Non-paywall link: https://archive.ph/p6FGg

I had never even heard of this problem of lead poisoning through adulterated turmeric before, but it’s striking how Bangladesh overcame it through a healthy dose of openness and transparency (and depressing how the same factors seem unlikely to be as effective in India under the Modi regime…)

Bangladesh’s response to the problem, if properly understood, could work in many countries. Its key elements included an openness to foreign expertise; effective ngos; a willingness by the government to work with them; and the formation of an even broader coalition, also including journalists and private firms, to maximise the effort.

[…]

India, whose leader, Narendra Modi, is in the process of driving out foreign donors and dismantling any ngo he considers unfriendly to him, has much to learn from Bangladesh’s more open, pragmatic approach.