coronavirus
Coronavirus: Minister says some Bangladeshi expats to be brought back
Amid the growing concerns over the coronavirus pandemic which is ravaging the entire world, the government has decided to bring back Bangladeshi expatriates from some countries on humanitarian grounds after scrutiny.
The decision was taken at an inter-ministerial meeting held at the Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Ministry on Sunday, said Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Imran Ahmad.
He said the government has taken steps for ensuring food, medical services and other necessary things for the expatriates living in different countries and the government has allocated Tk 4.5 crore to this end.
In the first phase, the government will bring back 316 Bangladeshis from Kuwait on a flight and send relief materials and food for Bangladeshi nationals living there, the minister said.
Meanwhile, 150 Bangladeshis working in South Korea and 26 students pursuing study there, who returned home earlier, will be sent to South Korea by a chartered flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines, he added.
In case of accommodation crisis, the Bangladeshi mission concerned has been asked to extend necessary assistance in this regard, Imran said.
It was also decided at the meeting to provide financial help or loans through Probashi Kallyan Bank for the rehabilitation of the expatriates coming to the country.
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan, who was present at the meeting, said the expatriates who will be brought back will be kept in compulsory quarantine.
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen also attended the meeting. “It’s our moral duty to stand by the Bangladeshi expatriates. They’ll be brought back following requests made from different countries,” he said.
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A local leader of Jamaat-e-Islami suffering from fever and cold died in Rampal upaizla here on Sunday.
Quoting family members, Dr Sukanta Kumar Pal, a health officer of Rampal Upazila Health Complex, said Sheikh Naser Uddin, aged over 60 and also the upazila unit Jamaat ameer, had been suffering from fever and asthma for long.
On Sunday, Sheikh Naser fell sick and died before he was taken to the emergency unit of the Khulna Medical College and Hospital from a private hospital in Khulna.
Later, he was taken to his village Borni and buried there after namaz-e-janaza.
Tushar Kumar Pal, Upazila Nirbahi Officer of Rampal upazila, said the local administration has kept two villages -Borni and Srifaltala-in the upazila and the surrounding areas of the house of the deceased under observation.
Coronavirus: Internet service providers seek govt grant
The Internet Service Providers Association of Bangladesh (ISPAB) on Sunday sought Tk 610 crore government grant to keep the services uninterrupted and protect the sector from losses amid the coronavirus outbreak.
ISPAB submitted an application to the Telecom Minister Mustafa Jabbar on Sunday.
They sought Tk 610 crore grant to pay six months’ salaries of their staff and office rents and withdrawal of Value Added Tax (VAT) of the internet service providers for at least two years.
Fiber teams and network teams have been working round the clock when whole country is under partial lockdown after government announcement, the Association said.
As a result, different organizations including banks, insurance companies, call centers, software, media and hospitals are working uninterruptedly, they said.
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