Bangladesh
Govt to create digital ID, smart cards for farmers
The government plans to create digital ID and smart cards for real farmers to promptly reach them incentives and other services, officials said on Monday.
The project will be placed at the ECNEC meeting for approval on Tuesday.
The use of smart agriculture cards as digital identity will ensure area and demand based agricultural services for each farmer and exchange of necessary farming information through digital analysis and management.
For this, digital profiles will cover 1.62 crore farmers out of 5 crore farmers. Among them 1.9 crore farmers will be given smart agriculture cards. Agriculture Extension Department workers and agricultural experts will communicate with the 1. 62 crore farmers digitally, exchange information and conduct service activities according to the area based needs.
Such initiatives are taken under Smart Agriculture Card and Digital Agriculture Project.
The proposed total cost of the project is estimated at Tk 107.92 crore. The project will be implemented by September 2024.
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A senior official in charge of agricultural economics and planning, project implementation and ICT wing of the Department of Agricultural Extension, told UNB various problems arise when banks disburse incentives to farmers.
Besides, many farmers have lost Tk10 agricultural cards.
For these reasons, smart agriculture cards will be given to millions of farmers initially.
After that all the farmers of the country will come under the project in phases. Through this, crop field monitoring will be done digitally at field level, the official said.
He further said that all the information about how much land the farmer has, how much money he can get loan and eligibility of incentive will be justified instantly by installing the system.
“Our field level agriculture officer will collect this information and give input. Here you will find information on what crops farmers will grow this year and what crops they should grow next year. We also will include farmers in the digital platform,” the official said.
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Smart agriculture cards will be issued in 9 districts of 14 agricultural regions based on geo-nature including the head office of the Department of Agricultural Extension.
The districts are Gopalganj, Sunamganj, Tangail, Barisal, Jessore, Dinajpur, Rajshahi, Bandarban and Mymensingh.
First container ship leaves for Italy from Ctg port with RMG goods
Bangladesh’s first-ever direct export of readymade garments by sea started on Monday with MV Songa Cheeta leaving Chattogram port for Italy.
The ship left the port at around 3 pm for Ravenna port in Italy carrying 950 TEUs (Twenty Equipment Unit) in 493 boxes.
On Saturday, the ship anchored at NCT04 jetty of the port carrying the empty containers.
Port chairman, Rear Admiral M Shahjahan inaugurated the direct ship operation on Bangladesh-Italy route on Monday at NCT jetty of the port.
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Terming it as a ground breaking turn of Bangladesh economy he said ships on this route will be prioritized for facilitating with berthing, key gantry crane allotment and other amenities.
Ambassador and Head of Delegation of the EU to Bangladesh Charles Whiteley, Italian Ambassador to Bangladesh Enrico Nunziata, Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) President Faruque Hassan were present at the inauguration They hailed the direct shipment as a new milestone for Bangladesh in international sea trade.
“Now it will mostly take 15 days to send goods to European ports which used to take one and a half months before. It will decrease the carrying cost by 45 to 50 per cent, “said Md Omar Faruque, a Chattogram port official.
BGMEA leaders and concerned shipping agents said until now the RMG goods for export were sent to Sri Lanka, Singapore and Malaysian ports in containers on feeder ships from Chattogram port.
From there the containers are carried by larger ships bound for European and US ports, they said.
Also read: Increased capacity of Ctg Port to cut cost of doing business: FBCCI
According to them if direct container ship operation on Chattogram-Italy route remains uninterrupted Bangladesh will be ahead of Vietnam in RMG export as it will save lead time and fare.
On December 23, the first trial ship operation to Bangladesh from Italy began by bringing empty containers.
Nihad Kabir joins BUILD as chairperson
Nihad Kabir, former President of Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI), has taken over as the chairperson of the Trustee Board of Business Initiative Leading Development (BUILD) for the year 2022-23.
She succeeds Abul Kasem Khan, former President of Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI), who was the Chairperson of BUILD for 2020-21, said a media release on Monday.
Nihad Kabir is a senior advocate of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh.
She is a senior partner of Syed Ishtiaq Ahmad and Associates, one of the country's prominent law firms.
Apart from her role as an independent director on the board of Square Textiles Limited, Kabir also serves as a director of the Infrastructure Development Company Limited (IDCOL).
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She has previously chaired the Boards of BRAC EPL Stock Brokerage Limited and BRAC EPL Investment Limited and has been a board member of Bkash, BRAC Bank and several other listed companies.
She is a Senior Fellow and Board member of BIDS, a member of the Board of Governors of the Bangladesh Public Administration Training Centre, and Chairperson of Ain o Salish Kendra, a legal aid institution.
Kabir has been a member of the National Pay and Services Commission and the National Education Policy Committee, Government of Bangladesh.
She was also the Chairperson of BUILD for 2017.
Also read: BUILD Chairperson meets new FBCCI president
Abul Kasem Khan, former Chairperson, BUILD, will continue as a nominated Trustee Board Member from DCCI, while Syed Mohammad Tanvir, Director, CCCI is a nominated Trustee Board Member from CCCI for the years 2022-2023.
In addition to the new trustees, the Trustee Board for 2022 includes Md. Saiful Islam, President of Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI); Rizwan Rahman, President of Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI); Mahbubul Alam, President of Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI); Farooq Ahmed, Secretary General of MCCI; Afsarul Arifeen, Secretary General of DCCI; and Engr. Mohd. Faruque, Secretary of CCCI. Ferdaus Ara Begum, CEO of BUILD, is in the Trustee Board as the Member Secretary.
BUILD is a public-private dialogue platform formed by Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry .
Covid-19 in Bangladesh: Daily positivity rate declines, deaths hit 38
Bangladesh logged 38 more Covid-linked deaths with 9,369 fresh cases in 24 hours till Monday morning.
The daily positivity rate slightly declined to 21.07 from Sunday’s 21.50 per cent after testing 44,471 samples during the period, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
The number of deaths is highest in nearly six months as the country last recorded 43 deaths on September 19, last year with 1,383 cases and the daily positivity rate at 5.62 per cent.
On Sunday, Bangladesh reported 29 more Covid-linked deaths with 8,345 fresh cases.
The fresh numbers took the country’s total fatalities to 28,627while the caseload mounted to 1,870,901.
Read: All to be fully vaccinated in Bangladesh by Dec: Health Minister
Of the 226 deaths recorded from January 31 to February 6, some 28.8 per cent received Covid vaccines while 71.2 per cent did not, the DGHS mentioned.
Comorbidities among the deceased patients declined 9.7 per cent this week compared to the previous one. Comorbidity means the simultaneous presence of two or more diseases or medical conditions in a patient.
Among the new deceased, 28 were men and 10 women.
Sixteen of the deaths were reported in Dhaka division while six in Chattogram, five each in Rajshahi,and Khulna, three in Sylhet, two in Mymensingh, and one in Rangpur divisions.
Trains to run with full passenger capacity from Wednesday: Bangladesh Railway
Trains will run with full passenger capacity from Wednesday (February 9) as the authorities decided to relax the Cobid-19 curbs amid declining infection.
The railways ministry took the decision following the fall in infection rate of Covid-19, said press release issued on Monday.
According to the notice, the government has strengthened the vaccination programme and the people are travelling to many places after taking Covid jabs, which increases the pressure of passengers. So it is needed to fulfil the demand of the passengers to roll down the wheel of the economy.
Also read: Trains to operate with 50% passengers from Jan 15
The ministry also reminded the train passengers to strictly maintain Covid-19 health guidelines such as wearing mask and use of sanitizer.
Trains were ordered to run at half the capacity on January 15 amid a surge in the pandemic, especially the spread of the Omicron variant of the virus.
Also read: No decision yet over operating trains with 50% passengers: Minister
Make overseas employment process transparent, PM asks ministry
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday directed the Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Ministry to make the overseas employment process very transparent and conduct massive campaign to raise the jobseekers’ awareness.
She asked authorities concerned to promote overseas jobseekers to take loans from Probashi Kallyan Bank instead of selling lands to go abroad.
Sheikh Hasina gave the directives while chairing the virtual Cabinet meeting from her official residence Ganobhaban.
The other concerned were connected with the meeting from the Bangladesh Secretariat.
“The Prime Minister has instructed that the process will have to be made very precise and transparent for those who would go abroad,” said Cabinet Secretary Khandker Anwarul Islam while briefing reporters at the Secretariat after the meeting.
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“The Prime Minister also instructed to carry out massive campaign in media – television channels, radios and newspapers—informing them (overseas jobseekers) about the exact authority and the amount of expense and asking them to go abroad taking loans from Probashi Kallyan Bank, if they need money, as the bank doesn’t provide a loan without job confirmation letters. So, they will be safe… they will not be deceived,” he said.
The ministry also asked to take steps so that Bangladeshi workers need not to pay extra money for getting the overseas jobs and they can go abroad contacting the ministry and its directorates concerned, said the Cabinet Secretary.
Because, many Bangladeshi workers go abroad making direct payment and knowing nothing about the jobs upon assurance by a class of middlemen, he said adding some such cases were also discussed in the Cabinet meeting.
“If they take loans from the bank instead of selling lands, the bank would not pay money until confirmation of their appointment. So, they would remain safe,” he added.
Some Bangladeshis went to Malaysia spending Tk 3-4 lakh, but many of them could not recovered their cost in two years and returned home empty handed, said Anwarul Islam.
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In the meeting, the Prime Minister also instructed the authorities concerned to raise another issue before the jobseekers that tens of thousands of workers will be required in the 100 industrial parks including Mirsarai economic zone which are now being constructed at different places in the country.
In order to get a job with handsome income in the country, the jobseekers can be asked to build their capacity and take training knowing the job requirements in the industrial parks, she said.
The Cabinet approved in principle the draft of Bangladesh Forest Industries Development Corporation Act, 2022, aiming to run the corporation under a time-befitting law.
The meeting also endorsed the draft of Bangladesh National Conservation Strategy 2021-2036, formulated in both Bengali and English in a bid to conserve the natural environment and resources properly.
“Some 10-12 ministries are involved here who will sit regularly to take plans as per the strategy and implement the programmes to protect our environment,” said Anwarul Islam.
Besides, the Cabinet approved the Import Policy Order, 2022-2025, aiming to make the policy a time-befitting one.
As per the policy, the retailers can import goods of maximum US$ 0.5 million instead of US$ 0.2 million through TT (Telegraphic Transfer of money) instead of LC.
Body of another fisherman recovered: 11 still missing
The body of another fisherman, who went missing after several trawlers capsized in the Bay of Bengal during a storm on Friday, was recovered from the Bay on Monday.
The identity of the deceased could not be known yet.
Members of Coast Guard, Forest Department officials and local fishermen conducted rescue operation for the third consecutive day on Monday in Dublar Char area and recovered the body, said in-charge of Dublar Char Forest camp.
With this, bodies of three fishermen were recovered.
Earlier, on Sunday, members of the Coast Guard recovered bodies of Mamun Sheikh, 40, son of Anwar Sheikh of Kaliganj village in Chitalmari upazila of Bagerhat district and Ismail Khan, 36, son of Azizul Khan of Janerpar village in Matbaria upazila of Pirojpur district from the Bay.
Read: 3 killed in Cox's Bazar road accident
Earlier, the Coast Guard members rescued three fishermen hours after several trawlers sank during a sudden storm.
Eighteen fishing trawlers sank within 8 kms of Dublar Char and 18 fishing trawlers capsized in different areas of the Bay of Bengal, 45 kms off Dublar Char.
Over 150 fishermen were rescued while 14 others went missing.
3 killed in Cox's Bazar road accident
Three people were killed and 10 others injured in a collision between a bus and a mini-truck in Medhakachchapia area in Chakaria upazila on Chittagong-Cox's Bazar highway in early hours of Monday.
The deceased were identified as bus driver Bazlul Haque, 40, of Kalkini in Madaripur district, his helper Alal of Dhamrai in Dhaka and truck driver Maulvi Khaled, 35, of Maheshkhali in Cox's Bazar.
Read: Man dies after being hit by train in city
Police and locals rescued the injured people and admitted them to Malumghat Memorial Christian Hospital and Chakaria Upazila Health Complex.
Mohammad Osman Gani, officer-in-charge (OC) of Chakaria Police Station said the Chittagong-bound picnic bus collided with the salt-laden mini-truck, leaving three people dead on the spot.
Of the injured, six are in critical condition, the OC added.
Man dies after being hit by train in city
A 30-year-old man was killed as a train hit him at Dhaka Airport Railway Station on Monday.
The deceased was identified as Md Abdullah.
Police said a Kishoreganj-bound train knocked down Abdullah while he was crossing the rail track at platform 1 of the Airport Railway Station around 11am.
Read: 3 killed in Cox's Bazar road accident
Later, he was rushed to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) where a doctor declared him dead at noon, said Inspector Md Bachchu Mia, in-charge of DMCH police outpost.
The body was kept at DMCH morgue, he said.
The Railway Police was informed of the accident, he added.
Teenager, another killed in Ctg UP polls violence
Two people including a teenage boy were killed and several others injured in clashes between supporters of chairman candidates during union parishad elections in Satkania upazila of Chattogram .
The deceased were Md Abdur Shukkur, 34, of Bajalia union and Tasif, 13, a seventh grader and son of Jasim Uddin of Nalua Union.
Satkania Upazila Election Officer Abu Taleb Talukder said they were killed during clashes.
According to the locals, at Nalua Union, Tasif was stabbed dead in a clash that broke out between the supporters of two chairman candidates over occupying Morphala polling center in Ward 8 at noon.
The relatives of the deceased blamed the supporters of the boat candidate for the death.
Read: Bodies of 2 fishermen recovered from Bay; 12 still missing
In Bajalia union, Abdur Shukkur sustained bullet injuries during a clash between supporters of two chairman candidates in Ward No. 2.
Later, he was rushed to Keranihat Ma O Shishu Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries, said Dr Md Rakib Uddin, Resident Medical Officer of the hospital.
Meanwhile, in Khagaria union, supporters of Awami League-backed candidate Akhter Hossain and independent candidate Jasim Uddin clashed in wards 6 and 7 and a few rounds of bullets were exchanged between the two groups around 10am.
Superintendent of Police (SP) SM Rashidul Haque and Executive Magistrate Omar Faruq visited the spot after the clashes and postponed elections at two centers in the union.
Additional police were deployed at these two centres to bring the situation under control, said Md Abdul Jalil, officer-in-charge (OC) of Satkania Police Station.
Voting is underway for the seventh phase of local body elections to 138 Union Parishads (UPs) in 24 upazilas of 20 districts.
The voting began at 8am Monday at 1,350 polling stations and will continue till 4pm without any break.