS we can give the following points as the causes.

A. Rapid growth of population.

B. Inequitable distribution of land, income and productive assets.

C. Death of chief wage- earner.

D. Incapability of chief wage- earner through accident, illness, and old age.

E. Chronic irregularity of work.

F. Largeness of family.

G. Low wage.

H. Habits drinking , betting, and gambling .

I. Careless housekeeping for improvident expenditure.

J. Chronic shortage of cash.

K. Absence of food reserves.

L. Natural calamities (river erosion, cyclone, tidal surge, excessive rain).

M. Under developed communications system.

N. Lack of education and skilled labour.

O. Lack of administrative fairness and accountability.

P. Limited access to public services.

Q. Lack of mass people's participation in local government etc.