Farm loans disbursement is on course to meet the target as banks have disbursed 68.15 percent of the target in eight months (July-Feb) of the current fiscal. Bangladesh Bank's latest loan update shows that around Tk 21,660 crores were disbursed in the agriculture sector against the target set for the fiscal of Tk30911 crore. The update revealed that 12 banks had achieved 100 percent of the target set for the disbursement of agricultural loans in the first eight months of FY2022-23. However, 14 banks are lagging behind. Even after 8 months, these banks could not distribute even 50 percent of the targeted farm loans. Also Read: 45 services on agriculture available on single digital platform Banks that have disbursed more than 100 percent of the target include Bank Al-Falah, Commercial Bank of Ceylon, Habib Bank, State Bank of India, Bank Asia, Dhaka Bank, One Bank, Simanta Bank, Uttara Bank, Citibank NA, HSBC, and Uri Bank. According to the report, state-owned banks have distributed Tk8,623 crore while foreign and private sector banks have disbursed Tk 12,434 crore. According to the BB, till February 2023, the disbursement of total agricultural loans stood Tk 51,236 crores. Of this, Tk20,986 crores have been paid back,so the loan recovery rate is about 41 percent. Also Read: Boost research on agriculture to increase production: PM Hasina tells scientists Default stood at Tk 3932 crores, which is 7.68 percent of loans. As per government policy, agricultural production has been emphasized considering food security. The BB is also working towards that goal. Banks have been given strict instructions to increase agricultural credit disbursement and it is being constantly monitored.

Bangladesh reported four more Covid-19 cases in the 24 hours till Saturday morning. With the new numbers, the country's total caseload rose to 20,37,993 according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). However, the official death toll from the disease remained unchanged at 29,445 as no new fatalities were reported. The daily case test positivity rate increased to 0.26 percent from Friday’s 0.23 percent against the tests of 1,519 samples. During this time, nine patients recovered from the disease, bringing the total number of recoveries to 2006780. The death and recovery rates remained unchanged at 1.44 percent and 98.47 percent, respectively.  

Six more people were hospitalised with dengue in the 24 hours to Saturday morning. Of the new patients, five were admitted to hospitals in Dhaka and the rest outside it, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). Twenty-two dengue patients, including 14 in the capital, are now receiving treatment at hospitals across the country. So far, the DGHS has recorded 825 dengue cases, 794 recoveries, and nine deaths this year. The country logged 281 dengue deaths in 2022 – the highest on record after 179 deaths recorded in 2019. Also, it recorded 62,423 dengue cases and 61,971 recoveries last year.    

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday urged all international community including the United Nations to recognise March 25 as the International Genocide Day. “Internationally we want that …March 25 will get recognition as the International Genocide Day,” she said. The Prime Minister said this while delivering her introductory speech in the Awami League Parliamentary Board (ALPB) meeting at her official residence Ganabhaban. On the night of March 25 in 1971, the Pakistani military junta resorted to mass killings and arson in Dhaka to implement their blueprint to thwart Awami League assuming office following its victory in the 1970 election. The night also witnessed Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s proclamation of independence before he was arrested by the Pakistani troops and subsequently taken to West Pakistan. The Prime Minister said that Bangladesh had started its journey with this “wound (genocide).” Read more: Why hasn’t the UN recognised 1971 Bangladesh Genocide yet? She mentioned that Pakistani occupational forces had committed genocide over unarmed Bengalis. “They unleashed attacks on the people of Bangladesh in a horrific way and killed people for long nine months,” she said. In this connection, the Awami League chief said that some 30 lakh people embraced martyrdom, three crore people were forcibly became homeless. “They torched homes and one crore people took shelter in India as refugee,” she said. She said that there were dead bodies on the roads, bodies were eaten by jackals and dogs, and the people of the country saw that. “There was inhumane oppression on women, they were taken to the army camps,” she added. The Prime Minister said that Father of the nation had built a country ravaged by the war. “We also got the recognition as the least developed country during his three years and seven months tenure. It was unfortunate that the father of the nation was killed brutally.” She said that blood of the martyrs would never go in vain. “Our Independence that we got in exchange of millions of martyrs, we have attained the status of developing country, we want to build Bangladesh as a developed and prosperous country. It is our pledge to millions of martyrs and to our father of the nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman,” she vowed. Read more: Genocide Day to be observed on Saturday In the attack on March 25, 1971 dubbed 'Operation Searchlight', the Pakistani forces mercilessly killed Bangalee members of the East Pakistan Rifles and police, students, teachers and common people. They killed people indiscriminately, set houses on fire and looted business establishments, leaving a trail of destruction. The day is being observed as Genocide Day officially for the seventh time in the country since the parliament unanimously adopted a resolution on March 11, 2017.

A fire broke out at Moti Tower in Chwakbazar area in Chattogram port city on Saturday. The fire started at a tailor’s shop on the ground floor of Moti Tower around 9:45 am and spread soon, said Shahidul Islam, senior station officer of Chandanpura Fire Service and Civil Defense. On information, two firefighting units rushed to the spot and extinguished the blaze after one hour. Also read: Narayanganj fire death toll rises to 2 as another victim dies However, the origin of the fire could not be known immediately. The extent of damages is yet to be ascertained.  

Anti war crimes campaigners and rights activists have criticized the latest US human rights report on Bangladesh that advocated for the “freedom of assembly” of Jamaat-e-Islami – which strongly opposed the independence of Bangladesh and with the Pakistan army committed crimes against humanity during the Liberation War. According to the US State Department report: “Leaders and members of Jamaat-e-Islami (Jamaat), the largest Muslim political party in the country, could not exercise their constitutional freedoms of speech and assembly because of harassment by law enforcement authorities. Jamaat was deregistered as a political party by the government, prohibiting candidates from seeking office under the Jamaat name.” “This report concerns Jamaat-e-Islami (Jamaat) Bangladesh, a political party which has the proven record of collaborating with the Pakistani Military junta in 1971 in the acts of genocide, abduction, loot, arson, rape and other kinds of violence against women. It is an established fact that its military wings in the name of Al-Badr and Al-Shams were responsible for the killings of intellectuals between December 10 and 14,” noted rights activist Sultana Kamal observed. “With due respect, I would like to submit that scanning through the media, Pakistani government communications, international reports on Bangladesh genocide of 1971, one cannot miss seeing what was the role of Jamaat during the nine months of massacre of Bangladesh… It was through a process of law that Jamaat was deregistered,” she said. As a freedom fighter, she asked if one can imagine Nazi party being allowed to function in Germany. Regarding the US report mentioning Bangladesh International Crimes Tribunal as “many observers viewed the proceedings as politically motivated,” the rights activist who is also a renowned lawyer said: “I have no idea on what basis the report states the war crimes trial in Bangladesh was flawed. Since I have not seen any clear explanation as to why some quarters make such remark about the war crimes trial, I prefer not to comment. However, my experience with the tribunal was that the accused’s right to self-defence was fully respected.” Meanwhile, Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee – a group demanding the trial of war criminals and advocating for secularism in Bangladesh – has released a statement regarding the US report. “Jamaat is still engaged in various forms of evil conspiracy against democracy and sovereignty of the country through their sponsored militant, terrorist organisations,” the statement reads. “Jamaat is an anti-democratic fascist party which does not obey the constitution. That’s why the High Court scrapped its registration, not the government,” the Nirmul Committee statement adds. The statement also cautions that the “untrue” claims about Jamaat in the US report could instigate “fundamentalism and terrorism” led by Jamaat. Signatories to the statement included Justice Shamsul Huda; former Supreme Court justice AHM Shamsuddin Choudhury Manik; Barrister Shafique Ahmed; Prof Anupam Sen; cultural personality Ramendu Majumdar; noted artists Hashem Khan and Rafiqun Nabi; writer and war crimes researcher Shahriar Kabir; historian Prof Muntassir Mamoon; and writer and educationist Dr Muhammed Zafar Iqbal.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) arrested 30 people from different areas in the capital in 24 hours until 6 am on Saturday for their alleged involvement in selling and consuming drugs. Sources at the police headquarters said police from different police stations and members of Detective Branch of police carried out the anti-narcotics drives and arrested them. They seized 425 Yaba pills, 8.680 kg hemp, 200 grams heroin and four bottles of phensedyl from their possessions. Also read: 2 restaurants fined Tk 1.5 lakh in DMP drive A total of 24 cases were filed in this connection under the Narcotics Control Act.  

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday urged all to work for building a golden Bangladesh free from hunger and poverty. “Let us join hands to build the Golden Bangladesh, free from hunger and poverty, by upholding the ideology of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman,” she said. She made the call in a recorded radio and televised message on the eve of the 52nd Independence Day of Bangladesh.Bangladesh celebrates the national day on March 26 when Bangabandhu declared the independence from Pakistan in 1971. Also read: Don't only look at the crime, look at punishment too: PMIn her message Hasina extended her sincere greetings to all Bangladeshis living in the country and abroad. She said that people of the country attained their victory and got an independent and sovereign Bangladesh through the political struggle of 23 years and nine months of Liberation War fought under the leadership of the Father of the Nation. She also extended her highest respect to the martyrs who laid down their lives for the independence of the country and conveyed her salam to the valiant freedom fighters. The prime minister said Bangladesh is advancing on the highways of development.“Bangladesh will be a smart Bangladesh,“ she vowed.  

‘Genocide Day’ is being observed today — recalling the brutalities of the Pakistan army during Operation Searchlight, launched on the night of March 25 in 1971 as a last resort to try and suppress the will of the people of what would become, in less than nine months, an independent Bangladesh. On the night of March 25 in 1971, the Pakistani military junta resorted to mass killings and arson in Dhaka to implement their blueprint to thwart Awami League assuming office following its victory in the 1970 election. In the attack dubbed 'Operation Searchlight', the Pakistani forces mercilessly killed Bangalee members of the East Pakistan Rifles and police, students, teachers and common people. They killed people indiscriminately, set houses on fire and looted business establishments, leaving a trail of destruction. The night also witnessed Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s proclamation of independence before he was arrested by the Pakistani troops and subsequently flown to West Pakistan. The day is being observed as Genocide Day officially for the seventh time in the country since the parliament unanimously adopted a resolution on March 11, 2017. President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina issued separate messages on this occasion. Also read; Genocide Day to be observed on Saturday Political parties have taken up programmes in observance of the day. Cultural organizations have arranged seminars, programmes and performances on genocide. Bangladesh Betar and Bangladesh Television as well as private TV channels and radio stations are airing special programmes while national dailies have published supplements marking the day. Meanwhile religious establishments will hold special prayers for the martyrs.  

Dhaka's air quality continued to be in the 'unhealthy' zone this morning. With an air quality index (AQI) score of 134 at 8:40am, Dhaka ranked eighth in the list of cities worldwide with the worst air quality. An AQI between 101 and 200 is considered 'unhealthy', particularly for sensitive groups. Thailand’s Chiang Mai, Taiwan’s Kaohsiung and Ghana’s Accra occupied the first three spots in the list, with AQI scores of 187, 169 and 158, respectively. Also read: No improvement in Dhaka's air quality, still 'unhealthy' this morning An AQI between 201 and 300 is said to be 'poor', while a reading of 301 to 400 is considered 'hazardous', posing serious health risks to residents. In Bangladesh, the AQI is based on five criteria pollutants -- Particulate Matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2 and Ozone. Dhaka has long been grappling with air pollution issues. Its air quality usually turns unhealthy in winter and improves during the monsoon. Air pollution consistently ranks among the top risk factors for death and disability worldwide. Breathing polluted air has long been recognised as increasing a person’s chances of developing a heart disease, chronic respiratory diseases, lung infections and cancer, according to several studies. As per the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution kills an estimated seven million people worldwide every year, largely as a result of increased mortality from stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung cancer and acute respiratory infections.