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Safe food to be ensured for all amid pressure over subsidy
Agriculture Minister Abdur Razzak MP said that safe food will be ensured for all in the next 3-4 years."It will be possible to ensure safe food for all in the next 3-4 years and the incumbent government is working tirelessly to ensure this,".The minister said this while addressing as the chief guest at the Shadow Parliament on "appropriate steps of the government to ensure safe food" at FDC in Dhaka on Saturday.For ensuring safe food, the government has enacted 'Safe Food Act' and the Safe Food Authority has been formed, he added.
Read: Edible oil price may go up further: Tipu MunshiMentioning that safe food should also be ensured in case of export, the minister further said that efforts are being made to produce safe crops. Production activities have already started in accordance with good agricultural practices.The Minister further said that in order to ensure safe and nutritious food, the income of the common man must also be increased. If income and standard of life cannot cannot be improved, the incidence of adulterated and unsafe food will increase.Therefore, the government is taking and implementing effective initiatives for mechanization, commercialization and processing of agriculture in order to increase the income of the people and improve the living standards of the large rural agricultural population.
Edible oil price may go up further: Tipu Munshi
The price of edible oil may rise again in Bangladesh if it is increased in Brazil as the country imports it from the Latin American country, said Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi on Saturday.
The minister said this while talking to journalists at Sheikh Shafi Commerce College in Lalmonirhat.
“The prices of essentials usually go up during the month of Ramadan. Efforts are on to keep the prices stable in the market during the period,” he said, adding that the selling of goods through OMS will be doubled during Ramadan.
Also read: No hike in edible oil prices in 15 days, readjustment after that: Minister
To keep the prices of daily essentials within people’s purchasing capacity, the market is being monitored, Tipu Munshi added.
Lack of authentic data held back timely implementation of incentive package: MA Mannan
Planning Minister MA Mannan on Saturday said that lack of credible, authentic data held back the implementation of the government's pandemic stimulus package, delaying allocation for the marginal groups.
“We need to upgrade the household database accurately so that the government can make quick decisions for implementation of any kind of program like stimulus and other development activities,” he said.
The minister emphasized that the 100 percent success of the project depended on authentic information on the target group along with accessibility of researchers and relevant people who would work for them.
MA Mannan was speaking in a webinar titled ‘COVID-19 Stimulus Packages: An Analysis of Institutional Capacity, Transparency, and Accountability’, organized by Asia Foundation, Research and Policy Integration for Development (RAPID) and the Economic Reporters’ Forum (ERF)
"Immediate response measures are more important in any emergency or crisis situation for a government than waiting for data collection," MA Mannan said.
In the Covid-19 pandemic case, the government has done just that. As in other countries of the world, it has been done through the banking sector.
“There may have been some misunderstandings at first in identifying who would benefit from this. But later they were fixed. In most cases the beneficiary is properly identified. The main goal of the government is to solve the problem,” he added.
Other speakers at the webinar said incentive packages announced by the government have played a very effective role in tackling the effects of Covid-19 pandemic on the economy and aided its recovery.
Read: Dhaka smells more ‘assaults’, wants to counter propaganda abroad with facts
They also said formal sector business groups have benefited more from the incentive packages though it was very essential for the informal sector.
One of the reasons they pointed out was institutional weakness. As a result, institutional capacity for effective implementation of crisis management initiatives needs to be enhanced along with reform policy.
In response, the planning minister said there is a shortage of skills both at the government and the society level. The government has taken various initiatives to address this deficit and regularly updates and verifies continually.
Dr. MA Razzaque, Chairman, RAPID, presented a study paper on the topic. He said the government's stimulus packages have certainly had a positive impact. Bangladesh was ranked 22nd among the top 53 economies in the world last December. This January, however, it has deteriorated to 29th.
He said despite some limitations Bangladesh has been praised by the world for tackling Covid-19 pandemic and keeping the economy in a positive growth track.
“The organized group, especially the export sector has got more benefits. They also have easy access to government policy makers. In comparison, medium, small and micro enterprises in the informal sector did not get it right. It is too late to reach the incentives in the tourism sector,” the study revealed.
Dr. Md. Kawser Ahmed, member (secretary) General Economic Division of the Planning Ministry, Dr. Md. Khairuzzaman, additional secretary, Ministry of Finance, also spoke at the webinar. Sharmeen Rinvy, ERF president presided over the function while its secretary SM Rashidul Islam, moderated the webinar.
Another zebra dies at Gazipur Safari Park
Another zebra died on Saturday at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Safari Park in Sreepur, Gazipur district, raising the death toll to 10 within a month.
“This took the total number of dead zebras in the park to 10 within a month. Besides, another Zebra fell sick,” said Md Zahidul Kabir, project director of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Safari Park.
Nine of the 22 zebras in the park died between January 2 to 24 , said officials on Tuesday.
On Saturday noon, the members of the medical board formed earlier to provide immediate treatment to prevent deaths of the zebras and examine their cause of sickness held an emergency meeting in the park.
Read: 3 killed in Manikganj road crash
The Forest Department authority will take necessary steps in this regard following the suggestions of the medical board.
The members of the medical board are Dr ABM Shahidullah, former curator of National Zoo, Professor Dr Rafiqul Alam, and Professor Dr Abu Hadi Md Nur Ali Khan from of Bangladesh Agricultural University, Mymensingh, Hatem Sazzad Md Julkarnine, veterinary doctor of the safari park.
Dr Shafiul Ahad Sardar, Director of Central Veterinary Hospital and Dr Golam Ajam Chowdhury, Chief Scientific Officer of Central Disease Investigation Laboratory joined the meeting as experts.
On Wednesday, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Chang formed a five-member inquiry committee to find out the real cause of death of nine zebras at the Gazipur safari Park.
The committee was asked to submit the investigation report to the ministry within 10 (ten) working days.
Covid in Bangladesh: Daily deaths rise to 21, positivity rate declines to 31.10 %
Bangladesh reported 21 more Covid-linked deaths with 10,378 fresh cases in 24 hours till Saturday morning.
The daily positivity rate dropped to 31.10 per cent from highest-ever 33.37 per cent recorded on Friday after testing 33,373 samples during the period, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
The country logged its earlier highest daily positivity rate at 32.55% on July 24 last year reporting 6,780 cases and 195 deaths.
On Friday, Bangladesh reported 20 Covid-linked deaths with 15,440 fresh cases.
The fresh numbers took the country’s total fatalities to 28,329 while the caseload mounted to 1,731,149.
Also read: Covid surge in Rajshahi: Shops, restaurants to shut by 8pm
Among the new deceased, 14 were men and seven women.
Twelve deaths were reported in Dhaka division while two each in Chattogram, Khulna, Rangpur and one each in Rajshahi, Barishal and Mymensingh divisions.
3 killed in Manikganj road crash
Three people were killed as a bus hit a three-wheeler on Dhaka-Aricha highway in Manikganj Saturday noon.
The deceased are three-wheeler driver Abdur Razzak, 30, passengers Zahidul Islam, 40, son of Afaz Uddin of Bara Hapania village under Harirampur upazila and Abdur Rahman, 25, son of Intaz Khan of the same village.
The bus hit the three-wheeler at Mahadevpur bus stand in Shibalaya upazila around 12 pm, leaving its two passengers dead on the spot, said Riyad Mahmud, in-charge of Barangail Highway police outpost.
READ: Young man stabbed dead in Manikganj
He said, Zahidul and Abdur were returning home after selling onions at Barangail market.
The seriously injured driver died at Manikganj District Hospital, he said.
Police managed to seize the bus but its driver and helper escaped, he added
READ: Two motorcyclists killed in Manikganj road crash
1 year into Myanmar coup: Govts, businesses urged to intensify pressure on military
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet has urged the international community to intensify pressure on the military to stop its campaign of violence against the people of Myanmar and to insist on the prompt restoration of civilian rule.
“One year after the military seized power, the people of Myanmar – who have paid a high cost in both lives and freedoms lost – continue to advocate relentlessly for their democracy,” Bachelet said.
“This week, I had a chance to speak in person with determined, courageous human rights defenders who are pleading to the international community not to abandon them, but to take robust, effective measures to ensure their rights are protected and the military is held accountable.”
The UN Human Rights Office will publish a report in March 2022 detailing the human rights situation in the country since the 1 February 2021 coup.
Also read: UN labor group says 1.6M jobs lost in Myanmar in 2021
“I urge governments – in the region and beyond – as well as businesses, to listen to this plea. It is time for an urgent, renewed effort to restore human rights and democracy in Myanmar and ensure that perpetrators of systemic human rights violations and abuses are held to account,” Bachelet said.
Bachelet said she had heard chilling accounts of journalists being tortured; factory workers being intimidated, silenced and exploited; intensified persecution of ethnic and religious minorities – including the Rohingya; arbitrary arrests, detentions and sham trials of political opponents; “clearance operations” targeting villagers; and indiscriminate attacks including through airstrikes and the use of heavy weaponry in populated areas, showing gross disregard for human life.
“And yet, courageous human rights defenders and trade unionists continue to protest, to advocate, to document and accumulate the mounting evidence of violations,” she said.
The brutal effort by security forces to crush dissent has led to the killing of at least 1,500 people by the military since the 1 February coup – but that figure does not include thousands more deaths from armed conflict and violence, which have intensified nationwide.
The UN Human Rights Office has documented gross human rights violations on a daily basis, the vast majority committed by security forces.
At least 11,787 people have been arbitrarily detained for voicing their opposition to the military either in peaceful protests or through their online activities, of whom 8,792 remain in custody.
At least 290 have died in detention, many likely due to the use of torture.
Armed clashes have grown in frequency and intensity, with every part of the country experiencing some level of violence. In those areas of highest intensity military activity – Sagaing region, Chin, Kachin, Kayah and Kayin states – the military has been punishing local communities for their assumed support of armed elements.
The Office has documented village burnings, including places of worship and medical clinics, mass arrests, summary executions and the use of torture.*
The crisis has been exacerbated by the combined forces of the COVID-19 pandemic and the collapse of the banking, transportation, education and other sectors, leaving the economy on the brink of collapse.
Also read: Myanmar military reverts to strategy of massacres, burnings
The daily lives of people have been severely impacted, with devastating effects on their enjoyment of economic and social rights. There are projections that nearly half of the population of 54 million may be driven into poverty this year.
“Members of Myanmar civil society have told me first-hand what the impact of the last year has been on their lives and those of their families and communities," Bachelet said.
“The people have shown extraordinary courage and resilience in standing up for their basic human rights and supporting each other. Now the international community must show its resolve to support them through concrete actions to end this crisis.”
While there has been near universal condemnation of the coup and the ensuing violence, the international response has been “ineffectual and lacks a sense of urgency commensurate to the magnitude of the crisis,” Bachelet said.
The actions taken by the UN Security Council and by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have been insufficient to convince Myanmar’s military to cease its violence and facilitate humanitarian access and aid deliveries.
The High Commissioner welcomed some private corporations’ decisions to withdraw based on human rights grounds, as a “powerful tool to apply pressure on the financing of the military’s operations against civilians.”
Bachelet also stressed that the current human rights crisis is “built upon the impunity with which the military leadership perpetrated the shocking campaign of violence resulting in gross human rights violations against the Rohingya communities of Myanmar four years ago – and other ethnic minorities over many decades beforehand.”
“As long as impunity prevails, stability in Myanmar will be a fiction. Accountability of the military remains crucial to any solution going forward – the people overwhelmingly demand this,” Bachelet said.
Textile millers oppose plan for gas price hike
Textile millers have urged the government not to raise the gas prices, saying it will raise production cost.
They urged the government to address the nagging gas crisis through raising local productions.
Bangladesh Textile Mills Association, a representative body of the local textile mills, made the call while addressing a press conference at a hotel in the city on Saturday.
“If the gas prices are raised further, it will have a big impact on the local textile manufacturers which have been supplying backward linkages to the export oriented readymade garment (RMG) industries,” said BTMA president Mohammad Ali Khokon.
He claimed that if gas prices are raised, it will escalate their production cost by 25 percent which will make the local textiles non-competitive in the global market.
He alleged that currently local textile millers have been experiencing a severe gas crisis which pushed them to halt their productions.
Also read: Defying rejection, Petrobangla, 7 other distributors again push for gas price hike
“Due to the gas crisis for the last three months, we apprehend, textile productions will incur a loss of $1.5 billion in their supply to the local market while $2 billion for the export market—the RMG sector”, he added.
The BTMA also demanded a long term energy policy of 5 years from the government so that they could design a long term plan in their production on the basis of that policy.
“We want a business-friendly energy policy,” said Khokon.
BTMA Vice Presidents Fazlul Hoque and Abdullah Al Mamun, directors Md Mosharaf Hossain and Saleudh Zaman Khan were also present at the press conference.
Khokon alleged that Titas Gas, despite being profitable according to its balance sheet’s figure, has moved a proposal to the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission to raise gas price which is totally unfair.
He said only 8 percent of the Titas Gas company’s share is held by the public while remaining 92 percent by the state.
But Titas gas is desperate to raise gas prices in order to protect the 8 percent public shareholders interest, he alleged.
The BTMA president said that they have to operate captive power plants having 1700 MW capacity to ensure uninterrupted power supply to their mills against the backdrop of the failure of the authorities concerned to ensure smooth supply.
He said currently textile mills have to pay Tk 13.85 per unit of gas which was last raised in 2019.
The BTMA leaders said they have been facing a severe crisis in the last two years due to the Covid-19 situation.
Also read: FBCCI concerned over move to hike gas price
They said that in the year 2020 they could not do business . “In 2021 we had to go through a recovery process and we are planning this year to make profit. The move to raise gas prices will come as a big blow to this plan”, said the BTMA president.
Referring to the experts view, he said the current gas crisis could be managed through increasing local production by installing compressors at the gas fields.
Khokon also demanded installation of Electrical Volume Corrector (EVC) gas meters at the textile mills to ensure proper billing.
Textile mills have to pay a higher price than that of their consumption due to the non-existence of the EVC meters.
“We could not get the correct reading from the gas distribution companies as existing meters are not capable of providing correct reading”, he said.
Dead tiger’s autopsy conducted in Sundarbans
The autopsy of the tiger, which was found dead in the Sundarbans in Sharankhola upazila of Bagerhat district on Friday, was conducted on Saturday.
Dr. Tofazzel Hossain, a livestock officer, who conducted the autopsy at Sharankhola Range office, suspected that the tiger died due to old age.
Earlier, the livestock officers of Forest Department and Wild Life teams examined the dead tiger and sent its organs including teeth, liver, lung and others to Dhaka for forensic test.
On Friday noon, the forest officials found the carcass of the tiger, aged about 16-17 years and lenth about 9 feet and 4.2 feet high, from Ruper Canal adjacent to Dublarchar of the Sndarbans East zone.
“No sign of injury was found on the carcass of the tiger and all of its organs were found normal,” said Dr Tofazzel.
Samsul Arefin, assistant forest conservator of Sundarbans East Department, said, “The tiger might have died two or three days ago. The actual reason will be known after getting the forensic report.”
According to the forest department, a total of 40 tigers died from 2001 to January 28, 2022 in the Sundarbans and of these, 24 deaths were reported in Sundarbans East Zone and 16 in the Sundarbans West Zone.
Besides, a number of tigers were beaten to death by people while some others due to natural disaster and some due to old-age.
Skins of 20 tigers were recovered during this period.
The number of Royal Bengal Tigers in Bangladesh part of the Sundarbans was 114, according to a survey published in 2018.
DFO Muhammad Belayet Hossain said the government has taken various initiatives to protect tigers. Habitats for wildlife, including tigers, have been increased in the Sundarbans.
In 2017, the government expanded the sanctuary area in the Sundarbans.
Out of the total forest area of 6,01,700 hectares, now the sanctuary area is 3,17,900 hectares which was only 1,39,700 hectares earlier.
Trucker stabbed dead in city
A truck driver was stabbed to death allegedly by muggers in Demra area of the capital early Saturday.
The deceased was identified as Saiful Islam, son of Fazlul Haque of Mendipur Uttarpara in Demra.
Quoting family members, police said Saiful used to drive his own truck.
Police found him wounded in Demra area and took him to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries around 5 am, said Inspector Bachchu Mia, in-charge of the hospital police camp.
READ: Farmer stabbed over land dispute in Bagerhat
“He had no enmity with others. Muggers stabbed him in his abdomen at night and snatched away Tk 10,000-15000 from his possession,” said Saiful’s uncle Mostaq Ahmed while talking to police.
Efforts are on to arrest the culprits, said police.
READ: Young man stabbed dead in Manikganj