Dhaka, Oct 21 (UNB) – Mentioning that science and technologies are like flowing rivers, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday said the government will do whatever is needed to cope with the fast-changing world to ensure a brighter future for the young generation.

"To cope with the fast-changing world, we’ll surely take the steps which are needed for the brighter and beautiful future of the young generation," she said.

The Prime Minister said this while officially inaugurating the mobile number portability (MNP) service at her official residence Ganobhaban.

Sheikh Hasina said she has sacrificed her present and future of her life for the young generation who will lead the country in the coming days.

"The pace of the country’s progress what we have achieved must not stop…we want to maintain it," she said.

Hasina mentioned that the youth is the biggest strength of a country and if they can be built with proper education they will have a beautiful life.

She said new technologies have opened an immense scope for the socioeconomic development of the country. "We’re utilising these and will do the same in the future, too."

The Prime Minister said science and technologies are like flowing rivers as newer technologies are coming up. "And we’ll have to follow that as the new generation needs to be groomed in that way so that they can build the modern technology-based ‘Golden Bengal’."

Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Minister Mustafa Jabbar, State Minister for Information and Communication Technology Division Zunaid Ahmed Palak, Posts and Telecommunications Secretary Shyam Sunder Sikder and Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) Md Jahirul Haque also spoke on the occasion.

Speaking at the programme, Posts and Telecommunications Secretary Shyam Sunder Sikder said the Finance Ministry has agreed to waive the SIM tax for getting the new SIM for availing of the MNP service.

He also said the National Board of Revenue (NBR) will issue a circular very soon in this connection.

The MNP service allows a subscriber to change telecom carrier keeping the same phone number. The much-awaited MNP service was launched on October 1.

BTRC has fixed Tk 50 for availing of the service at the customer level.

The operator will be changed 72 hours after applying for the MNP and a customer will have to wait for 90 days if they want to change operators again.
 

Dhaka, Oct 20 (UNB) - Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina returned home early Saturday wrapping up her four-day visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at the invitation of Saudi King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

A VVIP flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying the Prime Minister and her entourage landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 1:22 am.

The Prime Minister went to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday on the four-day bilateral visit at the invitation of Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, also the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.

During her stay in Saudi Arabia, Sheikh Hasina had separate meetings with the Saudi King, and Saudi Crown Prince and Deputy Prime Minister Muhammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz in Riyadh on Wednesday.

She performed holy ‘Umrah’ in Makkah on Thursday and offered ziarat at the Rawza Mubarak of Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) at Masjid Al-Nabawi in Madinah on Wednesday night.

Besides, the Prime Minister had a meeting with the Saudi business community, including leaders of the Council of Saudi Chamber (CSC) and Riyadh Chamber of Commerce, at Riyadh on Wednesday when five memorandums of understanding (MoUs) were signed between the two countries.

Sheikh Hasina also opened the Chancery Complex of Bangladesh Embassy constructed on its own land at the Diplomatic Quarters in Riyadh on Wednesday and laid the foundation stone of the Chancery Building of Bangladesh Consulate in Jeddah on Thursday.
 

From Muhammad Syfullah, UNB Staff Writer

Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), Oct 19 (UNB) – Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina left here for home on Friday wrapping up her four-day visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at the invitation of Saudi King Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

A VVIP flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines carrying the Prime Minister and her entourage departed from King Abdulaziz International Airport at 4:15pm (local time).

The flight is scheduled to land at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at 1:15am on Saturday.

On Tuesday, the Prime Minister arrived in Saudi Arabia on the four-day bilateral visit at the invitation of Salman Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, also the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques.

During her stay in Saudi Arabia, Sheikh Hasina had separate meetings with the Saudi King, and Saudi Crown Prince and Deputy Prime Minister Muhammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz in Riyadh on Wednesday.

She performed holy ‘Umrah’ in Makkah on Thursday and offered ziarat at the Rawza Mubarak of Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) at Masjid Al-Nabawi in Madinah on Wednesday night.

Besides, the Prime Minister had a meeting with the Saudi business community, including leaders of the Council of Saudi Chamber (CSC) and Riyadh Chamber of Commerce, at Riyadh on Wednesday when five memorandums of understanding (MoUs) were signed between the two countries.

Sheikh Hasina also opened the Chancery Complex of Bangladesh Embassy constructed on its own land at the Diplomatic Quarters in Riyadh on Wednesday and laid the foundation stone of the Chancery Building of Bangladesh Consulate in Jeddah on Thursday.

Madaripur, Oct 14 (UNB) – Taking a swipe at Dr Kamal Hossain, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday said the Gono Forum chief has joined hands with killers.

"He (Dr Kamal) has joined hands with them (killers), why not! Dr Kamal, Khaleda Zia and Tarique Zia had whitened black money," she said.

The Prime Minister said this while addressing a public rally organised by local Awami League at Shibchar.

Talking about the recently launched unity of BNP, Dr Kamal Hossain, ASM Rob and Mahmudur Rahman Manna, she questioned, “What they can do and what they want to do!”

Sheikh Hasina, also the ruling Awami League chief, Dr Kamal Hossain forged the unity with those who are killers, corrupt, plunderers of orphans’ money. "With him some other small fry have gathered there—they all formed the unity." 

She said Dr Kamal always talks about principles and dignity, and is always vocal against corruption, terrorism and militancy. "But, BNP and Jamaat are involved in terrorism… now he has forged a unity with them." 

Questioning the leadership of the newly formed unity, Hasina said BNP acting chairperson Tarique Rahman is a convicted criminal living abroad as he is convicted in money laundering, 10-truck arms smuggling and August-21 grenade attack cases.

"Dr Kamal Hossain and his gang have forged the unity under that chairperson." 

She said the people of the country do not want the killers and they demonstrated this desire in the 2008 and 2014 elections, voting Awami League to power.

The AL chief said the development of Bangladesh is never visible to Dr Kamal Hossain and his gang but the world acclaimed Bangladesh as a role model of development. "To them, development means corruption, terrorism and money laundering." 

The Prime Minister said Khaleda and Tarique were involved in the August-21 grenade attack. "They tried to kill me through the grenade attack to make Awami League leaderless."

Hasina mentioned that they destroyed the all clues and evidence of the gruesome attack and staged the ‘Goj Mia drama’. "This [Zia] family is a killer family. Zia was also involved in the August 15, 1975 carnage with Moshtaque Ahmed." 

Seeking votes in favour of ‘Boat’, the election symbol of Awami League, in the next general election, Hasina urged all to help continue the development spree.

Chaired by Shibchar Awami League president Md Shamsuddin Khan, the rally was addressed, among others, by party leaders Sajeda Chowdhury, Amir Hossain Amu, Tofail Ahmed, Matia Chowdhury, Obaidul Quader, Faruk Khan, Dr Dipu Moni, Noor-e-Alam Chowdhury and Saifuzzaman Shikhor.

Dhaka, Oct 11 (UNB) – Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday donated Tk 20 crore to the fund of Bangladesh Journalist Welfare Trust constituted by the present government to provide financial support to media people during their needs.

She handed over a cheque for the amount to President of Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ) Mollah Jalal at a function at her official residence Ganobhaban in the city.

PM’s media adviser Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury, State Minister for Information Tarana Halim, Information Secretary Abdul Malek, Director General of the Press Institute of Bangladesh (PIB) and Managing Director of the Journalist Welfare Trust Md Shah Alamgir, former BFUJ president Abul Kalam Azad, Principal Information Officer (PIO) Kamrun Nahar, BFUJ secretary general Saban Mahmud, president of Dhaka Union of Journalists Abu Jafor Surja and general secretary Sohel Haider Chowdhury were present.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina initiated the trust fund in 2014 by giving seed money of Tk five crore which later got more money from a number of private media houses raising the total to Tk 15 crore over the last four years.