Satkhira, Jan 23 (UNB) – Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Huq on Wednesday said a law will have to be formulated so that children of Jamaat leaders do not get government jobs.

“Not only banning Jamaat organisationally, but also assets of its leaders will have to be confiscated. A new law will have to be framed so that their children don’t get government jobs,” he said while exchanging views with freedom fighters at the Shilpakala Academy auditorium.

The minister said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is working for ensuring welfare of freedom fighters. 

He said freedom fighters will be brought under housing schemes. “An amount of Tk 5 lakh is being provided for constructing houses of insolvent freedom fighters each.”

Mozammel also said from now on, Tk 10,000 will be provided for the burial of a freedom fighter after death. “If anyone dies at a distant place, Tk 40,000 will be provided for him.”
 

Bagerhat, Jan 23 (UNB) – A sand-laden bulkhead drowned following impact with another vessel in the Passhur Channel on Wednesday morning.

Mongla Port Vessel Labour Federation Central Committee President Baharul Islam said the 14,000-foot sand-carrying bulkhead MV Zubayr was going to Khulna from Sunamganj when it reached the area in the morning and dropped anchor. At some point its anchor became untethered and MV Zubayr drifted to hit another vessel, resulting in the bulkhead drowning in the channel.

Nine crew members on board at the time managed to swim safely to the river bank, Baharul informed.

Soon after the vessel drowned, Mongla Port Harbour officials informed the owner to salvage the vessel as soon as possible, said Port Master Commander Durul Huda.

Dhaka, Jan 23 (UNB) – The authorities of secondary schools are going to implement a cleanliness programme at their institutions from January 30.

This decision was made after a meeting among the education officials at the Education Ministry conference room today.

Education Ministry's Secondary and Higher Education Division Secretary Md Sohrab Hossain said the allegation of unhygienic environment in the school premises is not new. Most of the school authorities could not pay attention to this aspect.

The Education Ministry gave a directive to ensure school block cleanliness and hygienic education environment following the constant allegations of dirty and unhygienic toilet conditions at Viqarunnisa Noon School and College in the city.   

The main objective of the programme decided on today would be to ensure neat and clean hygienic environment for the students as well as to make the students aware of the benefits of a healthy lifestyle, the secretary added.

Before the programme can be implemented however, all educational institutions will have to prepare themselves with necessary brooms and buckets.

Dhaka, Jan 23 (UNB)-  Anti Corruption Commission ( ACC) on Wednesday filed an embezzlement case against 13 individuals including two Deputy General Managers (DGM) of Basic Bank,  Imrul Islam and Shakil Mahmud Sharfuddin.

Deputy Assistant Director of ACC  Mohammad Jinnatul Islam filed the case with city's Gulshan police station.

The other people are - PC Avenue company's  Rojina Ahmed, Dhali Moajjem Hossain, Motlub Hossain, Mossaraf Hossain, former deputy general manager of Basic Bank Shah Alam  and advance officer Faruk Ahmed Bhuiyan, former branch manager of Gulshan M Asif Ahmmed, director of Bhuiyan Associates M Hossain Bhuiyan and consultant Mohiuddin Shikdar, and former instructor of Dhaka Polytechnic Institute Khalilur Rahman.

According to the case, the accused people embezzled around Tk 7,92,42,392 (Tk 7 crore 92 lakh 42,392)
 

Dhaka, Jan 23 (UNB) – Information Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud on Wednesday said BNP should observe December 30 as the ‘disaster day’ for its debacle in the 11th parliamentary election on the day.

“Fakhrul (BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir) has said December 30 is a day of great disaster for democracy. Actually, it’s not like that. It’s a day for great calamity for BNP. They should observe the day as their disaster day,” he said.

The minister was exchanging views with Bangladesh Secretariat Reporters’ Forum (BSRF) at the Secretariat.

Claiming that BNP did the negative politics in the last 10 years, he said Bangladesh could have moved much forward had there been no negative politics. “There’s a need for criticism. But when criticism turns blind, it brings no welfare. When political vengeance turns into confrontation, it hurts the state.”

Noting that conflicting politics needs to come to an end, Hasan Mahmud said journalists’ role in this regard is very important.

He also said the country has completely changed whether anyone believes it or not. “Bangladesh is one of the few countries in the world that could maintain over 7 percent growth.”

Turning to journalists, the minister said he was working to resolve their various problems after consulting them.

He said they were trying how more projects can be taken for the welfare of journalists.