Month: July 2024

A health post building was constructed at Chimkhola village in Raghuganga Rural Municipality-7, a geographically remote site in the Myagdi district. Starting in the fiscal year 2078/079 BS, the rural municipality completed the facility with a total cost of Rs 16.7 million in the current fiscal year, chief of the technical section of the rural municipality Kamal Bahadur Chokhal said. The newly-constructed building comprises rooms for health workers and drug storage, a meeting hall and others including a residential section. The building is spread over an area of five ropani of land, which was managed by the local residents and the rural municipality. Chairman of Raghuganga Rural Municipality-7 Thak Bahadur Paija said that they are preparing for the beginning of the health care services from the building soon. With the latest facility for the health care service, the rural municipality now has health post buildings in all eight wards except in Ward No. 1. Source: National News Agency RSS

Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Faruk Khan, MP, has said Bangladesh will benefit from the India-Nepal-Bhutan connectivity. "Connectivity means development along with acceleration of trade and business," he said while inaugurating the Bangladesh Festival at Collectorate playground here this afternoon as chief guest. Salient features of the festival are showcasing of varieties of sweetmeat, mangoes, silk finished products, crafts and tourism attractive materials in 67 stalls. Bangladesh Tourism Board organized the three-day festival supported by the Commissioner Office of Rajshahi division, SME Foundation, Food Safety Authority and BSCIC. With Secretary to the ministry Mokammel Hoossain in the chair, the inaugural meeting was addressed, among others, by Prof Shafiqur Rahman, MP, Chairman of Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation Aftab Hossain Pramanik and Chairman of SME Foundation Dr Masudur Rahman as special guests. Commissioner of Rajshahi division Dr Dewan Muhammad Humayun Kabir, Deputy Inspector General of Police Anisur Rahman, Commissioner of Rajshahi Metropolitan Police Biplob Bijoy Talukder and Deputy Commissioner of Rajshahi Shamim Ahmed also spoke. Faruque Khan said during her visit to India, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina tried her best to boost Bangladesh's connectivity with India, Nepal and Bhutan through Rajshahi. With this breakthrough, trade and business of Rajshahi people will be elevated, he hoped. Faruk Khan also said there is a direction from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to him towards Rajshahi's development. He said there are also plans for establishing a tourism city in the shoals of the Padma river and construction of a modern resort in Chapainawabganj. He told the audience that they have already been working for diversified development of Rajshahi Airport along with widening of its runway. "We are thinking about transforming it into an international airport," he added. Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha

Kathmandu: The government has assigned attorney Ram Kumar Thapa as the member of Foreign Employment Tribunal. The meeting of the Council of Ministers held recently took various decisions which were shared by Minister for Communications and Information Rekha Sharma at a press conference in the ministry on Friday. Minister Sharma informed that the government decided for presenting a bill on amendment of Economic Work Procedure and Fiscal Accountability Act, 2076, and a bill designed to amend Nepal Legal Practitioners' Council Act, 2050 in the federal parliament. The Cabinet meeting accepted some Rs 382 million to be provided by the Japan government for the capacity building of the civil employees through scholarship scheme. The term of the commission formed to investigate the problems relating to loan-sharking has been extended till coming October 1. As per government decisions, 35.77 hectares of land belonging to the national forest in Sangurigadhi rural municipality, Sahidbhumi rural municipality and Pak hribas municipality would be used for construction of road section from Chatara-Leguwaghat. Similarly, the land would be acquired for canals under the Rani-Jamara-Kulariya Irrigation Project for Lamki section. The government spokesperson further shared that the Herb Production and Processing Company would be allowed to own 0.83 hectares of land belonging to the national forest in Gorkha district for the establishment of its store and processing unit. Even a committee has been formed under the coordination of former justice Shekhar Prasad Paudel to study the land and other properties including buildings that belong to the Nepal Sanskrit University for better use, protection and management. Source: National News Agency RSS

Grand Master Ziaur Rahman passed away following a heart attack while competing in the 12th round match of the ongoing National Chess Championship in Dhaka on Friday, Bangladesh Chess Federation chief arbitrator Harun Ur Rashid told BSS this evening. He was 50. GM Ziaur was competing against his fellow GM Enamul Hossain Rajib at the Chess Federation hall room where he suddenly fell to the ground around 5:50 pm, Harun said. Later, he was rushed to Ibrahim Cardiac Hospital for treatment where the attending doctors declared him dead at 6.30 pm. Grandmaster Ziaur Rahman was born on May 1, 1974. Ziaur received the FIDE title of Grandmaster in 2002. He holds the highest FIDE rating ever achieved by a Bangladeshi chess player. Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha

Number of mothers aged below 20 has reached 17 percent in Jumla , according to the Public Health Service Office, Jumla. The office shared the number of teenage girls below 20 has become mothers in all eight local governments here. On the occasion of an orientation programme on health organized here today, Office Chief Krishna Devkota shared that Guthichaur rural municipality accounted for 33 per cent of the pregnant women before 20. Similarly, 13 per cent girls in Chandannath municipality, 22 per cent in Tila rural municipality, 20 per cent in Tatopani, 24 per cent in Patarasi, 20 per cent in Kanakasundari, 17 per cent in Hima and 15 per cent in Sinja rural municipality have become pregnant before 20 years old. The office has also been working in collaboration with the local levels for leprosy control programme. There are 2.5 percent leprosy patients in the district.0 As informed, 78.2 percent children in the district have access to vaccination through the vaccination programme. Source: National News Ag ency RSS

Jatiya Sangsad (JS) Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury today praised the Malaysian government for providing job opportunities to around five lakh Bangladeshi-manpower. Expressing her gratitude to the Malaysian government, she said: 'Malaysia has involved a large number of human resources from Bangladesh in their development activities. They (Bangladesh manpower) are contributing to the economic development of both countries.' The speaker came up with the appreciation as she met Speaker of the House of Representatives of Malaysia Tan Sri Dato' Johari bin Abdul at a bilateral meeting in the Parliament of Malaysia, a press release said. In the meeting, Tan Sri Dato' Johari bin Abdul also praised Bangladeshi workers, saying that they are very hardworking and talented. About the Bangladeshi workers, who have failed to reach Malaysia recently, he suggested discussing the matter with the Ministry of Human Resources. He said Bangladesh is experiencing massive development spree under the leadership of Prime Min ister Sheikh Hasina. He recommended Bangladesh to continue holding dialogue with the Myanmar government on Rohingya repatriation issue. Speaker Shirin congratulated Malaysia as it got chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2025. She sought Malaysia's sincere cooperation in considering Bangladesh's application to become ASEAN's 'Sectoral Dialogue Partner'. Tan Sri Dato' Johari bin Abdul said Malaysia will play a strong role in resolving the Rohingya crisis as the ASEAN chair. Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha

Humla district witnessed a disruption in flights owing to adverse weather for the past three days. According to Chief of the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal, Simkot, Mahendra Bahadur Singh, the flights were affected badly from Wednesday. Though aircrafts of Tara, Sita and Summit Airs tried to make flights to Simkot from Nepalgunj, they could not conduct the service due to hostile weather, he added. Tourists, who were ready to return after worshipping the Mansarobar Kailash, have started returning Kathmandu from Taklakot of China via Tibetan route and Kerung check point of Rasuwa following the disruption of flights. Similarly, passengers heading towards Nepalgunj and Surkhet have been stranded in Simkot. Source: National News Agency RSS

State Minister for Posts, Telecommunication and Information Technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak has said digital space must remain safe for future generations and mental health awareness should be created among people using cyber space. 'There are 5 to 6 crore Facebook users in the country now, and it is our responsibility to keep the digital space safe for future generations. We must work together to stop cyberbullying, remove negative content, and raise mental health awareness,' he told a discussion yesterday (Thursday). He said: 'To achieve the vision of Smart Bangladesh, we must protect the mental health of our children'. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Bangladesh and the Bangladesh Computer Council (BCC) under the ICT Division jointly organised the discussion titled 'Leveraging ICT for Advancing Mental Health Services' as part of the Partnerships for a More Tolerant, Inclusive Bangladesh (PTIB) project, a UNDP press release said today. The event, held at the BCC Conference Room in ICT Towe r here, gathered key stakeholders like government officials, mental health professionals, ICT experts, representatives from civil society, and international partners to discuss strategies for enhancing mental health services and combating digital harms through the innovative use of information and communication technology (ICT) and promote a more tolerant and inclusive digital environment. Speaking as the chief guest Palak said partnerships among government, private sector, NGOs, academia, and media are essential. 'Training teachers as mental health first aid providers and offering counselling in community clinics with technology can raise awareness. By educating our 350 members of parliament on digital harm and mental health, we can enhance nationwide awareness of this critical issue,' he added. Earlier, Faisal Bin Majid, Research Analyst for the PTIB Project, UNDP presented the outcomes of the 'Integrating Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) to Address Digital Harms' pilot initiative at BRAC U niversity and Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam University. From August 2023 to May 2024, as a partner of this initiative, 'Moner Bondhu' a psychosocial support agency, trained 120 students as 'Mental Health First Aid Responders' to help their peers combat cyberbullying and digital harms. Over the past nine months, these responders assisted 563 students, and over 800 students received resilience training. Md Samsul Arefin, Secretary of the ICT Division, highlighted the importance of the pilot project at BRAC University in protecting mental health from cyberbullying and other digital harms. He said, 'This is the right time to expand this initiative nationwide to build Smart Bangladesh. We need to ensure our young generation is safe online in terms of their mental health.' Dr Bushra Binte Alam, Senior Health Specialist from the World Bank, stressed the need for accessible mental health care in both urban and rural areas. Strategic plans must be inclusive to reach marginalised populations lacking access to techn ology. The event highlighted the joint initiative of the ICT Division and UNDP to leverage ICT for advancing mental health services in Bangladesh, aligning with the National Mental Health Strategic Plan 2020-2030 and the National Mental Health Operational Plan (2024-2029). Participants included PTIB Project Director Md. Abu Sayed, senior officials from UNDP Bangladesh, WHO Bangladesh, and other stakeholders. Tawhida Shiropa, Founder and CEO of 'Moner Bondhu', moderated the policy discussion. Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha

The website of the Office of the Chief Minister and Council of Ministers in Sudurpaschim Province has been hacked on Friday. Information Officer at the Office, Jagadish Prasad Joshi, shared that they informed the Department of Information Technology, Kathmandu, soon after learning that the website was hacked. Efforts were on to recover the site. While opening the website, it read the portal was hacked by Cookies called Captain Smoker 3R, he added. The office portal has not been restored till this evening. Source: National News Agency RSS

Kathmandu: Nepali Congress (NC) leader Dr. Shekhar Koirala said efforts would be made to include arrangement of the Labour Commission in course of the constitution amendment. At an interaction 'Leader of Revolution and Peace: GP Koirala', organized here today by the GP Koirala Labour Foundation on the occasion of the birth centenary of the late Girija Prasad Koirala, he highlighted the equal importance and relevance of the Labour Commission which was arranged in the Interim Constitution, 2063 BS for now. "In the Interim Constitution, the provision of labour commission was enshrined in the Constitution issued by the Constituent Assembly in 2072 BS due to Girijababu. The provision of caste commission was included, but the arrangement of labour commission was missed in the Constitution, 2072. I had made efforts to include labour commission in the constitution but failed. I am confident that the issue would draw consensus", Dr Shekhar claimed. He stressed the need to be careful in this regard as the country wo uld face difficulties if the agreement reached between the Nepali Congress and the Nepal Communist Party (UML) could not be implemented. Leader Koirala said that the Constitution should also be amended to address the people's aspirations to reform electoral system. He argued the electoral system should also be reformed for political stability in the country. NC assistant general secretary Jeevan Pariyar said the government should be run as per the agreement reached between the NC and the UML so that no one can raise questions. He said the Constitution would be amended to establish a labour commission. NC leaders Pushkar Acharya, Laxman Bahadur Basnet, Bijaya Bahadur Swar, Tejendra Jung Karki, Ajay Kumar Rai, Sudha Dahal, Matrika Prasad Shiwakoti, among others, had demanded amendment to the constitution and provision of a labour commission to protect the rights of the working class. On the occasion, certificates were distributed to the newly elected office bearers and members of the Foundation. Source: N ational News Agency RSS

Two workers of under-construction Bhotekoshi hydropower project at Bhotekoshi rural municipality of Sindhupalchowk have gone missing after the slab of the structure collapsed. Those who went missing are Ramdin Tharu and Suma Tharu of Bardiya district. Similarly, seven workers were injured in the slab collapse. Police Inspector at the Area Police Office, Bahrabise, Devendra Raj Joshi, shared that the upper structure of cover-slab of the under-construction project was breached. The construction of the project had begun a year ago. All the injured ones were rescued and now undergoing treatment at Bahrabise-based Kiston Hospital and Bahrabise Municipal Hospital. Search for the missing is underway, added Joshi. The injured are Lahanu Tharu and Durga Chaudhary of Bardiya, Aeit Bahadur Thami, Bijay Thami, Gopal Thami, Deepak Thami, Aiet Man Thami, Padam Bahadur Thami and Ram Chandra Rimal of Kalinchowk, Dolakha, and Sasan Roka Magar of Rolpa. Nepal Police, the APF Nepal and the Nepali Army are deputed in the i ncident site. Source: National News Agency RSS

As many as 80 schools located at four upazilas of the district have been closed due to flood caused by incessant rain and hilly waters from the upstream of India. Bangladesh Water Development Board (BWDB) office sources said with the rise of water level in the Brahmaputra the river was flowing over 87 cm over the danger level at Fulchharighat point of the district this morning at 9am. As a result, the chars located at eastern side of the mighty river and river basins at western side under four Sundarganj, Sadar, Fulchhari and Saghata upazilas here have been flooded creating untold sufferings. Subsequently, a total of 28, 928 families of the upazilas have also been marooned. Many affected families had taken shelter on the flood control embankment with their belongings including domestic animals. The schools which are located in the chars under 24 unions of the upazilas went under waist deep water. The schools which are located in the river basin areas are surrounded by flood water. Flood wateralso ente red the school ground and the class rooms. At this moment, there is no environment to conduct academic activities for the students. Taking the matter to cognizance, the concerned authority declared the closure of 80 schools of the district. Of them 70 are Primary schools and the rest 10 are secondary schools. District education officer Rokshana Begum and district primary education officer Md. Shahidul Islam confirmed it. They also suspected that number of the closed schools might increase more because the district administration has prepared 181 schools as permanent and temporary flood shelter centers though no flood victim has taken shelter in the centers till filing of this report at 4 pm. Deputy Commissioner (DC) Kazi Nahid Rasul said all kinds of preparations have been taken by the district and upazila administrations to deal with the flood situation properly. Dry food and rice are being distributed to the flood affected people of the upazilas at the initiative of the administration to mitigate the sufferings caused by flood, she concluded. Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha