Bangladesh
HC warns Eunus Ali Akhond
The High Court on Tuesday warned Md Eunus Ali Akond, a Supreme Court lawyer, over filing writ petitions in the form of public interest litigation without being an aggrieved person.
HC bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Sardar Md Rashed Jahangir came up with the warning after hearing a writ filed over a feud between a doctor and magistrate over movement pass during the lockdown.
“Don’t file any writ being whimsical. If such writs are rejected, be prepared for paying a large fine,” HC said.
“You have no authority (locus standi) to file a writ about the doctor-police and magistrate dispute, as said earlier. We will impose a heavy cost on you while rejecting the writ,” the HC added.
On April 25, Eunus Ali Akhond filed a writ petition challenging the legality of the ongoing countrywide lockdown enforced by the government to contain the transmission of Coronavirus.
Also read: Why FBCCI’s failure to halt polls won’t be declared illegal: HC
The next day he filed another writ seeking a judicial probe into the feud between a doctor, police and magistrate that went viral on social media recently.
The SC lawyer presented the two writs at the HC for hearing on Tuesday.
On October 12 last year, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court barred lawyer Akhond from practicing before both the Appellate and High Court Divisions for three months, for committing gross contempt of court by posting three derogatory comments about the judiciary on Facebook.
He was also fined Tk 25,000 over the matter.
BGMEA President discusses trade issues with EU Ambassador
European Union Ambassador to Bangladesh Rensje Teerink made a courtesy call on BGMEA President Faruque Hassan at BGMEA office on Tuesday.
They had discussion on trade issues including sustainability, ways to strengthen EU-BD partnership, and further cooperation between Bangladesh and the EU for development of the industry.
Also read:BGMEA for keeping factories shut
The BGMEA President thanked the Ambassador for the friendly support of the European Union for betterment of Bangladesh’s apparel industry.
BGMEA’s Vice President (Finance) Khandoker Rafiqul Islam, Vice President Md. Nasir Uddin and Jeremy Opritesco, Deputy Head of Mission of the European Union to Bangladesh were also present at the meeting.
Dhaka wants concerted efforts, shared responsibility for sustainable use of oceans
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Tuesday reiterated the significance of concerted efforts and shared responsibility for sustainable use of the oceans and also underscored the vital role of IOC Sub-Commission for the Western Pacific (WESTPAC) in this regard.
Bangladesh is hosting the three-day 13th Intergovernmental Session of the IOC (Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission) Sub-Commission for the Western Pacific (WESTPAC) virtually that began on Tuesday.
Also read:FM seeks cooperation from diplomats in bringing back ...
Dr Momen inaugurated the session on behalf of the host country and delivered the welcome remarks. He stressed the role of the oceans to the development of human civilization and recovery from crisis.
Vo Si Tuan, Chairperson of the IOC Sub-Commission for the Western Pacific; and Vladimir Ryabinin, IOC Executive Secretary & Assistant Director General of UNESCO also delivered remarks at the inaugural session. Around hundred participants joined the opening day of the three-day session.
The Foreign Minister expressed his heartfelt gratitude to all for joining the event amid the ongoing pandemic.
Dr Momen appreciated the IOC’s role in encouraging scientific research, technical analyses and syntheses of scientific information needed to effectively address emerging environmental issues.
He paid deepest homage to Father of the Nation, architect of Independent Bangladesh Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and recalled his leadership for introducing the Territorial Waters and Maritime Zones Act in 1974.
‘London School of Commerce’ in Dhaka running illegally: UGC
The University Grants Commission of Bangladesh (UGC) has found that an unauthorized study centre is operating in Dhaka using the name ‘London School of Commerce’.
The study centre named ‘London School of Commerce Dhaka (LSC Dhaka)’ did not receive permission from the government and also the UGC to run here, said a UGC release on Tuesday.
The study centre offers different diploma, bachelor and master and doctoral degrees under three UK institutions ---Wrexham Glyndŵr University, University of Bedfordshire and Scottish Qualifications Authority.
The study centre opened a website (https://www.lscdhaka.org/) in 2007.
Read UGC wants cluster admission system for private universities
Its admission ads have recently come to the notice of UGC. The LSC Dhaka has been running its operation since 2005.
The LSC Dhaka opened two offices in Dhaka – one at Gulshan Centre in Gulshan-2 and another at Ocean Tower in Banani.
The centre offers BA (Hons) Business Studies, Master of Business Administration, Foundation in Business, Professional Diploma in International Business degrees from the two places.
Read UGC signs MoU to get house building loan
The duration of the courses is from eight month to two years. The admission in the courses will start in May next.
According to its website, LSC Dhaka in collaboration with its partner universities has been offering fast-track degrees like BA (Hon’s) and MBA at affordable fees.
It is said that the students of LSC Dhaka would have scope to transfer their credits to the international campus of its partner universities located in different places including London, Malta, Malaysia and Sri Lanka.
Read UGC asks private universities to update syllabuses
UGC member Prof Dr Biswajit Chanda, who is in-charge of private universities, said no branch or study centre of any foreign university and institution can operate admission or academic activities in Bangladesh.
It is absolutely illegal according to the articles 3 (3) and 39 of the Private University Act 2010, he said.
The UGC member asked the students and jobseekers to remain alert over the admission in such study centres.
Read UGC to provide loans to 41,501 public univ students for buying smartphone
Prof Chanda asked the authorities concerned of the government to take measures to shut down the unauthorized study centre soon.
Real business friendly environment more important than EODB ranking: Speakers
Speakers at a webinar on Tuesday said creating a real effective business friendly environment is more important than improving ranking in Ease of Doing Business (EODB).
.They also suggested for coordinated collaboration among the concerned public sector entities as well as public-private consultation.
Also read:Bangladesh improves in ease of doing business rankings
The experts said that businesses should be well aware of all government circulars or notifications related to trade and commerce.
Still there is a scope for improvement in institutional and regulatory reforms, they emphasized. BIDA should hear the concerns of foreign investors to get an idea of possible reforms needed, they said.
Executive Chairman of BIDA Md. Sirazul Islam said ease of doing business is a bigger thing. “We do not like to mainly focus on scoring rather we are trying to create a business friendly environment. Some of the reforms have already been done by the government, for which BIDA is coordinating,” he added.
He therefore requested the private sector to go through the reforms and report based on the real facts. BIDA needs to be strengthened more. If you have any observations on the reforms made, you can tell us. Company to company land transfer now can be done by 7 days.
“There will be separate courts for dispute resolution under enforcing of contracts,” he added. Moreover, alternative dispute resolution is also important.
Dhaka Chamber of Commerce & Industry (DCCI) organized a discussion meeting on the current reforms in the ease of doing business in Bangladesh and preparedness for the future. Executive Chairman, BIDA Md. Sirazul Islam joined as the chief guest and Md. Billal Hossain, Additional Secretary (Executive Member 5), BIDA joined as special guest.
DCCI President Rizwan Rahman said that after successful economic graduation in 2026, Bangladesh will lose most of the preferential trade facilities which may hurt our competitive export market.
In this context, the ease of doing business is essential to reduce the cost of business as global trade is getting more competitive. Given this circumstances, it is the high time to redress the bottlenecks, reduce time, process and cost in all criteria of the Doing business and streamline the entire process towards lifting the indicators of the Index,” he added.
Rizwan said, “To make cross-border trade paperless with automated customs clearance for low-cost trade process, we need to fasten the Corrective Action plan (CAP) for implementing trade facilitation agreement (TFA).”
Also read:European envoys for action to improve ease of doing business ...
He also said that a time-bound reforms and improvement roadmap will be inevitable to take the economy into a new stature aligning with the vision of Government in the changing geo-economic order.
Additional Secretary (Executive Member 5) of BIDA Md. Billal Hossain said investors always want to know the ranking before any investment and in that context we need to improve in the ranking.
He requested the private sector to response the survey considering the reforms already done. For that he requested the businessmen to know about the reforms. At present 48 services are being given through the OSS and requested the businessmen to avail these services.
Director of BIDA Jibon Krishna Saha Roy highlighted the reforms already have been made by the government. The private sector needs to be aware of these reforms for their preparedness to response during the survey, he said.
He said information dissemination is very important in this process. “To improve in the ranking, some of the major reforms have been made for example time limit for getting land transfer, trade license, construction permits, registering property, getting electricity connections, getting credit, time to export have been reduced.”
Chairman Chittagong Stock Exchange Ltd, Md. Rashedul Karim Munna, Director, DCCI, Data Magfur, former Director, DCCI, M S Siddiqui, Member, DCCI and Kabir Ahmed, President, Bangladesh Freight Forwarders Association took part in the open discussion session.
‘Mortar shell from 1971’ found beside Rajshahi University
A mortar shell believed to be from the time of the Liberation War was found while excavating a pond beside the martyrs’ memorial near Rajshahi University (RU) on Tuesday.
A worker first spotted the shell while digging the pond and informed police. Members of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) also went to the spot.
Also read: Rifles, bullets used in liberation war found in Chandpur
Lt Col Ziaur Rahman Talukdar of Rab-5 said they are suspecting that the mortar shell is from the Liberation War period.
In 1971, Pakistani Army had a camp at Shaheed Shamsuzzoha Hall of RU beside the martyrs’ memorial, he said.
“A bomb disposal team has been informed but it’s not clear whether the shell is active or not,”
Talukdar said.
Also read:Liberation war memorials in the major cities of Bangladesh
Further steps will be taken after the bomb disposal team examines the shell, he added.
No crisis of oxygen in hospitals: Health Minister
Health Minister Zahid Maleque on Tuesday said there is nothing to be worried over the sudden halt in oxygen import from India since the country has the capacity to meet the current demand of it from the internal sources.
“Coronavirus has devastated India for lack of oxygen. We’re now not getting oxygen from India. But there’s nothing to be worried about. We don’t import oxygen from India round the year. When corona reached its peak, we imported 40-50 tonnes of oxygen,” he said.
Speaking at a press briefing on the premises of Bangladesh College of Physicians and Surgeons (BCPS), the minister said, “Oxygen has not been coming from India for four-five days, but we’re managing everything and we’ve no crisis of oxygen.”
He said hospitals not only use liquid oxygen, but also gas oxygen. “There’s no dearth of gas oxygen in Bangladesh due to the huge production capability of it.”
Before installing the oxygen lines at the hospitals, Maleque said gas oxygen were mostly being used in the country’s hospitals. “We’ve planned to buy the liquid oxygen from local producers and provide it to our hospitals. Our 40-50 hospitals have the facilities to use the gas oxygen and we've asked them to use gas oxygen.”
Also read: Liquid oxygen import from India suspended at Benapole
He said so far Bangladesh is in a fairly good position in terms of Oxygen supply and production.
The minister said they have also booked 40 tonnes of oxygen in the industrial sector for the use of patients in case of emergency.
He said there is now no crisis of oxygen in the country’s hospitals to deal with the Covid patients. "If the number of Covid patients rises three times and reaches 21,000 from the current 7,000 then we won’t be able to meet the demand for oxygen. So, we must take steps to reduce the Covid infections."
Maleque said the DGHS has already contacted industries that use liquid oxygen to collect it from using it during the crisis. "We’re planning to import small oxygen plants.”
Also read: 25 die in Delhi hospital due to oxygen shortage
He said the government has set up central oxygen lines in 100 hospitals so that the covid patients can have it whenever necessary. “We’re installing the oxen plants in some other hospitals and it’ll be completed by 10-15 days.”
The minister said there was no high-flow nasal cannula and oxygen concentrator in the country when the coronavirus first hit it, but now around 3,000 such equipment are being used in Bangladesh to provide treatment to the Covid patients.
He said coronavirus cannot be controlled by giving treatment to the affected patients. “We’ve now 7,000 beds. If the number of patients increases to 21,000, we won’t be able to accommodate them. We should keep it in mind.”
Maleque said all must maintain the health safety rules, social distancing and wear masks to contain the virus transmission.
He said the coronavirus infection came under control early this year, but the second wave of the virus has created due to people’s reckless attitude, travelling spree, mass gathering, and apathy to the health safety rules. If we don’t take a lesson from such mistakes, the third wave may come.”
The health minister said 70 to 80 percent of infections and deaths have been reported in Dhaka, Chattogram, Rajshahi, Sylhet and Khulna City Corporation areas. “So, people in these areas need to remain aware and strictly follow the health safety rules."
Will take 2 weeks to get vaccine from alternative sources: FM
The government is exploring Covid vaccines from three alternative sources, Russia, China and the USA, and it will take at least two weeks to complete the process, said Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Tuesday.
“It’s a reasonable time,” he told reporters at his residence, adding that talks with India are also underway to get at least 2 to 3 million doses of vaccine for addressing Bangladesh’s immediate need.
Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen was also present at the briefing.
Also Read: Bangladesh approves emergency use of Russian Sputnik V vaccine
The US will begin sharing its entire stock of Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines with the world once it clears federal safety reviews, the White House said on Monday, with as many as 60 million doses expected to be available for export in the coming months.
Dr Momen said Bangladesh can allow the emergency use of vaccines from Russia and China. "We'll collect the vaccine wherever we get it."
Responding to a question, the Foreign Minister said Bangladesh requested China to supply vaccines to Bangladesh as soon as possible. In reply, the Chinese side said they will work with Bangladesh to that end.
He said there is a necessity for the supply of vaccine following delay and subsequent “halt” on supply of vaccine from India to Bangladesh.
Dr Momen said Bangladesh’s plan was effective but there is a new wave with a sharp rise of infection cases recently.
Responding to a question, he said the government is exploring direct purchase of vaccines from Russia on a G-to-G basis. Bangladesh has already approved the emergency use of the Russian Covid-19 vaccine Sputnik V.
Dr Momen briefed the journalists at his residence after a China-led virtual meeting that discussed cooperation among countries to deal with the Covid-19 situation, including setting up of “Covid Emergency Medical Storage Facility”.
Also Read: FM to join China-led virtual meeting on vaccine cooperation
He said China shared three ideas, including installing a development centre, to deal with post-Covid poverty and an e-Commerce Forum.
“We should believe in multilateralism. We laid emphasis on cooperation and partnership,” said the Foreign Minister.
Covid-19: Bangladesh records 78 deaths, 3,031 new cases
Bangladesh reported 78 more coronavirus-related deaths and 3,031 new cases on Tuesday morning, showing a downtrend.
The country witnessed over 100 deaths from April 16 to 19 and April 25 as the second wave of the virus hit Bangladesh.
The daily infection rate slipped to 12:51 percent from Monday’s 12.82 percent while the mortality rate remained static at 1.49 percent.
So far, 751,659 cases and 11,228 deaths have been confirmed, the Directorate General of Health Services said in a handout.
The number of recoveries now stands at 666,927 including 5,234 new cases which indicates 88.73 percent of the patients have recovered.
Also read: FM to join China-led virtual meeting on vaccine cooperation
The new cases were confirmed after testing 24,237 samples in the last 24 hours until morning. Bangladesh has so far tested 5,395,524 samples.
Bangladesh reported its first coronavirus cases on March 8 last year and the first death on the 18th of that month.
Deaths, cases soar in April
In the last 27 days, the country witnessed 2,182 fatalities and 136,882 new cases, making it the most fatal month since the outbreak began last year.
The virus claimed 568 lives in January this year, 281 in February and 638 in March.
Registering most of the deaths – 6,564 or 58.46 percent, Dhaka division remains the worst-hit region.
Of the latest fatalities, 50 were reported from Dhaka division and 10 from Chattogram division.
Six each died in Khulna, Rajshahi, three in Sylhet, one in Barishal, and two in Mymensingh divisions.
Lockdown extended
A rapid increase in Covid infections prompted the government to enforce a lockdown from early April which failed to achieve the intended result.
PROGGA, ATMA for imposing specific taxes on tobacco products
Research and Advocacy Organization PROGGA (Knowledge for Progress) and Anti-Tobacco Media Alliance (ATMA) have demanded the government to impose specific taxes on cigarettes and other tobacco products in the upcoming budget for 2021-22.
In a press conference held virtually on Tuesday, the two organizations unveiled their proposals regarding tobacco taxes and prices in the 2021-22 FY national budget.
Implementation of proposals would prevent premature deaths of nearly 390,000 current adults and 400,000 current youth, according to release.
Also read: Dhaka Conference: Amend tobacco laws, impose specific taxes
In addition, supplementary duty, health development surcharge and VAT on cigarettes would also earn the government Tk 34 billion in additional revenues, the organizations claim.
The Project Head of Tobacco Control at PROGGA Md Hasan Shahriar presented the budget proposals are-- Introducing a tiered specific excise (supplementary duty -SD) with uniform tax burden (SD share of 65% of final retail price) across all cigarette brands.
In the low-tier, the retail price should be set at 50 for 10 sticks, followed by Tk 32.50 as specific supplementary duty (SD); In the medium-tier set the retail price at Tk 70 for 10 sticks and Tk 45.50 should be imposed as SD; In the high-tier, the retail price should be set at 110for 10 sticks, followed by Tk 71.50 as SD; and in the premium tier, set the retail price at Tk 140 for 10 sticks and BDT 91 should be imposed as SD.
Read Amend existing law to build tobacco-free Bangladesh
Reducing price tiers from four to two in the medium-term (2021-22 to 2025-26) by reducing the gaps in final prices and tax rates between cigarettes brands
For 25 non-filtered bidi sticks, the retail price should be Tk 25, followed by a specific supplementary duty of Tk 11.25. The price for 20 filtered sticks should be Tk 20, which will be followed by a specific supplementary duty of Tk 9. As a result of such measures, in both filtered and non-filtered bidis, the specific supplementary duty will be 45 percent of final retail prices.
For SLT products, the price per 10-gram jarda and gul should be Tk 45 and 25 respectively. A specific supplementary duty of Tk 27 should be imposed on per 10-gram jarda. For gul, the specific supplementary duty should be Tk 15. As a result of such measures, in both jarda and gul, the specific supplementary duty will be 60 percent of final retail prices.
Read Bring smokeless tobacco products under tax net: PROGGA
They also propose to retain the existing 15% Value Added Tax (VAT) and 1% Heath Development Surcharge on all tobacco products.
According to the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS), 2017, between 2009 and 2017, there has been a 1.5 million increase in the number of cigarette users. The numbers reveal that the existing tobacco tax structure has not been contributing to make Bangladesh a tobacco-free country by 2040, as envisioned by the Honorable Prime Minister.
With the ongoing second wave of Covid-19 pandemic, the health sector and overall economy of the country are going through precarious condition. If tobacco use goes unchecked during such a period of vulnerabilities, it would put the additional risk for public health, Shahriar added.
Also read:1.26 lakh people die in Bangladesh every year in diseases ...
According to World Health Organization (WHO), smokers are more likely to become severely ill when infected with covid-19. This makes the existing tobacco users, around 40 million in number, extremely vulnerable to severe covid-19 infection.
In Bangladesh, tobacco use claims 126,000 lives prematurely each year. In a 2019 study titled “Economic Cost of Tobacco Use in Bangladesh: A Health Cost Approach”, it was revealed that in 2017-18, the economic cost (medical expenses and loss of productivity) of tobacco use stood at Tk30,560 crore while revenues from the tobacco sector in 2017-18 FY was only Tk 22,810 crore.
He also said raising the prices of tobacco products would discourage the youth from starting use and getting addicted while encouraging the existing users belonging to the poor demographic to quit.
Read 10 people fined Tk 2,000 for smoking in public place
Supporting fully the budget proposals to increase tobacco taxes and prices, the convener of the National Anti-Tobacco Platform Dr Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad said the government must look for the welfare of the people, as dictated in our Constitution.
“Unfortunately, the government only prioritizes the revenue aspect, turning a blind eye to how it impacts the lives of the people.” he also said.
Former Vice-Chancellor of Dhaka University Professor Dr AAMS Arefin Siddique said, “To hike tobacco taxes and prices, we can always follow the precedents set by neighbouring Sri Lanka. We can progress through learning from each other. We also need to educate the youth on the detrimental effects of tobacco.”
Read Tobacco causes 20% of deaths from coronary heart disease.
Senior Research Fellow of the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) Dr Naznin Ahmed said taxes at a specific rate should be imposed on tobacco. It will benefit the government
“The covid-19 pandemic has created an opportunity for broader tobacco control. To utilize this, we need to make the harmful effects of tobacco widely known.” She also said.
The Research Director of Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) Dr Mahfuz Kabir said the tobacco taxation structure requires fundamental reform. With that end in mind, specific supplementary duty needs to be introduced.
Read Tobacco ban: Industries Ministry quashes health division's proposal
“The implementation of taxation and price related budget proposals, particularly in the low-tier cigarette brands, would significantly increase revenues and lower the health risk of poor demographic, considering the fact that 72 percent of cigarette smokers are users of low-tier brands.” Md Mostafizur Rahman, Lead Policy Advisor for Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (CTFK), Bangladesh said.
“We hope, the National Board of Revenue (NBR) will adopt the proposals. It will increase the government earnings, reduce existing tobacco use and also discourage the young from initiating,” Mostafizur added.
Read Are Smokers More Vulnerable to COVID19?