Month: January 2022

The government has increased the cash incentive on remittance sent by Bangladeshi expatriates to 2.5% from the existing 2 %.

The increased rate will be effective from January 1, 2022, said a notification issued by the Finance Ministry on Saturday.

“The government has taken the move aiming to improve the living standard of people, increase forex reserve, prevent money laundering, create job opportunities and encourage sending hard-earned remittance through legal channels,” says the notification.

In 2019, the government launched a 2% cash incentive for those remitting their earnings through the banking channel.

According to a Finance Ministry document obtained by UNB, the remittance inflow of 2019-20 and 2020-21 was 11.2 percent and 36 percent while the target for the current 2021-22 fiscal is 15 percent with a projection of 12 percent and 10 percent for 2022-23 and 2023-24 fiscals respectively.

Source: United News of Bangladesh

BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Saturday appreciated the government’s move to amend the Digital Security Act (DSA) saying the government has finally come to senses.

“I read in the newspaper that the Law Minister said there have been excesses in the Digital Security Act. After so many days, they (govt) have come to senses,” he said.

Speaking at a civic condolence meeting, he said BNP has long been repeatedly raising its voice against the DSA while the journalists have been on a movement against it.

He said the DSA has been harming the press freedom and creating a scope for repressing journalists alongside dashing the nation’s dreams of having a democratic system.

On December 30 last, Law Minister Anisul Huq said the government will amend the DSA if there is any discontent as the law has been abused and misused in some cases.

A faction of Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ) and Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ) arranged the programme at the Jatiya Press Club in memory of veteran journalist Reazuddin Ahmed who died of Covid-19 on December 25 last.

Fakhrul said the nation is passing through a very bad time and it has now become very difficult to protect one’s existence.

“Our chairperson Khaleda Zia is not even getting a scope for receiving treatment (abroad). It’s perhaps a normal matter in the current state or governing system created by Awami League,” he said.

The BNP leader, however, said they are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel as people are waking up against the government.

He said they have been reaching out to people in different districts by holding rallies demanding Khaleda’s treatment abroad for a few days. “We’re observing that people are waking up through our programmes and mass contacts, generating hope among us.”

Fakhrul said people will surely be able to remove the current ‘monstrous’ government from power if they can strongly take to the streets and the journalists can write against it bravely.

He said the Awami League government has destroyed the soul of Bangladesh. “We must restore it…we’re extremely optimistic that we’ll be able to free Khaleda Zia and bring her back to the people by ensuring her proper treatment.”

Recalling late journalist Reazuddin Ahmed’s contributions to the country, he said he had played a role in people’s movements against autocrats. “He had made a great contribution at every crisis moment of the nation with courage.

Source: United News of Bangladesh

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Saturday said their party is hopeful that democracy will be ‘restored’ in Bangladesh in the New Year, 2022.

“Hopefully, in this New Year 2022, democracy will be restored and our leader Begum Khaleda Zia will be released (fully from jail). We’ll surely be able to establish a government of people,” he said.

The BNP leader made the remarks while talking to reporters after placing a wreath at party founder Ziaur Rahman’s grave together with the leaders of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, marking its 43rd founding anniversary.

On behalf of BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia, Fakhrul also greeted the country’s people on the occasion of the English New Year.

Ailing Khaleda

Fakhrul said Khaleda Zia is fighting for her life in a hospital in the capital for lack of advanced treatment abroad.

He alleged that the BNP chief was jailed out of political ‘vengeance’ of the government. “She’s not being given a scope to receive medical treatment abroad not because of a legal matter but because of reprisal.”

The BNP leader also said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has created such an atmosphere in the country driven out of political vengeance so that Khaleda cannot get any chance to get advanced treatment abroad.

“They want our chairperson to move towards death slowly with critical diseases,” he said.

Fakhrul warned that the government will be held responsible if anything bad happens to Khaleda for lack of proper treatment.

“The leaders and activists of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal took a vow today (Saturday) to intensify the ongoing movement to restore democracy in the country and ensure our leader’s (Khaleda’s) treatment abroad. InshAllah we’ll succeed in 2022,” he said.

“Pointless” Dialogue

Replying to a question, Fakhrul said their party thinks President Abdul Hamid’s ongoing talks with political parties on the reconstitution of the Election Commission EC) is a meaningless exercise.

“We feel that the current crisis is not related to the formation of the Election Commission or enacting a law. The main crisis is related to the nature of polls-time government,” he observed.

The BNP leader said a credible and meaningful election is not possible if it is held under the Awami League government.

He said the 12th parliamentary election must be held under a polls-time neutral and non-party government to be conducted by an impartial EC.

Earlier last week, the BNP standing committee at a meeting decided not to join the talks on EC.

Source: United News of Bangladesh

The issue of designated sanctions imposed on the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and some of the present and former officials cannot be resolved overnight as it will be done step by step, Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen said on Friday.

All the offices in the US are now closed due to the Christmas holidays, he said.

“I hope the US will realise that its position on RAB is not correct. However, I don’t expect things to change overnight,” Momen said while talking to the media after addressing a programme in Kalighat, Sylhet in the evening.

The way they labelled the accusations against RAB, which is loved and trusted by people in Bangladesh, is very unfortunate, he said.

The agency is, by and large, not involved in corruption, he continued, adding that RAB is an “effective agency.”

Even the US government said RAB helped curb terrorism, drug trafficking, and human trafficking in Bangladesh that were considered to be shared priorities with successive US administrations, Dr Momen mentioned.

A few RAB members who abused their authority and committed excesses were brought to justice, he said.

When police kill someone in Bangladesh, it is called “extrajudicial killing” but when law enforcers do it in the US they term it dying “in the line of duty” and no head of the agency is punished, the minister said.

The US said 600 people disappeared from their homes in Bangladesh in the last 10 years, he added.

“However, every year 1 lakh people go missing in the USA, according to its official estimate. So, this is not a big deal there. But if the same thing happens in Bangladesh, they call it enforced disappearance,” Momen said.

The US imposed human rights-related sanctions on individuals and RAB as an entity on the occasion of International Human Rights Day.

Source: United News of Bangladesh

Terming the ongoing dialogue on the reconstitution of the Election Commission (EC) meaningless, Ameer of Islami Andolon Bangladeh and Charmonai Pir Mufti Syed Muhammad Rezaul Karim on Saturday said they will not take part in talks with the President.

“We took part in talks with President Abdul Hamid in 2012 and 2017 from a sense of civic responsibility but the fact is that the two national elections held under two commissions extremely frustrated us,” he said.

“The most frustrating thing is that the President neither brought the EC under accountability nor took any punitive action against the commission for holding disgraceful elections. So, we consider the dialogue with the President as meaningless,” he added.

Mufti Syed Muhammad came up with the information while talking to reporters at a press briefing at the party’s Nayapaltan office.

Even, no sign of interest has been seen among the thinkers, political researchers and country’s people about dialogue with the President, they predict that the dialogue will be fruitless, said Rezaul.

He placed a seven-point proposal, including enactment of a law for the formation of the Election Commission, formation of an national interim government, evaluation of the EC and election through constitutional council after each election, steps for removal of any member of the commission if found dishonest, unskilled and partial and placing Public Administration, Law, Home and information Ministries under the EC during the elections.

Earlier, on December 29, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir announced that the BNP standing committee has decided not to take part in the talks with President Abdul Hamid.

Amid the various speculations about BNP’s participation in the talks, the party made its stance clear on it even before receiving the invitation from Bangabhaban for joining the dialogue.

Fakhrul came up with the decision after a meeting of the party standing committee, the highest policy-making body.

President Abdul Hamid began talks with registered political parties over the formation of the new Election Commission on December 20.

The tenure of the current EC, led by KM Nurul Huda, will expire on February 14 next year.

As per the constitution, a new Commission must be formed before the expiry of the present EC.

Source: United News of Bangladesh

BGMEA President Faruque Hassan has said the prestigious position attainted by the ready-made garment industry of Bangladesh is built upon the years of hard works and dedication of both workers and entrepreneurs.

The industry has immense contributions to rebuilding the war-ravaged country which is now a ‘development surprise’ to many in the world due to its impressive performance in socio-economic development over the last 50 years, he said.

The BGMEA chief made the observations while delivering his speech as guest of honor at a program organized by Bangladesh Textile & Garment Workers League (BTGWL) in Dhaka on Friday, marking 50 years of BTGWL.

Awami League Presidium Member Shajahan Khan MP and General Secretary of Bangladesh Trade Union Kendra Dr. Wajedul Islam Khan were present as special guests.

BTGWL President Z M Kamrul Anam presided over the program.

In his address Faruque Hassan said the RMG industry of Bangladesh has made significant progress in the areas of safety and sustainability, especially workers’ well-being and industrial relations.

He further said starting from the elimination of child Labour in mid-nineties, and the emerging compliances issues including timely payment of wages, ensuring the minimum wage, overtime, hygiene at workplace, the industry has responded well.

“The Labour Law was amended twice in 2013 and in 2018, and Labor Rules was promulgated in 2015 to ensure workers well-being and safety at workplace. A central fund has been created under the supervision of the government where garment factories are contributing more than $15 million of their export receipts to be used for the workers’ welfare purposes,” he added.

Source: United News of Bangladesh

Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader on Saturday called upon all democratic, patriotic and progressive forces to play a responsible role in institutionalising democracy.

Obaidul Quader, also the Road Transport and Bridges Minister, made the call while addressing a briefing at his residence this morning on behalf of Awami League.

Mentioning that the Awami League as a party of the masses wants to embark on a new path with new hopes and expectations in the new year, Obaidul Quader pledged to continue the positive progress towards fulfilling the dreams of the masses as a more organized, well-organized, modern and smart political party.

The General Secretary of the Awami League expressed his determination to carry out all the activities keeping in view the expectations and dreams of the people of the country ahead of the next elections.

Road Transport and Bridges Minister also said that the irresistible progress of development and prosperity of Awami League will continue under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, daughter of Bangabandhu.

Source: United News of Bangladesh