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DPDC asked to enhance digital technology for improved customer services
State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid has directed the officials of the Dhaka Power Distribution Company Ltd (DPDC) to enhance its move to exploit digital technology for improving customer services.
He made the directives while addressing a function at Bidduyt Bhaban in the city to observe “Digital Bangladesh Day 2021” on Sunday.
“You have to increase the use of technology to turn the DPDC into a modern entity,” he told the officials.
He mentioned that other power distribution companies are getting digitalised to increase their service.
The function, with DPDC managing director Bikash Dewan in the chair, was also addressed by Power Secretary Habibur Rahman.
DPDC is one of the two distribution companies having 1.25 million customers in Dhaka city.
It is mainly responsible for power distribution in the city’s South-West and central part.
Nasrul Hamid suggested the DPDC officials take up more customer-friendly projects to offer prompt services.
He also asked them for emphasis on implementing projects to take the overhead power lines underground.
Bangladesh logs 6 more Covid fatalities with 329 fresh cases
Bangladesh reported six more Covid-related deaths along with 329 fresh cases in 24 hours till Sunday morning amid the entry of Omicron.
Bangladesh last recorded over 300 daily Covid-cases with 312 cases and three Covid-linked deaths.
With the latest cases, the daily-case positivity rate increased again to 1.52 per cent from Saturday’s 1.13 per cent, said the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
The total fatalities mounted to 28,028 while the caseload mounted to 15,79, 325, with the number of fresh cases.
Meanwhile, the mortality rate remained static at 1.77 per cent during the period.
Four of the latest deceased were men and two women.
The fresh cases were detected after testing 21,612 samples.
Besides, the recovery rate remained unchanged at 97.77 per cent with the recovery of 288 more patients during the 24-hour period.
On Thursday, Bangladesh again logged zero Covid-related death after nearly three weeks as the pandemic is apparently showing signs of easing.
The country reported this year’s first zero Covid-related death in a single day on November 20 along with 178 infections since the pandemic broke out in Bangladesh in March 2020.
Bangladesh reported the highest number of daily fatalities of 264 on August 5 this year, while the highest daily caseload was 16,230 on July 28 this year.
However, some of the leading public health experts in Bangladesh have warned that the current trend of plummeting Covid-19 cases in Bangladesh could well be the obvious calm before a cataclysmic storm.
Their fears centre around children below 12 who remain out of the vaccine coverage and the elderly people.
These experts fear a slow pace of vaccination, waning vaccine immunity, sheer disregard for Covid-safety protocols, reopening of schools and increased travel may set the stage for another Covid wave in Bangladesh -- a trend many European countries are witnessing now.
Omicron enters Bangladesh
Bangladesh on Saturday reported the first two cases of Omicron variant of coronavirus.
“These two infected female patients (cricketers) returned from Zimbabwe recently,” ASM Alamgir, chief scientific officer of the Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research (IEDCR), told UNB.
He said the Omicron patients are members of the Bangladesh Women's Cricket Team and they do not have any severe symptoms.
However, the two female members of the cricket team have been kept in a hotel for isolation, he added.
The two cricketers tested positive for Covid-19 on December 6.
The women's team recently returned home from Zimbabwe after confirming their participation in the next 50-over World Cup, which will be Bangladesh’s maiden World Cup appearance as well.
B’desh gets 1.2 million vaccines through COVAX
Bangladesh has received over 1.2 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine donated by Switzerland, Sweden and Norway through the global COVAX facility.
Ambassadors of the three countries symbolically handed over the donations to the government of Bangladesh at a ceremony held at the state guesthouse Padma on Sunday afternoon.
Senior Secretary of the Health Services Division LokmanHossian Miah, received the vaccines on behalf of the government of Bangladesh.
Secretary (West) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other senior government officials were also present at the event.
In their joint statement, the ambassadors of Sweden, Switzerland and Norway highlighted the importance of an effective multilateral response to the global pandemic and reiterated their countries’ commitment to the rapid and equal global access to safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines.
Living up to their global engagement, the three countries have each pledged financial support to the multilateral “Access to Covid-19 Tools Accelerator” (ACT-A) initiative and have donated vaccines to its COVAX facility.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, they have also bilaterally contributed to various frontline initiatives across Bangladesh, reaching the most vulnerable and remote communities.
During the event, the ambassadors welcomed the decision of COVAX to allocate and deliver over 1.2 million AstraZeneca COVID vaccines to Bangladesh.
The delivery contains 535200 doses donated by Sweden, 446000 by Switzerland, and 237600 by Norway to the COVAX facility.
The ambassadors also thanked UNICEF for organizing the shipment and handover of the vaccines to the Government of Bangladesh.
Fire at old town’s Suritola building brought under control
Fire fighters doused a fire that broke out in a four storied building at old Dhaka’s Suritola on Sunday afternoon, the fire service said.
The fire started in a shoe warehouse on the second floor of the building around 4 pm.
Seven firefighting units managed to douse the fire completely at 4:50 pm after 38 minutes, said Md Rayhan, station officer (media), Fire Service and Civil Defense Headquarters.
No casualties were reported and the amount of damage couldn’t be known yet, he said.
The origin of the fire can be found out after an investigation, he said.
US sanctions on Rab offficals politically motivated, will encourage militancy: Quader
The US sanctions on the IGP and six Rab officiala have been politically motivated, Awami League General Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader said on Sunday adding that the decision will inspire terrorism and militancy.
At a briefing at his office in the Secretariat this morning Quader said Rab as an elite force has been professional in discharge of its work.
He recalled the contriversial US role during Bangladesh liberation war in 1971 and after assassinaton of Bangabandhu in 1975.
Yet Bangladesh did not allow these issues to stand on way of establishing friendly relations with Washington, he said.
Also read: Sanctions on Rab: Law Minister calls it ‘unfortunate’
He said the US move has hurt Bangladesh when it is celebrating 50 years of its indepence..
The two countries are working from their respective positions on multilateral issues including bilateral and common issues, he said.
Quader said that the Anti-Corruption Commission is playing an independent role in carrying out any investigation but it is unreasonable to impose sanctions on a force chief and former officers by making baseless allegations.
Speaking about human rights, the Awami League general secretary also said that such a decision is a kind of violation of human rights.
He urged them to first look into the human rights situation in their country first.
Obaidul Quader said that the death of George Floyd had shaken the whole world which raised the question about the human rights issue of the US administration.
Obaidul Quader said hat the UN itself had expressed concern over the issue of discrimination and oppression of blacks.
"Where millions of people die each year in gun attacks, the world has witnessed the tragic deaths of five people trying to seize Capital Hill after losing an election. The world has seen the face of American democracy and the face of their human rights," he also added.
Obaidul Quader said that Amnesty International had repeatedly pointed out the weakness of the United States in its indicators of internal democracy and protection of human rights.
Some of Bangabandhu's assassins are still hiding in America, war criminals have also fled there, said Awami League general secretary
Robert Reich, a former US senator of Labor said in a tweet that US law enforcement 984
there have been 8,800 extrajudicial killings by US law enforcement and about 1,000 people die without trial every year, according to various sources.
He said any comment on human rights is not acceptable where ordinary people take to the streets in different cities to protest against extrajudicial killings day after day.
Quader said, "We are sure that some anti-Bangladesh people and evil forces may have political motives behid the decision."
Obaidul Quader said that the people of the country think that their ban on a security force of Bangladesh is political and a despicable attempt to force Bangladesh to surrender to their state of slavery.
Also read: Sanctions on RAB: FM says impact on relations depends on US
Noting that no conspiracy against the people of Bangladesh created through the great liberation war has worked in the past, he added that Bangladesh has turned from a vacuum despite various international conspiracies.
In Palestine, when Israel indiscriminately destroys hundreds of homes, including helpless women and innocent children, by dropping missiles and violating human rights, US foreign policy is in favor of Israel, not even uttering a word.
He added that those responsible for the deaths and displacement of people in the Middle East, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Libya and Yemen are giving the world a sense of human rights today.
Citing mutual trust and confidence as the basis of our friendly relations with the United States, Quader said Bangladesh hoped that the US administration would be more informed and careful in making decisions to advance the existing relationship between the people of the two countries.
He further added that there is an opportunity for any issue to be resolved through dialogue with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Bangladesh has already summoned the US ambassador to express its anger and dissatisfaction, he hoped.
"We believe that the US administration will move away from this irrational and one-sided decision," he also hoped.
How life has changed for Murad in just one week
Barely a week back, Murad Hassan was a powerful State Minister for Information and Broadcasting. But today he finds nowhere to hide his face.
Murad has lost his cabinet portfolio, party post and political clouts by the time for his offensive remarks against women that came from his vanity as political analysts believe.
Though he has lost the cabinet portfolio and party post, Murad is still an MP.
Murad had left the country in his desperate bid to hide amid widespread criticism at home, but his attempt to stay abroad went in vain as he had to get back home on Sunday having failed to enter Canada and the UAE.
An official at Hazrat Shahajalal International Airport immigration police, wishing anonymity, told UNB that Murad returned home by an Emirates flight (EK 586) around 5pm and got out of the airport around 6 pm through the domestic terminal hiding his face with his jacket hoodie and mask to avoid the media.
As he had no valid visa to enter Dubai, he got back home, the airport official said, adding, “Murad was supposed to get back home in an Emirates flight at 8:20am today but he could not as he had to undergo Covid test in Dubai, delaying his departure schedule.”
Since he was deported, the Emirates authorities handed him over to the immigration at the airport in Dhaka as part of a procedure, he added.
The airport official said the airlines' authorities usually hand over ‘refused’ passengers to immigration along with their passports. “He (Murad) was handed over to us.”
According to him, Murad's mobile phone is found on since he arrived at the airport, but he is not receiving calls.
Murad Hassan had left the country for Canada in an Emirates flight around 1:20am on Thursday night.
According to Toronto-based Bangla news portal thebengalitimes.com, Murad reached Toronto Pearson International Airport at 1.31am (Canadian time) on Friday.
Canadian immigration officials questioned the former Bangladesh’s junior minister about various allegations, including harassing, humiliating and torturing women, against him in Bangladesh.
They also showed him various videos, photos and news released and published on him, and wanted to know his version, the news portal said.
Sanctions on Rab: Law Minister calls it ‘unfortunate’
Terming the imposition of human rights-related sanctions on Rab personnel unfortunate, Law Minister Anisul Huq on Sunday said the US authorities issued the sanctions without leaving any scope for self-defence.
“Those who believe in democracy and the rule of law have a responsibility and they should follow the due procedure and if any action is taken against any party then they must get the chance of self-defence. It’s truly unfortunate that the US imposed the sanctions without leaving any scope for self-defense,” he said.
The Law Minister came up with the remarks while talking to reporters after inaugurating the 26th Judicial Administration Training Course of Judges at Bangladesh Judicial Administration Training Institute in the city.
“The allegations which have been brought against RAB aren’t correct. Those’re imaginary and no extrajudicial killing has taken place in Bangladesh,” he said.
Read: 'Will prove Zia's involvement in Bangabandhu killing': Minister
The United States on Friday imposed human rights-related sanctions on Benzir Ahmed, current Inspector General of the Bangladesh Police and former Director-General of Bangladesh’s Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), and six other individuals on the occasion of International Human Rights Day.
The US Department of State announced visa restrictions on Benazir Ahmed, which it says, due to his “involvement in gross violations of human rights” making him ineligible for entry into the United States.
Also read: US imposes sanctions on RAB, 7 individuals
RAB as an entity, Benzir Ahmed, and six other officials were designated by the Department of the Treasury under the Global Magnitsky sanctions programme in connection with serious human rights abuse, said the US Department of State.
Regarding Khaleda’s plea seeking permission to go abroad for treatment, the Minister said, “Please wait and you will soon get the answer.”
Global deal on plastic pollution is urgent: Speakers
Bangladesh is committed to supporting the Global Plastic Treaty in the upcoming United Nations Environment Assembly 5.2, Environment, Forests and Climate Change Minister Md. Shahab Uddin has said.
The minister said this at a virtual policy dialogue organized by Environment and Social Development Organization (ESDO) on Saturday.
The dialogue discussed the issues regarding the Global Plastic Treaty approach in UNEA 5.2.
The minister said, “The Government of Bangladesh participated actively in the previous sessions. We will take part in the upcoming fifth UN Environment Assembly. It will take place in 2022 to discuss the possible head start of negotiations of a global agreement to curb plastic pollution. We are hoping that countries from all over the world will support the requirement for a global agreement, which will lead to the proposal requests an Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee for a new legally binding treaty on plastic pollution. It will be established at UNEA 5.2.”
According to panelists David Azoulay, Geneva Managing Attorney, Director of Environmental Health Program, Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), “Bangladesh Govt. needs to focus particularly on waste fishing gear and the cheap plastic use in textile industries for the upcoming negotiation;”
“Solo initiatives cannot combat the global crisis. We must follow how other nations are intervening regarding this matter and work together to achieve a reduction in plastic pollution which will lead us to a global agreement”, said the ambassador of Japan to Bangladesh, ITO Naoki.
ESDO chairperson, Syed Marghub Murshed said, “It is really concerning because Bangladesh is one of the most plastic-polluted countries in South Asia. Plastic has a significant environmental impact. All of these facts are well known, but the plastic pollution situation is worsening day by day in Bangladesh. Because it is a worldwide issue, the solution must be global as well.”
According to the United Nations, 127 countries have passed regulations on single-use plastic bags to incentivize consumers to use reusable bags when shopping due to a continuous significant contribution from several international organizations like EIA, CIEL, GAIA, ESDO, BFFP, IPEN, Earthworks, etc.
Moving Forward, an international legally binding agreement that addresses the entire life cycle of plastics, from the extraction of raw materials to legacy plastic pollution is highly required considering the current situation of global plastic pollution, discussants at the dialogue said.
Rohingya father ‘kills self’ after ‘poisoning’ 3 kids in Cox’s Bazar; 1 child dies
A man and his minor daughter died as he allegedly swallowed poison after feeding it to his three children at Shahparir Dwip in Teknaf upazila of Cox’s Bazar early Sunday.
The deceased were identified as Md Anwar, a Rohingya fisherman who came to Bangladesh from Myanmar 10 years ago and his daughter Sumayia,7.
Two other children- Mahiya,4, and Jabed, 2- were admitted to a hospital in a critical condition.
Quoting local people, Ward No. 9 member of Sabrang Union Abdus Salam said Anwar had a quarrel with his wife on Saturday afternoon and she went to her father’s home leaving Anwar and the children.
Also read: Another member candidate shot in Cox's Bazar ahead of UP polls
Anwar threatened her of committing suicide when she left.
Being informed by locals, police recovered the bodies of Anwar and Sumaiya on Sunday morning and took two other children to a hospital.
Also read: Couple arrested for allegedly killing domestic help in city’s Niketon
SI Mizanur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Shahpari Island Police outpost, said two bodies were recovered and sent to Cox's Bazar Sadar Hospital morgue for autopsy.
Soldiers ready to build prosperous Bangladesh: Hasina
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday said soldiers have been prepared for making Bangladesh a developed country by 2041 as the young generation is availing of the opportunities to flourish their talents in this Digital Bangladesh.
“Now, I don’t have to worry any more. Of course, Bangladesh would be a developed Bangladesh in 1941. The biggest thing is that our soldiers for building Bangladesh as a developed country are ready,” she said.
The Prime Minister was addressing the celebration of Digital Bangladesh Day-2021 and Digital Bangladesh Award Distribution Ceremony at the city’s Bangabandhu International Conference Centre, joining it virtually from her official residence Ganobhaban.
A total of 24 individuals, teams and organisations -- 12 from the national level and 12 from the district level-- received the Digital Bangladesh Award-2021 in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the digital sector.
On behalf of the Prime Minister, State Minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak handed over the awards to the recipients.
Also read: Assess situation before reopening educational institutions: PM
Pointing at the award recipients, Hasina said she is no longer worried about the fulfilment of her Vision 2041 of turning Bangladesh into a developed and prosperous country since many youths received the awards and now got the scope to flourish their talents.
“I can say from today I don’t have to worry anymore …we’ve already advanced far in the way to build a technology and knowledge-based society. Inshallah, Bangladesh will move forward,” she said.
The Prime Minister congratulated the youths and other award recipients.
The Digital Bangladesh is being observed with the theme of 'Digital Bangladesh-er Arjan, Upokrito Sokol Jonogon' (The Achievement of Digital Bangladesh: Beneficiaries are All People).
Digital device export
The Prime Minister said if digital devices can be produced and exported properly, it may exceed all other sectors, including RMG, in earning foreign currency.
Also read: PM puts emphasis on properly learning mother tongue
Noting that now the garment export is the biggest source of foreign currency, she said her government has a target to promote production and export of digital devices and create scope for the meritorious students to flourish their talents in this sector.
“I think if we can produce and export these digital devices, it’ll surpass all sectors,” she said, adding that the government has a target to increase the export earnings to US$ 5 billion in the digital device sector by 2025.
Talking about the Awami League’s electoral pledge to build Digital Bangladesh, Hasina said they had a goal to create jobs so that the youth, staying home, can flourish their talents, become solvent and develop them as well as simultaneously take Bangladesh forward.
“Soldiers are being created to take the country forward,” she said, extending her sincere thanks to her ICT Affairs Adviser Sajeeb Wazed Joy, State Minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak and all other concerned in this regard.
Hasina said the services that her government wanted to provide the people with the help of technology are rendered in Bangladesh. “It has been possible to reach this service from our city corporation to the very grassroots level of a village,” she said.
The PM said her government reduced the price of internet bandwidth to less than Tk 400, which was Tk 78,000 during the BNP government. “We’re going to introduce 5G,” she said.
Mentioning that some 18.13 crore mobile SIM are used in Bangladesh alongside 13 crore internet users, Hasina said internet services are available in almost every house.
Besides, the prizes were conferred among the winners of the online quiz and other competitions arranged on the occasion of the Digital Bangladesh-2021.
At the function, the Prime Minister also unveiled the cover of a book titled ‘Prodhanmontri Sheikh Hasinar Netritte Digital Bangladesh-er Swapna Purun’ (Fulfillment of Dream of Digital Bangladesh under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina), which is featured with achievements and successes in the country’s digital sector.
Hasina also virtually inaugurated some projects, including Freedom Fighter Lieutenant Sheikh Jamal Software Technology Park, Chattogram; Bangabandhu Smriti Ongan and IT Business Centre; Bangabandhu Hi-Tech Park, Sylhet; Sheikh Kamal IT Incubation and Training Centre, KUET, Khulna; and High Speed Internet Broadband Connectivity in 2,600 Union Parishads under the Info Sarkar Scheme (Phase-III).
PM’s Principal Secretary Dr Ahmad Kaikaus spoke at the function, while ICT Senior Secretary NM Zeaul Alam delivered the welcome speech.