Day: June 13, 2024

Kathmandu: Secretary General of SAARC Golam Sarwar paid a courtesy call on Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe at the President Secretariat in Colombo on Wednesday. As part of his ongoing visit to the member states, the Secretary General is currently on an introductory consultations visit to Sri Lanka. President Wickremesinghe congratulated Sarwar on taking charge as the fifteenth Secretary General of SAARC. Secretary General Sarwar expressed appreciation for Sri Lanka's persistent support of the SAARC process since its establishment in December 1985. Furthermore, he conveyed confidence in receiving continued support and guidance from Sri Lanka to further strengthen the SAARC process. The Secretary General apprised the President about current activities of SAARC and its challenges and sought Sri Lanka's support in re-energising the SAARC process. In briefing on the recent development of holding the Governing Board Meetings of all the SAARC Regional Centers and Specialized Bodies, Secretary General Sarwar expressed hope to convene higher level meetings of the Chartered Bodies in consultations with the SAARC Chair Nepal at the earliest possible. President Wickremesinghe appreciated the initiatives of SAARC Secretary General and requested him to consider taking further steps to revitalize the SAARC process given the prevailing situation emphasizing that SAARC embodies the hopes and aspirations of its peoples and countries in the region for prosperity. Upon request, the President of Sri Lanka has agreed to allocate a permanent venue to the SAARC Cultural Centre in Colombo that aligns with the provisions outlined in the Headquarters Agreement between the Centre and Sri Lanka, noted the press release issued by SAARC Secretariat. President Wickremesinghe reaffirmed Sri Lanka's commitment to SAARC and to extend every possible support to materialize the goals of SAARC to achieve a sustainable and integrated development in the region. Source: National News Agency Nepal

Four people were killed and eight were injured in three separate road accidents in Ghoraghat and Fulbari upazila on the Dinajpur-Gobindaganj regional haighway today. The first accident, police said, occurred in front of Singra Brack office under Ghoraghat upazila in the Dinajpur-Gobindaganj regional highway, when a cattle laden votvoti (locally made vehicle) collided head on with a passenger van, living a man dead on the spot. The deceased was Altab hossain, 45, son of Abdur Rahman a resident of Shashtipara village under hakimpur upazila. The critically injured six cow trader were Faruque Islam, 50, son of Late Hafizuddin, Israfil, 21, son of Nasir Uddin and Imran Mia, 40,of Kasba village under Birampur upazila, Abdur Rashid,55,son of Riazuddin, Rafiqul Islam,40,of Mukundupur village and Shofiqul Islam,33, son of Nabab Ali of Daudpur village under Nababganj upazila. They were rushed to Ghoraghat Upazila Hospital. Asaduzzaman Asad, Officer-in-Charge of Ghoraghat police station of the district confirmed th e incident. In another accident, Abdus Sattar, 68, son of Rahmatullah, of Velain village under Ghoraghat upazila, died on the spot after a truck crashed him under its wheel when he was crossing the road at Horipara Bazar under the same upazila. The bodies have been kept at the local hospital for autopsy. Meanwhile, another accident took place when a good-laden truck collided head on with an auto-rickshaw in the Bejai Mour under the same upazila living two people including a woman dead on the spot and wounding another two critically. The dead are- auto rickshaw driver Nazrul Islam, 45, son of Khazanur Islam of South Sujapur village under Fulbari upazila and one of its passenger Jahanara Begum, 40, wife of Afzal Hossain, of Madanpur Shialkot village under Parbatipur upazila. Identity of the two injured could not be known immediately. Being informed by locals Fulbari Fire Service personnel rushed to the spot and took the injured to the Fulbari Upazila Hospital. Later, they were shifted to Dinajpur M Abdur Rahim Medical College Hospital. Mostafizur Rahman, Officer-in-Charge of Phulbari police station said they arrested the driver and helper of the truck from the spot. Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha

Fisheries and Livestock Minister and Awami League presidium member Abdur Rahman today said surpassing China Bangladesh has attained the second position in fresh water fish production in the world. The minister came up with the information according a report of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations titled 'The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2024' at a press conference held at the conference room of his ministry here. 'In the last two years, various types of fish, including hilsa, pangas, boal and aair, have contributed significantly to the production of fresh water fish in the country,'. Bangladesh is the first among 11 countries of the world regarding producing hilsa due to various measures taken under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the minister said, adding Bangladesh is a role model in the world for hilsa production. 'According to the report, China's freshwater fish production was 1.46 million tonnes and it ranked 2nd in the world. On the other hand, the production of Bangladesh was 1.25 million tonnes and ranked 3rd place in the world,' the minister said. Bangladesh's freshwater fish production has increased to 1.32 million from 1.25 million tonnes in the last two years. He said the government is implementing jatka conservation and hilsa protection campaign to increase the production of hilsa and ensure sustainable production of the fish. Consequently, the production of hilsa in 2022-2023 fiscal was 5.71 lakh tonnes. Besides, , the production of various types of fish in 2022-2023 fiscal reached 49.15 lakh tonnes due to successful implementation of the long-term planning of the government . The government has set a target to produce 65 lakh tonnes of fish within 2030 and 85 lakh tonnes of fish by 2041. Secretary of the Fisheries and Livestock Ministry Syed Mahmud Belal Haider, Additional Secretary Md. Abdul Qayyum, Director General of the Department of Fisheries Syed Md. Alamgir and ministry's senior officials, among others, were present at the press conference. Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha

The timing of peak and off-peak hours for the Dhaka metro rail services will be changed from June 19 in line with the new schedule of government offices, said managing director of Dhaka Mass Transit Company MAN Siddique. He said metro rail service will remain closed on the Eid-ul-Azha day (June 17). Siddique said the first metro rail will leave Uttara North station at 7:10am and the last metro rail will leave Motijheel at 9:40pm, as the government announced the new office timing from 9am-5pm with effect from June 19. He said trains will run every 10 minutes from 7:10am to 7:30am (special off peak hours), every 8 minutes from 7.31am to 11.36am (peak hours), every 12 minutes from 11:37am to 2:24pm (off-peak), every 8 minutes from 2:25pm to 8:32pm (peak) and every 10 minutes from 8:33pm to 9:00pm (special off-peak hours). Trains will run every 10 minutes from 7:30am to 8:00am (special off peak hours), every 8 minutes from 8:01am to 12:08pm (peak), every 12 minutes from 12:09pm to 3:04pm (special off-peak), e very 8 minutes from 3:05pm to 9:12pm (peak) and every 10 minutes from 9:13pm to 9:40pm (special off-peak hours). Besides, except Saturday, the metro rail will run on every 15 minutes instead of 12 minutes, the managing director said. Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha

Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Saber Hossain Chowdhury today said the nature and environment must be protected to make the country's growth trend sustainable. 'We should work sincerely to prevent biodiversity loss and pollution in the country,' he told a seminar in the capital. The World Bank arranged the seminar titled "Bangladesh Achieving Green Growth: From a Shared Vision to Action" at a city hotel. Speaking as the chief guest, Saber Hossain said Bangladesh is a role model in various sectors before the world and it will be able to set an example in green growth too. 'We can all succeed in implementing Green Bangladesh under the leadership of Honorable Prime Minister Hasina by working together,' he said. The environment minister said various sectors should be made environment-friendly to implement green growth. Mentioning that the country's environment must be protected, he said, if the pollution remains high, there will be no growth. 'Waste management system should be improved. We must go for nature-based solutions. Along with the government, the private sector should come forward to protect environment,' he asserted. 'In that case, the government will provide incentives to the private sector. Let us all realise the dream of building a green and sustainable Bangladesh,' Saber Hossain said. In his speech, State Minister for Planning Md Shahiduzzaman Sarkar said Bangladesh will graduate from the least developed countries (LDCs) in 2026. 'To address climate change and for development of the country, the government is implementing the Perspective Plan, Delta Plan, Mujib Climate Prosperity Plan and National Adaptation Plan,' he said. Lawmaker Nahim Razzaq, Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor Prof AKM Maksud Kamal, World Bank Country Director for Bhutan and Bangladesh Abdoulaye Seck and Additional Secretary of the Environment, Forest and Climate Change Ministry Dr Fahmida Khanam also spoke at the seminar, among others. The guests unveiled the Green Growth publication. Government officials , representatives from non-government organisations, researchers and environmentalists participated in the seminar. The speakers discussed various aspects of achieving green growth in Bangladesh and exchanged views on the country's green growth plan and its implementation process. Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha

The government has reappointed journalist Ranjan Sen as the first secretary (press) at the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Kolkata, India for the next two year on contractual basis. The Public Administration Ministry today issued a notification in this regard, saying that his appointment would come into effect from today or the date of his joining the office as part of the continuation of his current appointment. Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha

The newly appointed Director General (DG) of the Directorate of Primary Education Md. Abdus Samad today paid rich tributes to Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman by placing a wreath at his mausoleum at Tungipara in Gopalganj. After laying the wreath, the DG stood in solemn silence for some time as a mark of profound respect to the memory of the Father of the Nation. Later, he offered munajat seeking eternal peace of the departed souls of Bangabandhu and other martyrs who had to embrace martyrdom on the fateful August 15, 1975. A special prayer was offered seeking longevity of the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her family members. The DG signed the visitors' book at the administrative building of Tungipara Mausoleum Complex. Director of Primary Education Directorate (Administration) Dr. Md. Ataul Gani, Dhaka Divisional Deputy Director Mirza Md. Hasan Khosru, District Primary Education Officer (Acting) Md. AniSur Rahman, Tungipara Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Md. Moinul Haque, Primary Education Officer Masudur Rahman and other officials of the Directorate of Primary Education, among others, were present. Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha

Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Saber Hossain Chowdhury today said an initiative has been taken to ease the environmental clearance certificate issuing process using a new software. 'This will simplify the clearance application process, reducing service-seekers time, costs and visits to the office,' he told the smart transformation workshop on 'the issue of quick-win environmental clearance certificate to build a smart Bangladesh at the Bangladesh Secretariat here. Claiming that anyone can apply for environmental clearance certificate through one stop service, the environment minister said to ensure transparency and accountability, all conditions under which clearance will be granted will be published on website. He said modern technology will be used for the smart transformation of the environmental clearance process. 'There will be facility of complete online submission of application form, uploading of other necessary documents and obtaining clearance. Monitoring of clearance process wi ll be made easy,' he said. Saber Hossain said people seeking environmental clearance will have the facility of online application progress tracking facility and online payment of processing fee, clearance/renewal fee and VAT invoice. 'Fake or unwanted documents can be detected. Clearance application information can be verified for correctness,' he said. Additional Secretary (Development) of the ministry Md Mosharraf Hossain, Additional Secretary (EPC) Tapan Kumar Biswas, Additional Secretary (Environment) Dr Fahmida Khanam and Director General of the Department of Environment (DoE) Dr Abdul Hamid were present at the meeting, among others. Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha

Chief of Army Staff General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed today inaugurated the new built multipurpose shed 'Hall 46' of 46 Independent Infantry Brigade in Dhaka Cantonment. This multipurpose shed will be used for conducting training programs and other administrative activities in any inclement weather, said a release here today. Also, various national and formal/informal events will be held here. During the inauguration, the Army Chief gave instructions to all concerned to ensure proper use of 'Hall 46', the release added. Chief of General Staff of Bangladesh Army, senior military officers of Army Headquarters, officers of 46 Independent Infantry Brigade, JCO and other rank and file military personnel were also present, among others, at the ceremony. Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha

An alarming 9 out of 10 children aged 1-14 years face violent discipline each month by caregivers, affecting over 45 million children in Bangladesh, according to new UNICEF data. Despite progress in child protection, violence, abuse, and exploitation continue to impact millions, a press release of UNICEF said today. According to new UNICEF data, 400 million children under 5 globally - or 6 in 10 children within that age group - regularly endure psychological aggression or physical punishment at home. Of these children, around 330 million are punished through physical discipline. The estimates - released on the first-ever International Day of Play - also emphasize the crucial role of play in children's development and the mental health of children, parents, and caregivers, in response to data that highlights the prevalence of inadequate care giving, including stimulation and interaction at home. UNICEF, in partnership with the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs (MoWCA) and Ministry of Youth and Sports (MoYS) and other ministries, is working to create a violence-free and protected environment for families, communities, and vulnerable populations, including children and adolescents. Sheldon Yett, UNICEF Representative to Bangladesh, said, "Every child deserves to grow up in a safe and nurturing environment. Through our partnerships with the Government of Bangladesh and a community-led approach, we are making significant strides in protecting over 16 million children and women from violence and harmful practices by investing in strengthening families.' 'In 2023 alone, Ministry of Youth and Sports, through the Sports for Development (S4D) program, reached 4.5 million parents nationwide. Our goal is to create a society where every child can thrive and reach their full potential,' he added. The S4D initiative involves parents in discussions on child safety and violence prevention. UNICEF supports these efforts with technical and financial assistance to ensure inclusive sporting activities. Through these init iatives, UNICEF and the government of Bangladesh are leveraging sports to promote child empowerment and prevent violence, ensuring a safer, more inclusive environment for all children. Additionally, UNICEF has established 2,170 Child Protection Community Hubs (CPCHs) in 43 districts, preventing over 1,000 child marriages in 2023. These hubs serve as safe spaces for children and families, providing essential protection services, recreational activities, and psychosocial support. The CPCHs have educated over 6 million community members on preventing violence against children and women and supported key actions like birth registrations and school re-enrollment. On the first-ever International Day of Play, UNICEF calls on government of Bangladesh, civil society, donors, the private sector, and other stakeholders to urgently fulfill the right to play, as per article 31 of the Convention of the Rights of the Child, to guarantee every child's development and wellbeing. Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha

Import-export activities through Sonamasjid Land Port would remain closed for eight days on the occasion of Eid-Ul-Azha. However, the Immigration Department would remain open and the travelers carrying passports would be able to travel as usual. President of Sonamasjid Importer-Exporter Group Kazi Md. Shahabuddin confirmed, saying the import and export activities through the port would remain closed from June 15 to June 20 and it would resume on June 22. Two Fridays - June 14 and June 21 would be included into the closure. Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha

One sailor was confirmed dead, and two others went missing, as a fishing boat capsized in waters off southwestern South Korea, Yonhap news agency said Thursday. The 33-ton trawler was overturned in waters northeast of Gageo Island in Sinan County, around 310 km southwest of the capital Seoul, at about 3:18 a.m. local time (1818 GMT Wednesday). Of the nine people aboard the ill-fated vessel, the captain was found dead and two sailors went unaccounted for. The remaining six crew members were rescued as the coast guard dispatched patrol ships and aircraft to the scene. Search operations were underway to find the missing Indonesian sailors. Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha