Bangladesh
LPG cylinders costlier from today
Be ready to shell out more for a gas cylinder in Bangladesh.
The Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) on Wednesday hiked the price of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) by Tk 1.33 per kg.
This effectively means that a 12kg container will now cost a household Tk 1,235 instead of the earlier Tk 1,219, up by Tk 16.
"Five to 45kg LPG containers will be rationally sold as per the new rates," said BERC acting chairman ABM Faruque.
As per announcement, the price of gas for motor vehicles has been increased to 57.55 per litre instead of the earlier Tk 56.85 per litre.
Read: Rice price hike adds to plight of low-income people in Bagerhat
Faruque said though the LPG price has substantially come down in the global market, consumers are not getting full advantage of the downward trend due to the high dollar price in the local market.
Operators have to import LPG from the international market.
He informed that the dollar exchange rate was considered Tk 104.02 on the basis of the weighted average rate of 16 importing companies' LC settlements.
Referring to the Commission’s discussion with Bangladesh Bank, he said the central bank’s dollar exchange rate is not applicable to private importers.
“BB informed the BERC that only two government entities enjoy the benefits of the central bank’s set dollar rate”, he added.
Read: Why fuel price hike through gazette notification should not be declared illegal: HC
As a result, local banks are not abiding by the dollar rate fixed by Bangladesh Bank. Rather, they set the dollar price depending on the demand and supply and their relation with clients.
Banks are calculating dollar rates much higher than Bangladesh Bank’s rate.
The price of LPG, marketed by state-owned LP Gas Company, will remain as usual as it is locally produced with a market share of less than 5.0 percent.
The LPG price went up to the highest Tk 1,439 (a 12kg cylinder) in the local market, following the start of the Russia-Ukraine war in February this year.
The LPG price was the lowest at Tk 1,225 for a 12 kg cylinder in January this year and it witnessed continuous hikes in February, March and April.
Indian investors can set up industries in Bangladesh through buy-back arrangement: PM
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today (September 7, 2022) said Bangladesh-India cooperation should go beyond trade to enable larger gains.
“It should include investment, finance, services, technology transfer, and be placed within the context of regional cooperation,” she said.
The Prime Minister was speaking at a business event, jointly organised by the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) at ITC Maurya in New Delhi.
Sheikh Hasina urged Indian investors to consider possible investments in infrastructure projects, manufacturing, energy and transport sectors.
Read: Dhaka to list Indian Oil as G2G supplier of refined petroleum products
“Indian investors and business houses can set up industries in Bangladesh through buy-back arrangements — reducing time, cost and resources,” she said.
In the fiscal year of 2021-22, the total FDI inflow to Bangladesh was US$1370.357 million. Of that, only $15.75 million was from India, attributing to 1.15 percent, she noted.
“So definitely, there is a real need for more collaboration between our two countries by way of involving business communities and trade bodies to find avenues towards deriving two-way trade and investment benefits,” the PM said.
In this regard she mentioned that Bangladesh has the most liberal investment regime in the region with a wide array of facilities, attractive incentive policies, and consistent reforms.
Presently, 100 special economic zones and 28 hi-tech parks are being established, aiming to encourage investment and rapid economic development through increase and diversification of industry, employment, production and export, she said.
For Indian investors, two dedicated special economic zones in Mongla and Mirersharai are being developed, the prime minister said.
“I would urge the business houses present here today to invest there. It would further pave the way to harness the goodwill of the two friendly countries, and bring economic prosperity to the region," she said.
She pointed out that Bangladesh is uniquely located to enable Indian investors to move their products to not only northeast India, but also export to Nepal, Bhutan, and Southeast Asian countries.
In the last ten years, the total bilateral trade between Bangladesh and India had an impressive growth with the balance heavily in favour of India, she said.
At present with its improved manufacturing capacity, Bangladesh is prepared to supply quality products at competitive prices to the Indian market, she added.
“We, therefore, invite Indian importers to look at Bangladeshi products which are being imported at higher price from countries far away," said the premier.
She said Bangladesh-India relations are known as a role model of neighborhood diplomacy.
Sheikh Hasina said, India receives the highest number of tourists from Bangladesh while thousands of Indian nationals are working in Bangladesh, contributing to both economies.
“Indeed, the time is ripe for the Indian business community to focus more on Bangladesh and take advantage of its economic growth, cheaper cost and huge consumer base.”
She expressed her confidence that the deep bonds of friendship existing between Bangladesh and India shall continue to grow and flourish.
“As it does, the business communities of both countries should draw close and play their due role in fostering mutual prosperity and economic advancement of our peoples," Sheikh Hasina said.
Read: India has again assured Bangladesh of resolving Teesta issue: Shahriar Alam
The Prime Minister said that no doubt COVID-19 pandemic has greatly affected global trade whereas war in Ukraine has caused significant rise of commodity and fuel prices worldwide.
“It has severely affected the established supply chain. This has led many countries, including those of South Asia, to suffer from an acute economic crisis," she said.
She said Bangladesh is today self-sufficient in food and is now one of the largest global producers of rice, vegetables, grains, and fresh-water fish – to name a few.
“Bangladesh, which had in the past suffered from natural calamities, is today a global example of disaster preparedness and management. It has also achieved huge socio-economic success, attained impressive growth and thus dubbed a ‘development miracle’,” said the PM.
She mentioned that Bangladesh's economy grew over a decade crossing 7 percent in FY 2015-16, and 8 percent in FY 2018-19.
Since 2009, the per capita income has increased three times from around $1,000 to more than $2,800 today, she said.
“Moreover, remittance in the fiscal year 2021-2022 increased to USD 21,031.68 million. These indices reflect the strength of Bangladesh’s economy.”
She said that Bangladesh has implemented mega projects to accelerate the growth of industries and to take full advantage of our strategic location.
The Prime Minister said Padma Bridge, Bangladesh’s longest, was built entirely with its own funds, and has connected 21 southern districts directly with the capital and other parts of the country.
“It is expected to boost the country’s gross domestic product by 2-3 percent.”
In the last decade, she mentioned, several other infrastructure projects have been initiated in Bangladesh.
Among these are Bangladesh’s first metro rail project MRT Line-6, Karnaphuli Tunnel — the first and longest underwater road tunnel in South Asia, Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, Dhaka Elevated Expressway, Dhaka Airport Third Terminal and some other mega-projects, she cited.
“Once completed, they would contribute substantially to Bangladesh’s GDP growth," said the prime minister.
Bangladesh Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi, Indian Minister for Development of North Eastern Region G. Kishan Reddy, President of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FBCCI) Md Jashim Uddin and
Director General of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Chandrajit Banerjee spoke on the occasion.
Shirin leaves for Tashkent to attend women speakers' summit
Jatiya Sangsad speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury on Wednesday morning departed for Tashkent to attend the 14th Summit of Women Speakers of Parliament (14WSP).
The two-day summit, convened by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), in cooperation with the Oliy Majlis (the Supreme Assembly) of Uzbekistan, begins in capital Tashkent on Thursday.
Dr Chaudhary is scheduled to join different sessions of the 14WSP, addressing issues like the risks of the post-pandemic global recovery, preventing tech-related risks and preserving human rights, and gender equality in a hi-tech world.
Also read: ICRC delegation head meets Dr Shirin
Dr Shirin is scheduled to return home on September 11, said a Parliament release.
Dhaka’s air quality turns ‘moderate’
Dhaka's air quality has turned ‘moderate’.
With an air quality index (AQI) score of 77 at 9.10am on Wednesday, the densely populated metropolis ranked 24th in the list of world cities with the worst air quality.
An AQI between 50 and 100 is considered ‘moderate’ with an acceptable air quality. However, there may be a moderate health concern for a very small number of people who are unusually sensitive to air pollution.
Vietnam's Hanoi, Indonesia's Jakarta, Pakistan’s Lahore and Kuwait's Kuwait City occupied the first fourth spots in the list, with AQI scores of 162, 153, 152, and 151, respectively.
Read: Effects of Air Pollution on Unborn Children, Neonates, Infants
An AQI between 101 and 200 is considered 'unhealthy', particularly for sensitive groups.
Similarly, an AQI between 201 and 300 is said to be 'poor', while a reading of 301 to 400 is considered 'hazardous', posing serious health risks to residents.
AQI, an index for reporting daily air quality, is used by government agencies to inform people how clean or polluted the air of a certain city is, and what associated health effects might be a concern for them.
In Bangladesh, the AQI is based on five criteria pollutants -- Particulate Matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2 and Ozone.
Dhaka has long been grappling with air pollution issues. Its air quality usually turns unhealthy in winter and improves during the monsoon.
With the advent of winter, the city’s air quality starts deteriorating sharply due to the massive discharge of pollutant particles from construction work, rundown roads, brick kilns and other sources.
Read: Global pollution kills 9 million people a year, study finds
Air pollution consistently ranks among the top risk factors for death and disability worldwide. Breathing polluted air has long been recognised as increasing a person’s chances of developing a heart disease, chronic respiratory diseases, lung infections and cancer, according to several studies.
As per the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year, largely as a result of increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer and acute respiratory infections.
Global Covid cases top 611 million
The overall number of global Covid cases has surged past 611 million amid a rise in new infections in parts of the world.
According to the latest global data, the total case count mounted to 611,332,790 while the death toll reached 6,507,033 on Wednesday morning.
The US has recorded 96,716,573 cases so far and 1,073,295 people have died from the virus in the country, both highest counts around the world.
India's daily Covid-19 caseload Tuesday decreased to 4,417, officials said.
According to federal health ministry data released on Tuesday morning, 4,417 new cases were reported in 24 hours, taking the total tally to 44,466,862 in the country.
Read: Dengue claims five more lives in 24 hrs, 284 others hospitalised
With the new fresh cases, India's active caseload currently stands at 52,336.
The country also logged 23 related deaths in 24 hours, pushing the overall toll to 528,030 since the beginning of the pandemic, the ministry said.
Meanwhile, Pakistan recorded 98 new Covid-19 cases on Monday, bringing the total cases to 1,570,304, the Ministry of Health said on Tuesday.
A total of 30,593 people died of Covid in Pakistan, with no more deaths reported on Monday, said the ministry.
Covid in Bangladesh
Bangladesh reported one more Covid-linked death and 313 cases in 24 hours till Tuesday morning.
With the new numbers, the country's total fatalities rose to 29,329 and caseload to 2,013,407, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Read: Newborn twins die due to lack of oxygen at private clinic in Chattogram
The daily case test positivity rate rose to 6.71 percent from Monday's 6.68 percent as 4,662 samples were tested.
The latest deceased was a man from Dhaka division.
The mortality rate remained unchanged at 1.46 percent while the recovery rate dropped to 97.23 percent.
Bangladesh registered its highest daily caseload of 16,230 on July 28 last year and daily fatalities of 264 on August 10 the same year.
Dhaka to list Indian Oil as G2G supplier of refined petroleum products
Bangladesh has agreed to designate Indian Oil Corporation Limited as a Government to Government, or G2G, supplier of refined petroleum products, according to Indian Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra.
“So that is very much there on the cards. The discussions have been taking place between the relevant officials. The term sheet of those discussions and the decision - that is something which the officials will work out between them,” he told reporters at a media briefing in New Delhi yesterday night (September 6, 2022).
Read:India has again assured Bangladesh of resolving Teesta issue: Shahriar Alam
The two leaders – Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi - welcomed ongoing discussions on establishing cross border interconnections to help both India and Bangladesh meet their energy needs, Kwatra said.
They also reviewed progress on the India-Bangladesh Friendship Pipeline, a project that they are undertaking through grant, he said, adding that it will enable movement of high speed diesel from India to Northern Bangladesh.
“In this context, we welcome the recent decision of Bangladesh to list Indian Oil Corporation Limited as a registered government to government supplier of refined petroleum products, which will of course, further help boost cooperation between our two countries in the energy sector,” said the Indian foreign secretary.
Responding to a question on defence cooperation, he said, “I think the first contract under the defence Line of Credit was signed earlier this week. I'm sure you have been following this closely. It was a modest amount but it was an important first step.”
Read:India to remain reliable partner in dev journey of Bangladesh: President Murmu
The Indian foreign secretary said it may be a defence LoC but it is also a part of the development partnership framework.
“It also has a landing under security and strategic cooperation. Our effort is that this will open up a path for further engagement between the two countries in the field of defence and security and take our cooperation further,” he added.
Kwatra said one of the main elements of discussions and one of the main lines of effort on both sides for further cooperation is to build a resilient supply chain of bilateral trade in goods - both perishable and non-perishable, or commodities, both food and non-food. “All those elements were part of these discussions.”
He said the two sides laid emphasis on strengthening these supply chains further and ensuring that they remain uninterrupted to the extent possible.
Nagar Paribahan buses to ply two new routes from Oct 13
The buses of Nagar Paribahan will be launched on two new routes from October 13, Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh said Tuesday.
The decision was taken at the 24th committee meeting of the Bus Route Rationalization Committee, held at the Buriganga Hall of Nagar Bhaban with Fazle Noor Taposh chairing.
The DSCC mayor revealed the development while talking to reporters after the meeting.
The two new routes will be numbered 22 and 26.
Read:Nagar Paribahan service resumes in Khulna city after 2 years
Route 22 will run from Ghatarchar - Washpur - Basila - Mohammadpur Town Hall - Karwan Bazar - Shahbagh - Kakrail Fakirapool - Motijheel - Tikatuli - Syedabad - Jatrabari - Konapara - Demra Staff Quarters.
Route 26 will take in Ghatarchar-Washpur-Basila-Mohammadpur-Japan Garden City-Shyamoli- College Gate-Asad Gate-Kalabagan-Science Lab-New Market - Azimpur - Palashi - Chankhar Pool - through Flyover - Postogola Kadamatoli.
The launch of Route 23, announced earlier, has been pushed back however, to November 30 , said the mayor.
Biman remained in profit through pandemic: State Minister
National flag carrier Biman is now a profitable organisation, thanks to the efforts and various initiatives taken by the government, according to State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Md Mahbub Ali.
Addressing the 'Dialogue' program of the Bangladesh Secretariat Reporters’ Forum (BSRF), Mahbub Ali also disclosed that Biman remained profitable even during the Covid-19 pandemic, defying the norm for airlines globally. The salaries and allowances of all the Biman staff are paid from its own income, he added.
The program was held Tuesday at the Secretariat in Dhaka.
Mahbub Ali said Biman had taken out a Tk1,000 crore loan in the form of a government incentive during the pandemic period with soft terms. Within a year of taking the money, Biman repaid the loan with interest from its profits.
“The airlines have to pay their employees from their own earnings as all authorities under the Civil Aviation Ministry are commercial and they need to bear their expenses from their own earnings,” he claimed.
Read: “Will take action over allegations of corruption, nepotism in recruiting Biman pilots”
The government doesn’t allocate a budget for Biman, he added.
"Giants of the airline industry across the globe incurred losses during the pandemic. The tourism sector has gone through a massive disaster," the junior minister said. "But we worked relentlessly. We tried to communicate with the foreign embassies, so that Biman could survive operating cargo flights. We continued earning and Biman's accounts stayed in the black during the period."
Despite the unstable global market situation and the domestic hike in fuel prices, Biman received a positive response to its newly-introduced Dhaka-Toronto-Dhaka route, and the flights on this route were fully booked, claimed Mahbub.
"We want to run Biman in the right way. The flights of Biman are now departing at the right time. Those involved in irregularities would face legal action,” he further added.
“We are now working to ensure service of an international standard,” he said. “To ensure it, we asked the authorities concerned to remain alert, so that passengers don't face unnecessary hassles. Also, passengers must not suffer due to extra cautionary measures.”
As the prime minister directed to ensure necessary services for the passengers, the state minister and Biman’s managing director are visiting airports regularly to monitor the services, Mahbub added.
Read:ACC approves charges against 3 former, 1 current Biman high-ups
He is hopeful that the sufferings of the passengers will cease to a large extent once the third terminal at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka starts operating in October 2023.
He also mentioned the government’s initiatives to develop the airports and cargo handling across the country.
Regarding developments in the tourism sector, Mahbub Ali said the sector had faced huge losses during the pandemic. After lifting the restrictions given for the pandemic, the sector has started seeing profits again. In the first three months following the lifting of restrictions, the sector had already posted profits of around Tk 6 crores.
BSRF President Tapan Bishwas presided over the programme while its General Secretary Masudul Hoque moderated.
Newborn twins die due to lack of oxygen at private clinic in Chattogram
An aggrieved father has blamed the private clinic where his wife gave birth for the subsequent deaths of the newborn twins, within hours of being born on Tuesday.
The tragedy occurred at the Matriseba Normal Delivery Centre, a private clinic in the Port City’s Jhornapara area.
The victims’ father Md Monir, a tempo driver, said his wife was admitted to the clinic when she went into labour around noon on Tuesday.
“My wife gave birth to twins around half an hour after she was hospitalized,” said Monir, adding that the clinic asked him to shift the babies to Chattogram Medical College Hospital (CMCH) for better treatment.
Read: Stolen newborn rescued in Ctg; 3 held
“Though the clinic demanded Tk 10,000 for their service, I paid Tk 5,000 since the babies were delivered normally,” he said.
While he was engaged in arguing over this with the clinic authorities, the babies apparently died due to lack of oxygen. Monir blames the clinic for not letting him go and take his children to CMCH without paying the full amount.
A tense situation befell the clinic as news of the tragedy spread through the area, said witnesses.
Md Sakhawat Hossain, the OC of Double Mooring police station, said a team was dispatched to the clinic as soon as they learned about it, and they eventually brought the situation under control.
The clinic was put under lock and key and four staff members were detained by police. OC Sakhawat said that legal action will be taken once allegations are filed officially with police.
7 young men missing from Cumilla since Aug 23
Seven male students belonging to different institutions in Cumilla have been missing since August 23.
Although ranging in age from 17 to 25, they all knew each other, and left home without their mobile phones.
The students are--Cumilla Victoria Government College’s HSC examinees Imran Bin Rahman and Samy, Cumilla Government College’s HSC examinees Hasibul Islam and Nihal, Imtiaz Ahmed Rifat and Aminul Islam Alamin of Victoria College, and Niloy, a recent graduate of Dhaka’s Daffodil University.
Missing Imran’s father Mujibur Rahman said his son had no connection to anything except studies, college, coaching and namaz (prayer). However from his own statement it is learned that Imran was attending a Tabligh e Jamaat programme too.
Read: Missing student’s body recovered from Bay in Cox’s Bazar
“On August 23, Imran told me that he would go to a Tabligh programme from his coaching and take time to return home,” Mujibur said, adding that he started searching after Imran didn’t come back that night. Or since, for that matter.
The following day, a general diary was filed at the Kotwali Model Police Station. Eventually the Rapid Action Battalion was informed, Imran’s father said.
Md Afzal Hossain, additional superintendent of police (ASP) of the district, said they have been investigating since September 5.
“We cannot say anything on whether they all went off together somewhere before we complete our investigation,” he said.
Major Muhammad Sakib, commandant of Rab-11, also refused to share anything on the ongoing investigation.