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State Minister Naheed shocked at Shib Narayan's death
Naheed Ezaher Khan, state minister of Cultural Affairs, has expressed profound shock at the death of the country's war-time national flag designer and valiant freedom fighter Shib Narayan Das.
In a condolence message, she prayed for the eternal peace of the departed soul and conveyed deep sympathy to the bereaved family members.
In her condolence message, the state minister said that Shib Narayan will stay forever in the hearts of people and will be remembered for his works. "In his death, the nation lost an ideal patriot."
Shib Narayan Das, who had designed the first flag of Bangladesh just before the independence, breathed his last on Friday morning at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University in the capital.
He was born in Cumilla to a martyr's family. His father Satish Chandra Das was captured and killed by the Pakistani army during the liberation war in 1971. He is survived by his wife Gitashree Chowdhury and their son Arnab Das.
No More WB-IMF Loans to avoid debt catastrophe
As the World Bank-IMF Spring Meetings got under way in Washington civil society groups worldwide on Friday launched protests saying money borrowed from the lenders must not lead to debt catastrophe.
As part of that, civil societies in Bangladesh also organised a protest rally in front of the National Press Club in Dhaka on Friday.
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In addition, the global civil society will create a Twitter storm by posting their protest messages on Twitter Friday at 8 pm Bangladesh time. Their primary demand is that the illegitimate debt imposed on the people should be canceled immediately because the World Bank and IMF have reparations to pay.
The protest rally in Dhaka, jointly organised by the Asian People's Movement on Debt and Development (APMDD), Bangladesh Farmers Federation, Coast Foundation, Waterkeepers Bangladesh, and CPRD, was chaired by General Secretary of Bangladesh Farmers Federation Zayed Iqbal Khan and moderated by Coast Foundation Director Mustafa Kamal Akand.
Coast Foundation Deputy Executive Director Sanat Kumar Bhowmik said in his speech that Bangladesh is offered a loan for the development of local communities affected by the Rohingya refugees and to deal with climate change mitigation.
"We are not responsible in any part for such problems. So why should we take a loan for this? Those who are responsible for this should compensate us instead,"he added.
Nearly 1 mln Bangladeshis at risk of poverty: World Bank
Ferdous Ara Rumi, general secretary of the World Rural Women's Day Observation Committee, said that developed countries like Germany pay an average of 1.5% interest on loans, and America gives 3.1%. In comparison, African countries pay an average interest of 11.6%, and Asian countries pay 6.5%. The poorer the country, the higher its interest rate. Because they are taking these higher-interest loans from private institutions as public institutions no longer lend to them, she said.
Zayed Iqbal Khan of the Bangladesh Farmers' Federation said that developing countries repay their debts mainly from export earnings. In the last decade, they have lost that ability. In 2010, developing countries' debt accounted for 71% of their exports, rising to 112% in 2022. They have already incurred and continue to incur more debt than their income, he added Mostafa Kamal Akand of the Coast Foundation said that developing countries are exhausting their resources to pay the interest on their debts. The 139 World Bank-borrower countries spend 35% of their revenue budgets on debt repayment.
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Low-income countries (LIC) and lower-middle-income countries (LMIC) pay 57.5% and 44.5%, respectively, he said.
Kamal Akand also said "we refuse this public debt imposed on the poor because the World Bank and the IMF are responsible for their poverty."
Among others, CPRD's Sheikh Noor Ataiah Rabbi, and Bangladesh Bhumihin Samity’s General Secretary Engineer Foyej Ahmed Khan also spoke at the protest rally.
Gas supply to remain suspended for 2 hours Saturday in Narayanganj, adjoining areas
Gas supply will remain suspended for two hours from 12 noon to 2 pm on Saturday (April 20) at different areas in Narayanganj district.
Gas supply situation slightly improves, load shedding continues
According to Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Ltd, the areas where gas supply will remain off cover Nayapur, Qutubpur, Araihazar Road, Madanpur to Nangalband Bridge, Bandar, Kanchpur and Jatrapur.
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Regretting the temporary inconvenience of the consumers, Titas Gas Authority said the adjoining areas may experience low pressure problem in gas supply during the period
Fire at Dhaka Shishu Hospital doused
A fire that broke out in the cardiac ward of Dhaka Shishu Hospital in the capital’s Agargaon area on Friday afternoon, has been doused, fire service said.
Five firefighting units doused the fire at 2:39pm, said Talha Bin Zasim, station officer of Fire Service and Civil Defence (FSCD) headquarters media cell.
He said the fire originated in the cardiac ward on the fourth floor of the hospital around 1:47 pm.
The origin of the fire could not be known immediately, he added.
No casualties were reported.
Matarbari Power Plant not getting payment against power supply to national grid
Although Matarbari Coal-fired Power Plant has been supplying electricity to the national grid since the commissioning of its first unit in December 2023, it has not received any payment from the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB).
“We’ve so far not received any payment against our supply of electricity to the national grid," said Abul Kalam Azad, managing director of the Coal Power Generation Company Bangladesh Limited (CPGCBL).
The CPGCBL, a state-owned company of the government, set up the Matarbari coal-fired plant with ultra-critical technology under the financing of the Japan International Cooperation Agency ((JICA).
The 1200-MW power plant, having two units each with 600 MW capacity, is on 1,414 acres of land in Matarbari and Dhalghata unions of Maheshkhali upazila of Cox's Bazar district.
A deep-sea project was developed to facilitate coal unloading from ships.
The first unit of the Matarbari Coal-Fired Power Plant was synchronised with the national grid in July of this year.
Since the start of the commercial operation of the first unit, the plant has been supplying power to the national grid on a regular basis as per the demand of the BPDB.
“But we’re not getting the payment. Our paying bill amount will be about Tk 700 crore," Abut Kalam Azad told a group of reporters who were visiting his plant on Thursday.
Officials informed me that the plant needs about 10,000 metric tonnes of coal per day if it runs at full capacity.
If the payment against power supply is not received by the CPGCBL, it will be very difficult to continue the supply as the company has to import coal from abroad, said another top official of the plant.
Officials also said the government’s cash crunch might have been the main reason behind the non-payment of the bills submitted by the CPGCBL.
A loan agreement on the project was signed between the Government of Bangladesh and JICA on June 16, 2014. The project cost has been estimated at Tk 51,800 crore.
Of this, Tk 43,921 crore will be given as project support by JICA, and the remaining Tk 7,933 crore will be provided from the own funds of the Bangladesh Government and CPGCBL.
Arafat stresses investment in arts and culture for a peaceful society
State Minister for Information and Broadcasting Mohammad A Arafat has emphasised the importance of increasing investment in arts and culture to build a peaceful and prosperous society.
He was speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the 12th Liberation DocFest Bangladesh, an international documentary film festival on liberation and human rights, held at the Liberation War Museum in Dhaka’s Agargaon on Thursday.
Highlighting the importance of arts and culture in building a developed Bangladesh by 2041, the state minister acknowledged the significant economic progress made over the past 15 years. However, he stressed the need to prioritise investment in arts and culture over the next five years.
"If we want to fight against extremism, fundamentalism, and evil forces, no weapon can be more powerful than art and culture," he declared. "The development of art, literature, and culture is essential for us now. At the same time, innovative talent is crucial in the field of art, literature, and culture," he also said.
Arafat emphasized the state's responsibility to provide economic support and advancement to the arts sector, enabling the flourishing of talent and the dissemination of humanity and human values through art.
"Ultimately, we want to build a humane world and become global citizens," he stated.
The junior minister expressed the government's commitment to fostering a conducive environment for the healthy development of the arts industry. He assured his ministry will play a proactive role in achieving this goal.
In 50 years Bangladesh created business elite group who makes policy and drives government: Speakers at book launch
Speakers at a book launching programme on Thursday said that without a strong political agenda, implementation of economic reforms is quite impossible in Bangladesh.
There are several elite groups created in the last one decade in the country. Business elite is also one of them, who is driving the business sector and at the same time participating in policymaking in favour of them while ignoring mass people'd benefits, observed the speakers.
They said this at a book launching programme titled ‘Fifty Years of Bangladesh: Economy, Politics, Society and Culture’ published by international publisher Routledge from London in January this year.
They said that a clear scenario of such understanding the people get when they look at the banking sector and garment sector of the country.
The garment owners are getting exclusive benefits. On the other hand, many private banks are facing destruction due to looting by the bank directors. The government and administration are helping to destroy the banks. Again, they are getting seats in parliament and cabinet from two parts, they pointed out.
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The reviewer of the book Dr Zahid Hussain, former lead economist of the World Bank, Dhaka office, said in the last five decades there have been development in agriculture, industries, and service sectors, but wages have not grown as per standard.
“The development of Bangladesh happened by keeping mortgage of our future, and an iconological injustice has also been done in last 51 years, that is more than the British and Pakistan period even,” he pointed out from different articles of the book.
He also mentioned that the institutional and regulatory capacity of the country is not improving along with the development of different sectors, resulting in an institutional imbalance, and regulatory weakness is witnessed in many sectors.
Another book reviewer Matiur Rahman, editor of Daily Prothom Alo in analysis and interpretation of the book said it mentioned the country is an authoritarian state, which is currently going on.
The business has grown over the past few decades. But all businessmen's capacity for getting equal action and participation in decision-making has declined, he said.
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“Currently it is trying to push the weak banks over the good banks. From these two parts, we have seen many people get important posts in business and cabinet positions in Parliament. They are influencing state policy in favour of them while small traders struggling to survive lack of policy support,” he pointed out.
Book reviewer Professor Firdous Azim, chairperson, Department of English and Humanities BRAC University, said women's participation in economic activities has increased in the country in the last five decades.
But cultural conflict widened, new generation grew with the Muslim conservative ideology along with modern mentality, there is a challenge of making a combination in society among the progressive and conservative community, she pointed out.
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A total of 15 writers including a foreigner wrote articles on the book covering Bangladesh’s achievements in the last 50 years and suggested a way forward for sustainable development.
Professor Rehman Sobhan, founder and chairman of the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), and Professor Rounaq Jahan, distinguished fellow, of CPD edited the book. Rounaq Jahan moderated the programme.
Among the authors of the book Professor Dr Mustafizur Rahman, CPD, Professor Selim Raihan, Executive Director SANEM, Dr Syed Akhtar Mahmood, Former Lead Private Sector Specialist World Bank Group, Professor Dr MM Akash, the University of Dhaka Dr Iftekhar Iqbal, Professor Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman Executive Chairman Power and Participation Research Centre (PPRC), Dr Mirza M Hassan Senior Research Fellow BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD), Dr Ali Riaz Distinguished Professor Illinois State University, USA, Dr Selim Jahan Former Director, Human Development Report Office (HDRO) UNDP, New York, Dr Fakrul Alam Supernumerary Professor Department of English, DU, Dr Sohela Nazneen, Senior Fellow Institute of Development Studies (IDS), spoke in the programme in person and digitally.
The University Press Limited (UPL) works as the local distributor of the book.
Seminar on Military Justice System held at BAF headquarters
A seminar on "Military Justice System and Their Relationship to Civil Criminal Justice System" was held at Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) headquarters on Thursday.
Chief of Air Staff of the BAF Air Chief Marshal Shaikh Abdul Hannan, attended as the Chief Guest and announced the ‘End’ of the seminar, organised by Judge Advocate General Branch of BAF and delivered the closing speech.
In the morning, Abu Mohammad Amin Uddin, Attorney General for Bangladesh, inaugurated the seminar and delivered the opening speech.
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Judge Advocate General of the BAF Group Captain Md. Tahidul Islam delivered the welcome speech, says an Inter Service Public Relation (ISPR) media release.
In his closing speech, the Chief of Air Staff said, "The seminar organised by the Judge Advocate General Branch of the Bangladesh Air Force will play a vital role in developing a modern and sustainable legal framework of the Bangladesh Armed Forces, in establishing justice for crimes within the forces, in improving the professional standards of law officers and in coordinating the justice system in the civil and military environments".
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Justice of the High Court Division of the Supreme Court Muhammad Khurshid Alam Sarkar, Registrar General of the Supreme Court (Senior District and Sessions Judge) Md. Golam Rabbani, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Law and Senior District and Sessions Judge Dr. SK Golam Mahbub and Judge Advocate General of Bangladesh Air Force Group Captain Md. Tahidul Islam presented their valuable speech as subject matter experts in the said seminar.
A total of 53 officials including senior officials of Bangladesh Air Force and Bangladesh Army and Bangladesh Navy participated in the seminar.
END/UNB/MJ/FH
Police constable injured after being sandwiched between two buses in Dhaka
A police constable sustained injuries after being sandwiched between two racing buses of Turag Paribahan in Jatrabari Chawrastra intersection in Dhaka on Thursday afternoon.
The injured, Mithun, is undergoing treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
Ashraf Imam, deputy commissioner (Wari Zone) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, confirmed the matter saying that the on-duty constable got trapped between the buses while they were in a race.
The buses were seized, he added.
6 die in road accidents in 3 districts
6 people were killed in road accidents in Habiganj, Sunamganj and Kishoreganj districts on Wednesday night and early Thursday.
Two people were killed in a road accident in Nabiganj upazila of Habiganj on Dhaka-Sylhet highway on Wednesday night.
The deceased were identified as Hasan Mia, 24, and Sadek Mia, 40, of Monglapur village in Nabiganj upazila.
Locals and police said a Sylhet-bound bus of Al Mubaraka Paribahan ran over the two, leaving them dead on the spot.
Parimal Deb, officer-in-charge of Sherpur Highway Police Station, said they seized the two vehicles, recovered the bodies and sent those to the morgue for autopsy.
In Kishoreganj, two motorcycle riders were killed when a bus hit them in Kamaliachar area of Sadar Upazila on Thursday.
The deceased are Ashraful Islam Mamun (25) and his nephew Laden (22) of Bajitpur upazila.
According to police, a Dhaka-bound Ananya Parihaban bus from Kishoreganj rammed the motorcycle from behind in New Kamaliachar area, leaving the motorcyclist and his nephew dead on the spot.
Mohammad Golam Mostafa, Officer-in-charge of Kishoreganj Sadar Model Police Station, confirmed the matter and said that police recovered the bodies and sent those to Kishoreganj Sadar Hospital morgue.
In Sunamganj, two people including popular singer Pagal Hasan were killed and three others injured in a collision between a bus and a CNG-powered auto-rickshaw in Chhatak upazila of Sunamganj early Thursday.
Pagal Hasan was a resident of Shimultala Muktigaon area and another autorickshaw passenger Sattar Mia, 52, son of Ahad Ali, hailed from Shimultala-Muktirgaon village.
The injured were identified as Layes Mia, Rupon Mia and Jahangir Alam of the same village.