Bangladesh
B’desh gets $750 mln foreign investment in startup in a decade: Palak
The country has received foreign investment of over $750 million in the startup sector in a decade, said State Minister for Information and Communication Technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak on Wednesday.
He said this at the BCC auditorium of ICT Tower in Dhaka while participating in the second phase of Investment Assistance for Startups under the "Shotoborshe Shoto Alo" campaign organized by ICT Department’s Startup Bangladesh Limited.
Read: Inter-operable Digital Transaction to begin from January: Palak
He said the government is providing financial assistance to the country’s nearly 22,500 startups through Bangabandhu Innovation Grand (Big), the idea project of Startup Bangladesh Limited.
Palak said "Shotoborshe Shoto Alo", an initiative by the department to commemorate the birth centenary of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the golden jubilee of Bangladesh, aims to invest Tk 100 crore in 50 startups and create entrepreneurial culture and employment in the country.
As part of this, an investment agreement was signed today to provide capital assistance of Tk 17 crore to eight startups in the second phase.
As an investor, Sami Ahmed, managing director of Startup Bangladesh Ltd. and CEOs of the eight companies signed the agreement on behalf of their respective organizations. The eight startups are- Hello Task, 10 Minutes School, iFarmer, Frontier Nutrition, Loop, Zantrik, Shuttle and Truck Lagbe.
In the first phase, seven startups were given Tk 17 crore.
Palak said the initiative would create a national entrepreneurial platform in the country and accelerate the implementation of new innovations.
Read:Remotest region to connect with broadband internet by 2025: Palak
Specialized labs in 53 universities, Fourth Industrial Revolution Centers, Joy Digital Service Centers in 494 upazilas, 300 Schools of Future, Sheikh Hasina Institute of Frontier Technology are being set up to cope with the Fourth Industrial Revolution, he added.
Executive Director of Bangladesh Computer Council Dr Md Abdul Mannan, Ambassador of Turkey to Bangladesh Mustafa Osman Turan and President of Bangladesh Association of Call Centers and Outsourcing Wahid Sharif spoke at the event among others.
Canadian envoy lauds icddr,b’s research works, innovations
Canadian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Dr Lilly Nicholls has said she is impressed by the volume of public health research of icddr,b and how easily the research gets translated to low-cost solutions.
Dr Lilly Nicholls paid her first visit to International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research, Bangladesh (icddr,b) at Mohakhali on Wednesday.
She commended the incredible partnership between icddr,b and Canada that spans over two decades.
2 killed C’nawabganj road crash
Two people were killed in collision between a motorbike and a goods-carrying truck at Kharakpur in Shibganj upazila on Wednesday.
The deceased were identified as Nazmul Islam Sumon, 35, son of late Liaquat Ali of Dhobra village and Momin, 19, son of Abu Bakkar of Namo Koyladiar village of the upazila.
Read: 2 killed in Barishal road crash
Chowdhury Jobayer Ahmed, officer-in-charge (OC) of Shibganj police station, said the motorcycle collided with a Kansat-bound goods-laden truck in Kharakpur area around 11am, leaving two people seriously injured.
Later, they were rushed to the Shibganj Upazila Health Complex where doctors declared motorcyclist Sumon dead.
Momin, the truck driver, died while undergoing treatment there, he added.
Petition for extending Khaleda’s sentences suspension sent to Law Ministry: Home Minister
The petition seeking extension of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s jail term suspension has been sent to the Law Ministry for scrutinising, said Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan.
“We have got an application from the family of Khaleda and we have sent it to the Law Ministry,” he said.
Read:Slashing VAT, taxes on essential commodities during Ramadan under consideration: Home Minister
The home minister came up with the information while talking to reporters after a meeting on law and order situation on the occasion of Independence Day at the Bangladesh Secretariat.
Meanwhile, Law Minister Anisul Haque said Khaleda’s petition has arrived in the ministry.
“We will send the petition to the Home Ministry with our observation and the Home ministry will give its opinion on it.”
On February 8, 2018, Khaleda was sent to the Old Dhaka Central Jail after a subordinate court sentenced her to five years’ imprisonment in Zia Orphanage Trust corruption case. The High Court later doubled her jail term.
The former prime minister was found guilty in another corruption case the same year. Her party claims both cases are politically motivated.
Mirpur building catches fire
A fire broke out in a building in the city’s Mirpur area Wednesday noon.
According to fire service, the fire broke out on the second floor of the five-story building behind South BSCIC Co-operative Market around 1.30 pm.
Read: Moving bus catches fire on Dhaka-Chattogram highway
On information, five firefighting units rushed to the spot and brought the blaze under control after an hour.
However, no causality was reported.
Elderly woman in Ctg falls to death from terrace
A 65-year-old woman died after allegedly falling off the terrace of her three-storey building in Patiya upazila of Chattogram district Wednesday.
The deceased was identified as Sanwara Begum, wife of Ayub Ali of the Patiya municipality area.
Read:10-yr-old student found dead in Ctg madrasa
The woman's family members told the local police that Sanawara went to the terrace at 10.30am for spraying water on her plants. She allegedly slipped and fell down.
Sanawara was rushed to Chattogram Medical College and Hospital, where doctors declared her dead on arrival, said sub-inspector Alauddin, in-charge of the local police camp.
PM for rainwater harvesting, river water conservation
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday stressed the need for rainwater harvesting and river water conservation instead of its collection from the underground.
“We’ll have to harvest rainwater and conserve river water in the rainy season anyhow so that we can use the water properly,” she said while opening the newly constructed Sheikh Hasina Water Treatment Plant-II of Chattogram Wasa.
The prime minister joined the function virtually from her official residence Ganobhaban here. The programme was held at a hotel in Chattogram.
Read: President calls for more US investment in Bangladesh
The new plant will raise overall water supply capacity of Chittagong Wasa to 50 crore liters a day, an increase by 14.30 crore liters.
The plant has been constructed at Rangunia in Chittagong under Chattogram WASA Karnaphuli Water Supply Project (Phase-II).
Hasina said water reservoirs should be kept in every place in case of construction of any structure, no matter if it is housing or industrial one, in order to harvest rainwater and conserve river water during the rainy season.
“We’ll have to bring down our dependency on underground water,” she said, adding that her government constructed the water treatment plant based on surface water.
“Since the water treatment plants are now collecting water from the surface sources, our dependency on underground water is declining,” she said.
LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Md Tazul Islam and Mayor of Chattogram City Corporation Md Rezaul Karim Chowdhury also spoke at the function, while Information and Broadcasting Minister Hasan Mahmud was present at Chattogram end.
Senior Secretary of Local Government Division Helal Uddin Ahmed conducted the virtual event and Managing Director of Chattogram Wasa Engineer AKM Fazlullah delivered the welcome speech.
Promote us, demand students of DU affiliated colleges by blocking busy Dhaka crossing
First-year students of seven government colleges affiliated to Dhaka University blocked the busy Nilkhet intersection on Wednesday morning, demanding they be promoted without holding any further exams.
The students took to the streets around 11.30am and staged demonstrations for nearly one-and-a-half hours, disrupting morning rush-hour traffic in the area.
"How can they hold exams, given the fact that for the past one year we have not attended any physical classes due to the pandemic," asked Mehedi Hasan Milon, a first-year student of department of philosophy of Government Suhrawardy College.
Read: Legal notice served on Dhaka University for barring married students from halls
Mosaddek of the Bangla department of Government Titumir College also demanded a promotion to the second year.
Aound 1pm, the students dispersed after they got some assurance from the colleges that their demands would be looked into.
Bangladesh wants to be partner of Saudi's green initiative
Bangladesh has requested oil-rich Saudi Arabia to take Bangladesh as a partner in its green initiative across the Middle East.
“Saudi Arabia has taken a great green initiative for the whole of the Middle East,” Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen told reporters after a meeting with his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal Bin Farhan Al Saud on Wednesday.
He said the Saudi government is planning to plant 50 billion saplings across the Middle East - 10 billion in Saudi Arabia and 40 billion in other Middle East countries.
Read: Will work together to expand cooperation with Bangladesh, says Saudi FM
“We’ve requested them for partnership with us. We want to give saplings and help grow those plants,” Momen said.
Earlier, Saudi Arabia announced it goal to reach “net zero” greenhouse gas emissions by 2060, joining more than 100 countries in a global effort to try and curb man-made climate change.
Prince Faisal left Dhaka for home on Wednesday afternoon ending his less than 24-hour official visit to Bangladesh.
Saudi companies want to invest in Bangladesh energy sector: Saudi FM
Visiting Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan al Saud on Wednesday said many Saudi companies are keen to make investment in the energy sector of Bangladesh, particularly in renewable energy.
He said this during a courtesy call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her official residence Ganobhaban here.
PM’s Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim briefed reporters after the meeting.
Read: Will work together to expand cooperation with Bangladesh, says Saudi FM
The prime minister told the Saudi FM that her government is establishing 100 special economic zones across the country.
She hoped that the Saudi investors would avail the opportunities prevailing in Bangladesh.
"I welcome Saudi Arabia’s investment in Bangladesh," she was quoted as saying.
Hasina expressed her satisfaction over the bilateral relations with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). "The bilateral cooperation has extended and consolidated in many areas that include economy, trade, commerce, investment, energy, education, culture and defence,” she said.
The PM said Saudi Arabia has a special place in the hearts of the people of Bangladesh.
She conveyed her greetings to Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud.
Hasina also appreciated the custodian of the two holy mosques, Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, for his contribution to the Muslim Ummah.
Read: Dhaka set to host first meeting of US-BD officials, post-sanctions
The visiting minister described the bilateral relation between Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia as a ‘strong bond of friendship’ and said, "This will grow from strength to strength in the days to come."
He said their priority is to enhance further economic cooperation exploring new areas.
Prince Faisal hoped that Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia would work together on various global agenda.
He said many Bangladeshi workers are contributing to the global economy.
He commended the visionary leadership of Hasina and the commendable economic development of Bangladesh.
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen, PM’s Ambassador-at-large Mohammad Ziauddin, PM’s principal secretary Dr Ahmad Kaikaus, Bangladesh Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Dr Mohammad Javed Patwary and Saudi Ambassador to Bangladesh Essa Yussef Essa Al Dulaihan were present at the meeting.