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All-weather Itna-Mithamoin-Austragram road offers new hope for haor people
An all-weather 30-kilometre road is transforming the lives of the haor people in Kishoregnaj with new jobs and income-generating activities besides traditional paddy cultivation and fishing.
The socio-economic condition of the local people is gradually uplifting with the rise in their incomes thanks to the improved communication system.
On a recent visit to the Itna-Mithamoin-Austragram Haor road this UNB correspondent found that the locals, traditionally dependent on agriculture and fishing, have started engaging in many alternative works to boost the family income.
Consider Abul Hossain, who has taken to driving an auto-rickshaw when there is no crop in the haor.
"This road has paved the way of earning in different ways. We can now think of different jobs alongside fishing and paddy production," he said.
The part-time auto driver also said, "We, the inhabitants of three upazillas, are now well-connected round the year because of this road. We can meet anytime within three areas and trade our production which was a rare thing before. Communications with the other districts through Kishoreganj has become faster and time-saving.”
READ: Nikli Haor, Mithamoin-Astagram Road Trip: On the Way to Kishoreganj
On the other hand, fisherman Mahabat hailing from Mithamoin Upazila, said people of the haor are enjoying the benefits of this road.
"Some people thought that construction of a road through the haor was a waste of money. Now all the people enjoy the benefits. The uninterrupted communication with the neighbouring districts will be possible within some years." he said.
A wholesale merchant of Itna upazila Rahmat Ali said his sales have increased manifold as the road is attracting more tourists to the once remote backwater areas.
“It’s a dream come true,” he said revealing his excitement.
With a greater flow of tourists the business in hotels and restaurants is also booming.
Jubair, who works at Kachalanka restaurant said they are receiving many customers in the area after the inauguration of this road.
“Though visitors come here in a huge number during the rainy season for enjoying the beauty of the haor region, we are getting many tourists here round the year now,” he said.
During a visit to the area last month President Abdul Hamid, who hails from the area, shared his feelings about the road and other development works.
On the way from Mithamoin to Ashtagram, the son-of-the-soil said “These three isolated upazilas are now connected by this 30- kilometre long road. It used to take five hours to go by boat and a day on foot. Now it is possible to go only in fifteen minutes,’ he said.
Govt focuses on less current expenditure and increased capital spending: official document
The government has moved to reduce its current expenditure with a focus on increasing capital expenditure to stimulate economic growth and offset the impact of COVID-19 pandemic, according to an official document. Public expenditure broadly includes all government consumption, investment and transfer payments. Current expenditure and capital expenditure are the two major categories of budget allocation, said the document recently obtained by UNB. Current expenditure consists of wages and salaries paid to the government employees, purchase of goods and services, subsidy and transfer payments and interest paid for domestic and foreign loans. Expenditures of account of 'food account operation' also includes into current expenditure category.
READ: Govt targets 17% expenditure of GDP for next two fiscals: Document
On the other hand, capital expenditure comprises addition to and creation of productive assets. The Annual Development Programme (ADP) and non-ADP capital expenditure are the two major categories of capital formation through government expenditures. Moreover, capital expenditure includes loans and advances, development programme financed from revenue budget, non-ADP project, and non-ADP FFW (Food For Work) and transfer. Considering the context of developing countries like Bangladesh, expanding the size of current expenditure is important for improving the quality of public service delivery and meeting the demand for maintaining the existing infrastructure network. On the other hand, growth of capital expenditure is desirable to meet the growing demand for public investment. In this situation it is critical for Bangladesh to arrive at an optimum mix of current and capital expenditures through budgetary process that will help stimulate economic growth and push the economy on a higher growth path. According to the government document, the current expenditure of the government has been projected at 52.9 per cent of the total budget in medium term basis (2023-24 fiscal) while it is set at 54.2 per cent of the total budget in the running 2021-22 fiscal. It said the projection for 2022-23 fiscal is 53.2 per cent of the total budget while it was 56.6 per cent, 57.4 per cent, 56.7 per cent, 57.3 per cent, 61.6 per cent and 59.9 per cent in 2020-21, 2019-20, 2018-19, 2017-18, 2016-17 and 2015-16 fiscals respectively. On the other hand, the capital expenditure for 2023-24 fiscal has been projected at 47.1 per cent of the total budget raising from 45.8 per cent of the running 2021-22 fiscal with 46.8 per cent in 2022-23 fiscal. The document mentioned that the capital expenditure for 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21 fiscals were 40.1 per cent, 38.4 per cent, 42.7 per cent, 43.3 per cent, 42.6 per cent and 43.4 per cent respectively. It means that the capital spending as a percentage of total expenditure was on the declining trend from fiscal 2015-16 to fiscal 2016-17. Whereas, ADP was only 4.3 per cent GDP in 2014-15, it was 5.4 per cent of the GDP in 2019-20 fiscal. The revised estimate of ADP in 2020-21 fiscal stood at 6.4 per cent of the GDP, it said. The document said that the current expenditure has been hovering around 8 per cent of GDP during 2015-16 fiscal to 2019-20 fiscal.
READ: Tk6 trillion budget in the works for 2021-22; govt eyes increased outlay on capital expenditure For the 2023-24 fiscal the projection of the current expenditure is 9 per cent of the GDP. The ratio is same for the 2022-23 fiscal while it is 9.5 per cent of the GDP for the running 2021-22 fiscal. In 2020-21 fiscal, 2019-20 fiscal, 2018-19 fiscal, 2017-18 fiscal, 2016-17 fiscal and 2015-16 fiscal it was 9.9 per cent, 8.5 per cent, 8.7 per cent, 8.3 per cent, 8.4 per cent and 8.3 per cent respectively, as per the document.
December gives Dhaka dwellers a break from heat, but not from dengue
December is supposed to be a month with a biting cold in Bangladesh, bringing down the Aedes mosquito population substantially. But the country reported over 100 dengue patients on Thursday with 31.2 degrees Celsius of temperature in Dhaka.
What is actually behind the dengue prevalence in Dhaka at this time of the year? Experts think Bangladesh is bearing the brunt of global warming.
They attribute the unusually high dengue cases during the dry season, mainly in Dhaka, to the prolonged rainy season, sporadic rainfall, and high humidity and temperature, Aedes mosquitoes' reproductive and behavioural changes caused by climate change and lack of people’s awareness and poor controlling measures by the two city corporations of the capital.
Also read: Climate change making dengue an annual affair in Bangladesh: Experts
They also said the climate conditions of Bangladesh are becoming more favourable for the Aedes mosquitos to prevail in all seasons with high or low intensity mainly for the increase in temperature and breeding sources.
The analysts emphasize the need for modernizing the mosquito controlling measures and carrying on separate drives to contain the Aedes and Culex mosquitoes in all seasons as dengue has become endemic in Bangladesh.
Petrobangla to appoint foreign consultants towards amending Model PSC
As many as eight foreign consulting firms with experience of having worked and brokered deals in the oil and gas industry, are interested to bag a role advising Petrobangla and its need to amend its Model Production Sharing Contract (PSC) if it really wants to attract the international oil companies to the country’s offshore gas blocks. According to official sources, five of the eight firms which submitted their respective Expressions of Interest (EOI) to Petrobangla are from the United Kingdom while one each from India, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
They said Petrobangla received their proposals on November 21, the deadline of submission of the EOI.
Read Bangladesh braces for gas crisis for technical problem
“Now we will scrutinise their proposals to pick one of them to do the job,” said Shahnewaz Parvez, General Manager (Contract) of Petrobangla. He said the consultant will mainly help the state-owned hydrocarbon corporation further amend the Model PSC 2019, in order to attract international oil companies (IOCs) amid the volatile international fuel market. He noted that the principal upstream energy body will appoint an experienced foreign consultant to draw up the amendments that would convince the IOCs to invest in Bangladesh’s offshore gas fields.
Read: Petrobangla to amend Model PSC further to attract IOCs in offshore gas exploration Official sources said the recent excessive hike in petroleum fuel, especially that of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) has prompted the government to go for further amending the existing PSC, to attract the IOCs to invest in Bangladesh’s offshore gas blocks. The country has a total of 48 blocks of which 26 are located in offshore areas and 22 onshore. Of the 26 offshore blocks, 11 are located in shallow sea (SS) water while 15 are located in deep sea (DS) water areas. Of these, 24 offshore gas blocks remain open for IOCs while two blocks —SS-04 and SS-09—are under contract with a joint venture of ONGC Videsh Ltd and Oil India Ltd where drilling works have recently started.
Read Soaring gas prices: Demand and supply management ‘getting tough’
The government had last amended the Model PSC in mid-2019, whereby the price of gas for any participating IOC, that is, the price at which they would sell the gas to the government, was raised to $5.5 per thousand cubic feet (MCF) for shallow water blocks, and $7.25 per MCF for gas extracted from its deep sea blocks.
Long-cherished Chandpur-Sylhet intercity train still a dream
An inter-city train service between Chandpur and Sylhet has long been a demand for the people of the country’s south and south-western region.
Thousands of people from the region travel through Chandpur to visit the holy shrines of Hazrat Shah Jalal and Shar Paran every day. There are also students who study in medical college and university in Sylhet. A large number of tourists also visit the north-eastern district to enjoy its natural beauty.
Day in and day out they suffer as road journey is hazardous and time-consuming.
Read World's tallest railway bridge pier being built in Manipur as part of Jiribam-Imphal project
According to Railway officials, back in 2000 a Laksam-bound commuter train from Chandpur had several coaches attached to it for Sylhet-bound passengers. At Laksham junction, the coaches would join Jalalabad Express train. Passengers could travel to Sylhet in relative comfort and at affordable cost without much hassle.
That stopped on September 20, 2000 after Meghna River swallowed a great part of the Chandpur Boro railway station.
Though the station was later restored the railway authorities did not resume the train service to Sylhet via Laksham.
Also read: India moves to patent the over century-old logos of Darjeeling’s ‘Toy Train’
Students studying in MAG Osmani Medical College and Sylhet University, traders, devotees and tourists endure many difficulties every time they travel to Sylhet.
Even tickets to Sylhet are not issued from Chandpur rail station, said several TTEs, including station master Shoaibul Sikder.
Initiatives to discipline capital's public transport underway amid new student protests
The students have taken to the streets halting buses to press for their demand of half fare. The public transport owners are refusing to cut the fare half for students.
The standoff has plunged the city’s public transportation into further chaos causing huge sufferings to the commuters.
The government on November 3 raised the prices of diesel and kerosene by Tk 15 per litre Shortly after this the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) increased the fares for intra-city and inter-district buses by 26.5% and 27% respectively following an indefinite strike by transport owners on November 7.
Read SSC examinee death: 300 booked for torching 8 buses in city
However, complaints have been in plenty that the transport workers are charging the passengers beyond this fixed rate.
Moreover, passenger who protested this anarchy suffered harassment by transport workers, even a rape threat to a female student.
On November 20, a 2nd year student of Badrunnesa College wanted to pay half bus fare and an assistant of a driver of a bus of ‘Thikana Paribahan’ threatened to rape her.
Read: Students block Rampura road protesting SSC examinee’s death in road crash
Such a situation has occurred as there is a lack of coordination in the monitoring system.
Besides, the transport workers are picking up or dropping off passengers at any place of their choice instead of designated bus stop.
Passengers are spending a lot of money and time due to the chaotic movement of public transport in the capital.
Read Students take to streets again with 11-point demand
Tax return submission: Half the TIN holders may miss the November 30 deadline
At least half the country’s TIN holders are likely to miss the November 30 deadline to submit their tax returns amid experts’ call to the National Board of Revenue (NBR) to go for a more bold and people-friendly tax collection campaign.
Speaking on condition of anonymity a senior NBR official told UNB that the pace of manually submitted returns has been slow. He said he can’t disclose how many people submitted their returns manually until November 27, 2021.
He, however, said some 33,653 taxpayers submitted their tax returns until Saturday (November 27) using the newly-launched eReturn system and a total of 71,500 taxpayers have registered digitally.
Read: People’s interest in paying tax is growing in Bangladesh: Finance Minister
The digital system ensured that there is no harassment, no bribe or no delay in issuing acknowledgement of tax certificates. A team of tax officials developed the system using the board's own resources.
“The returns submission will take place on the last two days of November as usual like previous years and the number may not be less than the last year,” the official added.
Some regular taxpayers complained that they did not get timely messages from NBR.
Talking to UNB Abbas Uddin, a college teacher said, “I have been paying taxes for the past 11 years. I did not get any message from NBR.”
When told of this complaint NBR member (tax policy) Md. Alamgir Hossain said that tax commissioner offices are organizing digital campaign in areas by sending SMS to the taxpayers
Besides, NBR is using several media outlets to send out the information about tax return submissions, he said.
He advised people to submit returns within the deadline otherwise they would have to explain the delay to the NBR through applications and pay extra fees for late submissions.
Pitha sales surge as winter nears
Winter cakes (pithas) are very popular with Bangladeshi people. Different types of pitha are made during the year in Bangladesh. But the winter season is the best season for making and having different types of delicious pitha. The best time to have pitha is in the foggy mornings and evenings of winter.
There are many traditional pitha items in Bangladesh. Pati Sapta Pitha, Vapa Pitha, Kuli Pitha, Chitoi Pitha and Teler Pitha are the most famous pithas in the winter season. Every winter season, pitha makers are bustling with hundreds of customers in the Shantidham area of Khulna.
Also read: Delicious Winter Pithas in Bangladesh: Where Savory, and Innovation Meets Tradition
Nuruzzaman Nur, a seasonal Pitha maker of Khulna makes pitha for customers every winter season. This year is no different. He has already started to sell Chitoi pitha for almost 15-20 days.
Bangladesh’s forex reserve expected to thrive on increased remittance inflow
Bangladeshis working abroad are expected to send huge money back home over the next three fiscal years helping the country’s foreign currency reserve to hit USD 53.99 billion by the middle of 2023-24 fiscal year.
The government projects over a 12 percent increase on average in the inflow of remittance, the key driver of the country’s more than $409 billion economy, over the next three fiscal years, including the current one.
According to a Finance Ministry document obtained by UNB, the remittance inflow of 2019-20, 2020-21 and 2021-22 was 11.2 percent and 36 percent while the target for the current 2021-22 fiscal is 15 percent with a projection of 12 percent and 10 percent for 2022-23 and 2023-24 fiscals respectively.
Read:Bangladesh Bank allows receiving remittances through OPGSPs
The document reveals that the foreign exchange reserve was USD 36.04 billion and USD 44 billion in 2019-20 fiscal and 2020-21 fiscal respectively while the target for the current 2021-22 fiscal is USD 48.37 billion with projection of having USD 50.74 billion and USD 53.99 billion for 2022-23 fiscal and 2023-24 fiscal respectively.
For a developing and emerging economy, the role of foreign remittances has always been crucial. In the context of Bangladesh, foreign remittances are expected to help reduce the current account deficit and augment GDP growth by stimulating domestic demands, the document says.
On the other hand, it says, the micro-level context shows that remittance inflows affect the lifestyle of the household as well as increase the saving level that can serve as an important source of capital.
The document mentions that the government has taken several initiatives to increase remittance inflows as well as foreign employment.
The initiatives include providing cash incentives for sending remittances through banking channels, simplification of remittance-related rules and regulations, reduction in administrative costs for sending remittances through financial institutions and exploration of new market sources for manpower export.
The official remittance inflows began going up in the 2020-21 fiscal despite global and domestic impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. The total inflow of foreign remittances during the 2020-21 fiscal was $24.77 billion which is 36 percent higher than the same period of the previous fiscal year.
According to the document, the current account deficit widened in the 2019-20 fiscal due to weak exports before moving into surplus in the 2020-21 fiscal, supported by a surge in official remittance inflows.
Recognition as freedom fighter: 50 years have gone, but painter Haider Ali's wait continues
Haider Ali, whose job is now to paint walls and doors, put his life on the line every day during the nine-month liberation war of Bangladesh as his country called.
Fast forward to November 2021, as the country is celebrating the golden jubilee of its independence. But things have not changed for Haider, the father of two daughters, for whom tomorrow means another fight for survival.
The man from Darshana, Damurhuda upazila is yet to be gazetted as a freedom fighter even after 50 years. That means he is not able to avail the benefits given to freedom fighters. He now has to struggle to put food on the table.
Read:Tourism Ministry and Hotel Intercontinental honour freedom fighters
Then twenty-year-old Haider from Darshana's Paranpur joined the Liberation War in 1971 in sector 8. The young gun went to India to complete his training as a freedom fighter. He joined the group of ten freedom fighters, led by late Chabdar Ali, in the Bishoykhali area of Kaliganj upazila, Jhenaidah.
Freedom fighters Tamsher Ali, Anisur Rahman, Akkas Ali, Sirajul Islam, Nowsher Ali were the other people from Haider's area who directly fought the war.