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CEC to meet president on Nov 5 regarding announcement of nat’l election schedule
The Chief Election Commission of Bangladesh will meet with President Mohammed Shahabuddin on November 5 regarding the announcement of the election schedule, according to Bangabhaban.
The Election Commission (EC) sought a meeting with the president to discuss the 12th national parliament election yesterday.
The commission led by Kazi Habibul Awal wanted to hold this meeting between November 1 and 5.
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The Election Commission said it will hold a meeting after the meeting with the president. The schedule of the 12th national election may be finalized at that meeting. Returning officers may be appointed then.
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Habibul Awal will then announce the schedule of the general election through an address to the nation on Bangladesh Television.
A meeting with the president before announcing the schedule for national election is a long-time practice.
Read more: If BNP genuinely wanted elections, they wouldn’t have resorted to acts of terrorism: Quader
Bangladesh Sarak Paribahan Malik Samity to operate vehicles defying BNP’s 3-day countrywide blockade
Bangladesh Sarak Paribahan Malik Samity (BSPMS) on Monday urged transport owners and workers to keep movement of goods-laden and passenger vehicles normal ahead of the BNP’s three-day countrywide blockade to be enforced from Tuesday.
The BSPMS made the call from an emergency meeting held at the central office of the organization in Dhaka on Monday noon, according to a media release signed by BSPMS’s Secretary General Khandakar Enayet Ullah.
The decision to operate vehicles defying the blockade was taken unanimously from the meeting.
Thirteen vehicles have so far been burnt and more than 100 vehicles vandalized. A staff of Achhim Paribahan named Nayem was burnt to death, it reads.
Condemning such destructive incidents, the organization urged the authorities concerned to bring the terrorists involved with the incidents under trial and said vandalizing and torching vehicles can’t be tolerated anyhow.
The authorities concerned including police administration were requested to beef up security measures in vulnerable spots in Dhaka and elsewhere of the country so that traffic can't be barred.
Chaired by Bangladesh Sarak Paribahan Sramik Federation President Shahjahan Khan MP, BSPMS President Mashiur Rahman Ranga, Secretary General Khandakar Enayet Ullah, Bangladesh Sarak Paribahan Sramik Federation General Secretary Osman Ali, Bangladesh Bus-Truck Owners’ Association General Secretary Abu Raihan, Dhaka District Transport Workers’ Union President Abbas Uddin and representatives from Bangladesh Sarak Paribahan Sramik Smaiy and Dhaka Sarak Paribahan Malik Samity were present in the meeting.
Bangabandhu Tunnel: Tk 7.1 lakh toll collected on 2nd day
The authorities collected Tk 7.1 lakh as toll on the second day as some 3200 vehicles went through the tunnel under the Karnaphuli River till 6 pm on Monday.
Belayet Hossain, director of Bangabandhu Tunnel, (toll division), said some 3205 vehicles went through the Bangabandhu tunnel from 6 am to 6 pm on Monday and during this period, Tk 7.1 lakh was collected as toll.
Earlier, on Sunday, the tunnel authorities collected Tk 12,13,300 as toll as 5,429 vehicles used the tunnel on the first day of opening.
The tunnel opened for vehicular movement at 6 am on Sunday. Traffic movement remained low due to the ongoing countrywide hartal called by the opposition parties on Sunday.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the country’s first underwater tunnel on Saturday.
As many as 14 boxes have been set up at Anwara end to collect the toll.
According to the Bridges Division, as many as 17,374 vehicles will cross the tunnel every day in the first year after the opening. Of these, 3,218 are heavy vehicles. In 2025, the number of vehicles passing per day will be 28,305.
A total of 12 categories of vehicles will be able to go through the Bangabandhu Tunnel.
The minimum toll for traffic movement in the tunnel has been set at Tk 200, and the maximum is Tk 1,000. Motorcycles or three-wheelers will not be allowed in the tunnel.
On Saturday, the prime minister crossed the Bangabandhu Tunnel with a 21-vehicle motorcade and paid a toll of Tk 4,000.
Garment worker burnt to death in Gazipur
A man was burnt to death at ABM Fashion Ltd factory in Konabari area of Gazipur when the factory was set on during workers’ protest demanding a minimum basic salary of Tk 23,000.
The identity of the deceased couldn’t be known immediately, but he was said to be one of the workers.
According to police and Fire Service, due to the strike most of the factory was declared closed but ABM Fashion Ltd was open. The news spread among strikers and they called those workers for movement. When the workers didn’t join the movement, they broke the gate and beat the officials and workers.
At one stage the factory was set on fire. Three units of Kashimpur DBL Fire Service brought the fire under control after about an hour of effort.
Gazipur fire service deputy assistant director Mohammad Abdullah Al Arefin said Fire Service workers instantly brought the situation under control.
Power Division officials urged to work with “electric pace” to supply uninterrupted, affordable power to people
State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid has urged the officials of the Power Division to work with “electric pace” to supply uninterrupted and affordable power to the people.
“You have to work at an electric pace to supply uninterrupted electricity at an affordable rate”, he told the officials while exchanging views with them on Monday on the occasion of the Power Division’s obtaining top rank in implementation of the Annual Performance Agreement (APA).
Congratulating the officials for the achievement, he said the team effort plays a vital role in making success.
Also read: Govt’s main goal is to provide energy at affordable cost: Nasrul Hamid
The Power Division has grabbed the first position while the Energy and Mineral Resources has ranked third in the implementation of the Annual Performance Agreement (APA) with the government for the financial year-2022-2023.
It is mentionable that among the 52 ministries and divisions of the government the Power Division obtained 99.96 marks out of 100 in the APA implementation to become the first entity in the ranking while Energy and Mineral Resources Division received 99.43 marks to become third.
According to the ministry, the point analysis showed that the Power Division obtained 70 marks out of 70 in its own activities while it got 29.96 marks out of 30 in the case of good governance and reforms related activities.
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Nasrul Hamid said that the achievements of the Independence Award or Digital Bangladesh Award are aligned with the achievements of the Power Division.
He observed that the expectation of the consumers have increased following the availability of electricity at every home.
“Uninterrupted power at an affordable price is now one of the demands of consumers”, he said, adding that a united effort should be made to meet this demand.
He said smart meters, smart grid, underground distribution and transmission system, big data analysis, successful use of artificial intelligent technology for power systems are the need of the hour.
Also read: Nasrul stresses establishing smart grid system to ensure safety of electricity network
Officers also need to acquire skills in using technology along with regular activities.
With Senior Secretary of the Power Division Md Habibur Rahman in the chair, the function was also addressed by the senior officials of the division.
ICAB National Award for Best Presented Annual Reports, Integrated Reporting, and Corporate Governance Disclosures handed over
The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Bangladesh (ICAB) on Monday awarded 30 listed and non-listed entities in 15 different sectors including public sector banks, private sector banks, financial services sector, manufacturing, power and energy sector, infrastructure and construction, insurance, diversified holdings, communication and information technology, public sector, ngos, service sectors, corporate governance, and integrated reporting.ublic sector banks, private sector banks, financial services sector, manufacturing, power and energy sector, infrastructure and construction, insurance, diversified holdings, communication and information technology, public sector, ngos, service sectors, corporate governance, and integrated reporting.
The chief guest Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi handed over the awards to the winners at a gala event held (today), 30 October 2023 at the Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel, Dhaka.
Apart from recognizing the first, second and third positions in each sector, the “Certificate of Merit” were conferred on the entities on achieving minimum threshold scores. Among all the winners, Shahjalal Islami Bank Limited became the over-all winner. were conferred on the entities on achieving minimum threshold scores. Among all the winners, Shahjalal Islami Bank Limited became the over-all winner.
A 13-member Jury Board chaired by Dr. Atiur Rahman, former governor Bangladesh Bank reviewed the recommended list of the winners of ICAB National Award for their best presented Annual Reports, Integrated Reporting, and Corporate Governance Disclosures-2022. During the year, ICAB- Review Committee for Published Accounts & Reports (RCPAR) received annual reports from 86 entities.
Dr. Shamsul Alam, Minister of State, Ministry of Planning, GoB, graced the ceremony as the Special Guest.
ICAB President Md. Moniruzzaman delivered address of welcome while the Chairman of Review Committee for Published Accounts & Reports Mohammed Humayun Kabir spoke on BPA awarding process. delivered address of welcome while the Chairman of Review Committee for Published Accounts & Reports Mohammed Humayun Kabir spoke on BPA awarding process.
From the winning companies, three best annual reports under each award sector will be nominated by ICAB to the SAFA BPA competition in December 2023 in recognition of their excellence in financial disclosure.
Winners of ICAB BPA awards:
In the Public Sector Banks, Agrani Bank PLC became the gold award winner, Janata Bank PLC and Sonali Bank PLC became joint silver award winners and Rupali Bank Limited became the bronze award winner. In Private Sector Banks, Shahjalal Islami Bank Limited and Bank Asia Limited became joint gold award winners while United Commercial Bank PLC and BRAC Bank PLC became Joint silver award winners and Mutual Trust Bank Limited and Mercantile Bank PLC became joint bronze award winners.
In the Financial Services sector, LankaBangla Finance PLC became the gold award winner, IPDC Finance Limited became the silver award winner and Bangladesh Finance Limited the bronze winner.
In Manufacturing sector, British American Tobacco Bangladesh won the gold award, RAK Ceramics (Bangladesh) Limited won Silver award and Walton Hi-Tech Industries PLC became bronze award winner. sector, British American Tobacco Bangladesh won the gold award, RAK Ceramics (Bangladesh) Limited won Silver award and Walton Hi-Tech Industries PLC became bronze award winner.
In Insurance (General) sector, the City General Insurance Company Ltd won gold award, Reliance Insurance Limited and Green Delta Insurance Company Limited became joint silver award winners. (General) sector, the City General Insurance Company Ltd won gold award, Reliance Insurance Limited and Green Delta Insurance Company Limited became joint silver award winners.
In NGOs/NPOs sectors, SAJIDA Foundation won the gold award, BRAC won silver award while Shakti Foundation for Disadvantaged Women and Ghashful became joint bronze award winners.
In Communication & IT sector, Robi Axiata Limited became the gold award winner and Grameenphone Limited became the silver award winner. & IT sector, Robi Axiata Limited became the gold award winner and Grameenphone Limited became the silver award winner.
In the sector of Public Sector, Infrastructure Development Company Limited (IDCOL) became the gold award winner, Investment Corporation of Bangladesh Limited became the silver award winner and Bangladesh Infrastructure Finance Fund Ltd won the bronze award.the sector of Public Sector, Infrastructure Development Company Limited (IDCOL) became the gold award winner, Investment Corporation of Bangladesh Limited became the silver award winner and Bangladesh Infrastructure Finance Fund Ltd won the bronze award.
In the Service Sector, Unique Hotel & Resorts Limited and Bank Asia Limited became joint gold award winners, Shahjalal Islami Bank Limited silver award and British American Tobacco Bangladesh won the bronze award. Sector, Unique Hotel & Resorts Limited and Bank Asia Limited became joint gold award winners, Shahjalal Islami Bank Limited silver award and British American Tobacco Bangladesh won the bronze award.
In Integrated Reporting, BRAC Bank PLC won the gold award, IDLC Finance Limited won the silver award and Shahjalal Islami Bank Limited won the silver award.
Police constable Aminul murder: 2 inc. Swechchhasebak Dal leader put on 7-day remand
A Dhaka court on Monday placed two people including Gaibandha’s Palashbari upazila unit convenor of BNP’s voluntary wing Swechchhasebak Dal on seven-day remand in a case over the killing of a police cop in clashes with law enforcers during the BNP’s grand rally last Saturday.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Ali Haider granted the remand after rejecting their bail plea placed by the defendants’ counsel.
Earlier, the accused were produced before the court with 10-day remand prayer each by the investigation officer of the case.
Also read: 2 including Jubo Dal activist arrested in connection with Constable Amirul murder
Police constable Amirul Islam was killed in a brutal attack allegedly by BNP activists while on duty during the deadly violence at Nayapaltan and nearby areas on Saturday.
Later, a murder case was filed accusing 164 BNP men including its Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir with the Paltan Police Station.
Swechchhasebak Dal Convenor Shamim Reza was arrested from Gaibandha, and another Md. Sultan was arrested from Demra in the capital early Sunday.
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Software solution to reduce costs for patients: Palak
State Minister for Information and Communication Technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak on Monday said that software solution and data analytics based services along with the use of digital devices in the medical field will reduce costs for patients and help make data based decisions.
The state minister said this while inaugurating the digital infrastructure for the treatment of heart disease set up at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU).
He said this pilot site will contribute to digitalise the healthcare sector and build a smart Bangladesh by 2041.
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In order to make BSMMU a smart hospital, the ICT Division has taken an initiative to set up a specialized tele-health center at BSMMU on the model of community clinic.
BSMMU Vice-Chancellor Prof Md Sharfuddin Ahmed presided over the programme where BSMMU's Cardiology Department Chairman Professor Chowdhury Meshkat Ahmed, Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen spoke on the occasion.
Research Findings Dissemination event held in the city
Centre for Peace and Justice (CPJ), BRAC University, in collaboration with ActionAid Bangladesh, organized a Research Findings Dissemination event on Legal and Regulatory Framework Affecting the Enabling Environment for Grassroots Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) on Monday in the city.
This research was conducted under the ‘SUSHIL: Supporting the Unity and Sustainability of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to Uphold Human Rights, National Integrity, and Rule of Law in Bangladesh’ project, co-funded by the European Union.
WFWP Bangladesh holds seminar on 'Raising Awareness on Eye Care'
Researchers of the CPJ led by its Director (Research) M Sanjeeb Hossain, Nafisa Tabassum, and Al Muktadir Elahi Esmam conducted qualitative research which involved interviews of 135 representatives of 114 Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) operating across nine districts of Bangladesh, namely, Chattogram. , Bandarban, Bagerhat, Satkhira, Kushita, Naogaon, Kurigram, Gaibandha, and Dhaka.
Dr. Hossain presented the essential findings and recommendations for the research titled ‘Towards an Enabling Environment for Grassroots CSOs in Bangladesh: Challenges and Recommendations for Reimagining Laws, Regulations and Policies’.
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The event consisted of an open discussion session where attendees discussed three themes – current challenges CSOs face, balancing their freedom of operation and advocacy while holding them accountable, and whether or not the situation will improve with the passing of new legislation.
Government representatives, development partners, academics, CSOs, youth leaders, and like-minded organizations engaged in a vibrant debate in this session.
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The event concluded with remarks from Farah Kabir, Country Director, ActionAid Bangladesh. She mentioned that all CSOs are unique entities with volunteerism at their core. She emphasized the need for an enabling culture where larger NGOs/CSOs would willingly collaborate with grassroots CSOs.
WFWP Bangladesh holds seminar on 'Raising Awareness on Eye Care'
The Women's Federation for World Peace (WFWP) Bangladesh organised a seminar on “Raising Awareness on Eye Care” in Cox's Bazar on Monday.
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The seminar was held at a hotel in Cox’s Bazar with the technical partnership of Orbis International, according to a press release.
This is one of the yearly events of WFWP with the objective of building awareness on precautions and remedies for the protection of the eye, it said.
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Presided over by president and project director of the WFWP Bangladesh Mehreen Mahmud, Nusrat Jahir, national programme officer at UN Women, Cox’s Bazar, and Dr Iqbal Hossain, associate director, Programme Implementation and Partnership Management at Orbis International, attended the seminar as special guests.
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The seminar contained presentations by eye specialists, followed by discussions with invited physicians, NGO leaders from the health sector, local and private stakeholders, and potential beneficiaries regarding primary-level precautions and remedies for the protection of the eye.