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Dengue: 1 dies, 20 more patients hospitalised in 24 hrs
One person died and twenty people were hospitalized with dengue in the 24 hours till Monday morning.
Of the new patients, nine were admitted to the hospitals in Dhaka and 11 outside it, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
A total of 170 dengue patients, including 57 in the capital, are now receiving treatment at hospitals across the country
So far, DGHS recorded 289 dengue cases and 118 recoveries this year with one death.
Also Read: Dengue: 27 more patients hospitalised in 24 hrs
The country reported 281 deaths from the mosquito-borne disease last year, the highest ever dengue fatalities recorded in a single year in Bangladesh. The previous record of 179 deaths was reported in 2019.
The DGHS has recorded 62,423 dengue cases and 61,971 recoveries in the past year.
Cabinet clears policy to fix minimum and maximum prices of agricultural goods
The Cabinet on Monday cleared the draft of the National Agricultural Marketing Policy, 2023 in order to modernise the marketing system and ensure the highest benefits for the farmers through different measures including fixation of minimum and maximum rational prices for the agricultural goods.
The approval came from the Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her office.
“The policy has been designed incorporating some goals and targets in a bid to modernise the marketing system of agricultural goods,” said cabinet secretary Mahbub Hossain while briefing reporters at Bangladesh Secretariat after the meeting.
He said the policy focuses on how the market of agricultural goods can be monitored and the farmers can be given the highest benefits.
“Steps will be taken to fix and implement the minimum and maximum rational prices of agricultural goods,” he said.
Also Read: Undisbursed portion of agriculture and rural loans will be disbursed to farmers by Bangladesh Bank body
Other steps which will be taken as per the policy include enhancing links between the farmers and markets, strengthening information management, improving marketing infrastructures, promoting digital markets, strengthening community-based, group-based and contract-based marketing, promoting e-agricultural marketing system and digital markets, and developing the overall supply chain, he said.
During the approval of the policy, the Prime Minister directed to design an agricultural goods-processing policy with a view to modernising the sector, maintaining international standards of products and thus promoting the export of processed goods, said the cabinet secretary.
He said the directive came as the markets for Bangladeshi processed agricultural goods have created worldwide as Bangladeshi diaspora communities use the goods and foreign people are also showing interest to the commodities.
The PM also directed to consider jute goods as agricultural ones saying that the jute sector should get all sorts of facilities entitled for the agricultural sector.
Jute goods have been treated as industrial products. But now the use of jute fiber has enhanced massively and created a huge prospect for the goods locally and internationally. So, now jute goods need to be considered as agricultural ones to unlock this huge prospect, said Mahbub Hossain.
The Cabinet also approved in principle the draft of the Sheikh Hasina Agricultural University Act, 2023 to establish the country’s 9th agricultural university in Shariatpur. “It will be an institute like the existing agricultural universities,” said Mahbub Hossain.
Besides, the Cabinet cleared the draft of Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (Amendment) Act, 2023 in a bid to replace an existing ordinance that paved the way for the government to adjust the prices of gas and electricity without public hearings.
On December 1, 2022, the “Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (amendment) Ordinance, 2022” was promulgated amending the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) Act-2003. The new ordinance was placed in Parliament on January 5.
“This ordinance is now being turned into an act. No change was made here. It is the same as the ordinance,” said the top bureaucrat.
Bangladesh registers 17 more Covid-19 cases
Bangladesh registered 17 more Covid cases in 24 hours till Monday morning.
With the new numbers, the country's total caseload rose to 2,037,284, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
However, the official death toll from the disease remained unchanged at 29,440 as no new fatalities were reported.
The daily case test positivity dropped to 0.72 per cent from Sunday's 0.84 per cent as 2,370 samples were tested during the period.
REad: Children aged 5-11 get Covid jabs on trial basis
The mortality rate remained unchanged at 1.45 percent while recovery rate slightly increased to 97.62 per cent, it added.
In December last year, the country reported seven Covid-linked deaths and 540 cases.
Bangladesh registered its highest daily caseload of 16,230 on July 28 in 2021 and daily fatalities of 264 on August 5 the same year.
No age limit: 1.27 lakh Bangladeshis can perform Hajj this year, deal signed with Saudi
The government has signed an agreement with Saudi Arabia over Hajj, and it hopes that over 1.27 lakh Bangladeshis will be able to perform Hajj this year.
The age limit for Hajj pilgrims has been lifted by the Saudi government – paving the way for people over 65 to go for the significant pilgrimage.
State Minister for Religious Affairs Faridul Haque Khan and Saudi Hajj and Umrah Affairs Minister Dr Tawfiq Bin Al Rabiah signed the agreement at 10 am today in Saudi Arabia, on behalf of their respective countries, Abul Kashem Muhammad Shaheen, deputy secretary of the Religious Affairs Ministry, told UNB.
Read: Hajj management for pilgrims from Bangladesh will be better: State Minister
According to the agreement, 15,000 people will be able to go to Hajj under government management while 1,12,198 can go under private management. The remaining 1,270 pilgrims can go to Saudi Arabia as members of the Hajj team (administrative and medical).
Earlier on January 7, a three-member team led by state minister Faridul Haque Khan left for Saudi Arabia.
On November 13, 2022, Bangladesh and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia signed a bilateral document on ‘Route to Mecca’ which will ease the visit of Bangladeshi Hajj pilgrims to the kingdom.
Under the 'Route to Mecca' service agreement, pilgrims would be able to complete their immigration in Dhaka prior to their departure to Saudi Arabia.
Seventy percent of pilgrims will travel through Jeddah while 30 percent through Madinah, it said, adding that Hajj pilgrims must receive Covid-19 vaccine before departure.
Read: Online Hajj Registration from Bangladesh: Procedure and Costs
According to the ministry, 1, 27,000 people from Bangladesh performed Hajj in 2019 while the Saudi government increased the quota for Bangladeshi pilgrims by 10,000 in 2020. But Hajj was not held in the year for Covid-19 pandemic.
Only 60,000 people from Bangladesh were allowed to perform Hajj in 2022 as the Saudi government halved the quotas for pilgrims in different countries.
Govt mulling over monthly adjustment of power, energy prices: Nasrul Hamid
State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid said on Monday that the government is working on a plan to introduce a system for adjusting power and energy prices every month.
"We're working on a plan to adjust power and energy prices every month", he told reporters on the sidelines of a contract signing ceremony at Bidyut Bhaban on Monday.
He also said there is no relation between the government's move and the public hearing of the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC).
"BERC will do its own job and make their decisions. We have amended the BERC rules so that we could go for adjustment of prices every month", he said.
"Already our neighboring countries have introduced the monthly price adjustment system", he added.
He said globally the energy prices have gone up and inflation is rising. "So, we have to go for the adjustment".
Also read: If BERC delays decision on retail power hike proposals, govt to decide: Nasrul Hamid
He said the main objective of the amendment to the existing BERC Act is to make decisions by the government on certain cases.
He also noted that the subsidy of the government to the power and energy sector will continue as the recent price hike would not cover the full loss in the sector.
He said if the price adjustment is made, then at least backlog made due to financial losses in gas import would be possible to overcome.
Responding to a question, he said the government is expecting that there will not be much load shedding in the coming summer like last summer.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh China Renewable Energy Company (Pvt) Limited (BCRECL), a subsidiary of the North-West Power Generation Company Limited and CMC, China, signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) and an implementation agreement (IA) with the state-owned Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) and the government to set up a 68-MW solar power plant at Sirajganj.
As per the agreements, the BPDB will purchase electricity from the plant at 10.20 US Cents per unit over the period of 20 years.
Also read; Adani’s 750 MW power to come to national grid in March: Nasrul Hamid
The BCRECL will invest $87.71 million to set up the plant where ZTENCO Limited Bangladesh will act as consultant while Consortium of Perioshen-Fedi-Sinohydro, China will act as EPC contractor for the project.
Addressing the function Nasrul said the government has wanted to generate 2000 MW of electricity from renewable energy sources in the next one year.
Cosmos Foundation welcomes Dr. Kenneth X. Robbins as Advisory Board member
Globally renowned researcher, archivist and curator Dr. Kenneth X. Robbins has joined the Cosmos Foundation as its newest Advisory Board member.
A psychiatrist by profession, he received his B.A. from Columbia University in 1963 and M.D. from the New York University School of Medicine. Dr. Robbins started collecting Rajput, Deccani, Mughal and other South Asian artefacts from dealers and auction houses in the 1960s and has used his collections to publish fourteen books on South Asian history and culture. His special interests range from Maharajas, Nawabs, and Deccani Sultans to minority groups like Afro-South Asians.
Dr. Robbins and his wife Joyce have accumulated a collection of more than 100,000 items over the period of more than five decades that covers the history of South Asia and Africans in the larger Indian Ocean world, and the Jewish diaspora in India and beyond.
Welcoming Dr. Robbins on board, Chairman of Cosmos Foundation and Managing Director of the Cosmos Group, Enayetullah Khan, said, “Having Dr. Kenneth X. Robbins on our Advisory Board is an honour for us. The passion and unquenchable thirst for South Asian art, history and unexplored connection between peoples that Dr. Robbins has demonstrated through his expanded collection and published works are awe-inspiring. As a leading organisation working to familiarise the world with Bangladeshi art and culture, having Dr. Robbins on Cosmos Foundation’s Advisory Board perfectly aligns with our vision.”
Nahar Khan, Executive Director of Cosmos Foundation, said, “The ways in which our cultures influenced one another historically and, in many cases, still influence one another today, provide us with invaluable insights into humankind. Dr. Robbins’ pioneering work on the movement of people across the Indian Ocean – from Africa to India, the fascinating historical exchanges in knowledge, music, arts and culture open doors for and deserves in-depth research that can shed light on some missing chapters in world history. His decades-spanning explorations will surely enrich Cosmos Foundation as it navigates the global cultural sphere.”
About Cosmos Foundation
Cosmos Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the Cosmos Group – registered as a trust dedicated to providing strategic insights and policy solutions to help Bangladesh chart its course towards a better future. The Foundation works towards discovering, cultivating and disseminating for a global audience the art of Bangladesh.
It provides direction to the Cosmos Group’s flagship curatorial space, Gallery Cosmos, and its pioneering printmaking studio, Atelier71, which work in tandem.
The Foundation aims to engage both local and global audiences in artistic and intellectual interventions that aim to illuminate the past, examine the present, and imagine the future.
At 7 degrees Celsius, Tetulia records season’s lowest temperature
Tetulia of Panchagarh recorded the season’s lowest temperature in Bangladesh at 7 degrees Celsius, in 24 hours till Monday (January 09, 2023) morning as a mild cold wave is sweeping parts of the country.
Dhaka recorded 13.2 degrees Celsius during this period.
A mild cold wave is sweeping Rajshahi and Rangpur divisions and Chuadanga district which may continue, said the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) in its latest bulletin.
Read more: Cold wave: Jashore, Chuadanga record lowest temperature at 7.8 degree C
Besides, moderate to thick fog may occur over the river basins and adjoining area and light to moderate fog may occur elsewhere over the country from midnight to morning and it may continue at places till noon, it added.
Night temperature may remain nearly unchanged and day temperature may rise by 1-2° Celsius over the country.
Weather may remain dry with temporary partly cloudy sky over the country, said the weather department.
Read More: Khulna struggles to cope with biting cold wave.
Global Covid cases near 669 million
The overall number of global Covid-19 cases is gradually nearing 669 million, with the sudden surge of the virus’ Omicron sub-variant in Asia and some other parts of the world.
According to latest global data, the total case count mounted to 668,664,437 while the death toll from the virus reached 6,713,700 on Monday morning.
The US has recorded 103,086,927 cases so far, while 1,121,097 people have died from the virus in the country, both highest counts around the world.
Read more: China suspends social media accounts of over 1,000 critics of govt’s Covid-19 policies
India reported 153 new cases of Covid-19 on Sunday, taking the caseload to 44,681,170.
With no deaths reported across the country during this period, India’s Covid death toll remained static at 530,720.
Meanwhile, France has registered 39,407,727 Covid-19 cases so far, occupying the third position, while 162,643 people have died in the country, as per the Worldometer.
Covid situation in Bangladesh
Bangladesh registered 17 more Covid cases in 24 hours till Sunday morning.
With the new numbers, the country's total caseload rose to 2,037,267, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Read more: Is China sharing enough COVID-19 information?
However, the official death toll from the disease remained unchanged at 29,440 as no new fatalities were reported.
Decision on retail power tariff likely by January 30
The decision on retail power tariff is likely to be announced by January 30.
“We want to announce the commission’s decision by January 30,” said Abdul Jalil, chairman of the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC), while making his concluding remarks at the end of the public hearing on the proposals of the distribution entities to raise power tariff at the retail level.
Other members of the commission were present on the occasion.
The four-year tenure of the chairman and some other members of the regulatory body is scheduled to expire on January 30.
Read More: Public Hearing: Evaluation committee for 15.43 pc power tariff hike at retail level
Earlier, the technical evaluation committee (TEC) of BERC recommended raising the weighted average tariff of electricity by 15.43 percent at the retail level against the demand of the distribution companies for hiking it by about 20 percent.
The recommendation of the evaluation committee was placed at the public hearing today that began in the city’s BIAM Auditorium at 10 am.
The committee suggested setting the weighted average retail tariff at Tk8.23 against the existing Tk7.13 per unit (each kilowatt hour) with a hike of Tk 1.10 per unit.
However, the five-member commission, headed by its chairman Abdul Jalil, will make the final decision within the next 60 days as per the latest amendment to the BERC Act 2010.
Read More: Public hearing on retail power tariff hike proposals begins Sunday
All the six state-owned power distribution bodies - Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB), Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board (BREB), Dhaka Power Distribution Company Limited (DPDC), Dhaka Electric Supply Company Limited (Desco), Northern Electricity Supply Company PLS (Nesco), and West Zone Power Distribution Company Limited (WZPDCL) - submitted their proposals following BERC’s decision on November 23 last year to hike the bulk power tariff by 19.92 percent with effect from December 1.
The lone state-owned transmission entity Power Grid Company of Bangladesh (PGCB) also placed a separate proposal for raising wheeling charges.
The state-owned BPDB first placed its proposal on November 23, seeking a 19.44 percent hike in retail tariff. After that, all other distribution entities also placed almost the same proposal.
Read More: CPD raises question about power tariff enhancement proposal
Participating in the public hearing, all the consumer rights groups, including the Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB) strongly opposed the proposals of the distribution and transmission entities.
CAB Vice-President ASM Shamsul Alam said the initiative to increase the electricity tariff at the retail level is against the public interest.
“Instead of containing corruption, irregularities, and system loss in the power sector, the government is trying to find an easy solution through raising tariff,” he said.
Read More: BERC now to consult with govt before any move on retail power tariff hike proposals
“If the electricity tariff is raised even further, it will further push up inflation in 2023, which will only intensify public sufferings and the common people will feel the pinch as they will have to pay the ultimate price,” he added.
As per the latest number, the financial loss of the BPDB, the principal organisation in the power sector and also the single buyer of electricity from private sector power plants, is likely to increase by Tk18,094 crore in one year.
According to the BPDB’s own latest estimates, the financial loss will cross Tk48,000 crore in the 2022-23 fiscal from Tk29,915 crore in FY22, an increase of almost 67 percent.
Read More: Raising retail power tariff: 3 more distribution companies submit proposals
Sources said the BPDB’s revenue deficit has further increased due to its purchase of electricity at a higher price and sale at a lower price, the hike in petroleum fuel prices and also the increased exchange rate of the US dollar.
Officials said the recent 19.92 percent hike in the bulk tariff may help the BPDB reduce its loss by only Tk5,000 crore while a huge revenue deficit will remain a big burden.
However, the bulk power tariff hike put pressure on power distribution companies to submit their retail tariff hike proposal to BERC to cover their own revenue gaps.
Read More: BPDB submits retail power tariff adjustment proposal seeking a 19.44 percent hike
Govt to save Tk10,000 cr annually from importing edible oil: Agri Minister
The government of Bangladesh is likely to save Tk 10,000 crore annually from importing oil in the next three years as a revolution is taking place in mustard cultivation, said Agriculture Minister Dr Abdur Razzaque on Sunday (January 08, 2023).
“The government has to import 90 percent edible oil from abroad to meet the demand for edible oil. As a result, it has to spend Tk 25,000 crore in a year. In such situation, the government has taken a roadmap to reduce import dependency by producing 50 percent of the demand in the country,” he said.
Read: 5% cut in VAT on imported edible oil extended till April 30
Razzaque came up with the information, while talking to reporters after a views-exchange meeting with farmers at Kalaroa upazila in Satkhira district.
Honey cultivation has also been increased in the country, he added.
On the other hand, the farmers are benefitting by cultivating mustard in their Aman, Boro and barren lands, said the minister.
Read: 50 percent edible oil to be produced in country by next 3 years: Agri Minister
He also assured people of providing necessary support to ensure fair prices to the mustard growers.
Talking about BNP’s movement, Razzaque said “People have no connection with BNP’s movement and BNP cannot topple the government through movement, so there will be no difference to their movement.”
Referring to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), the minister said ACC is doing its work independently and the government has no control over it. “ACC has established the rule of law by taking action against corruption. So BNP is misguiding people by saying ACC is suppression commission."
Read More: TCB to procure 1.65 cr litres of edible oil from local suppliers again.