United News of Bangladesh

Information and Broadcasting Minister Zahir Uddin Swapon on Sunday told the Parliament that a plan has been taken to set educational qualifications for journalists and create an online database aiming to ensuring the dignity of genuine journalists. “In the era of free flow of information, to improve the quality of journalism, ensure the dignity of genuine journalists and prevent fake journalism, the Bangladesh Press Council has taken a plan to determine the educational qualifications of journalists and create an online database,” he said, while replying to a scripted question from Jamaat lawmaker Md. Abdul Aleem (Bagerhat-4). To combat misinformation and propaganda, the minister said his ministry has already adopted several action plans. Through the Press Institute of Bangladesh (PIB), training will be provided on artificial intelligence, narrative building, information policy support, and multimedia journalism, he added. He said communication and cooperation have been strengthened with international media operating in the country. “Preparations are underway to organise discussions and seminars involving fact-checking organisations, mainstream media, and other stakeholders to address fake news and misinformation,” he added. Swapon said 22 photocards and 10 information bulletins on rumor prevention have been distributed by the Press Information Department (PID) to national dailies and online news portals for publication. The minister said any aggrieved person or organisation can file complaints with the Press Council against journalists or editors for publishing content that violates journalistic ethics or decency. “Currently, eight complaints are pending with the Press Council,” he added. In reply to a tabled question from ruling party lawmaker Md Jalal Uddin (Chadpur-2), the minister said the number of approved private television channels is 55 in the country and of which 37 channels are in full telecast operation. He also said four other television channels are owned by the government. The four channels are Bangladesh Television, BTV News (former name – BTV World), Sangsad Bangladesh Television and Bangladesh Television, Chattogram Centre. The minister said the approval of any new TV channel is not pending now. In case of settlement of application to approve any new TV channel, necessary steps would be taken as per rules, he added.

Consumers will pay more for cooking gas as Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) raised Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) price again on Sunday, the second increase in just 18 days. The new rates took effect at 6 pm Sunday. The price of a 12-kg cylinder, the most common household size, has been raised by Tk 212 to Tk 1,940. Combined with the previous revision, consumers have absorbed a cumulative increase of Tk 599 on the standard cylinder within less than three weeks. The last adjustment was made on April 2 when the 12-kg cylinder was priced at Tk 1,728. BERC cited rising LPG import freight charges, trader premium costs and higher diesel prices as the reasons behind the revision. The revised LPG prices for different cylinder sizes are as follows-5.5 kg at Tk 889; 12.5 kg at Tk 2,021; 15 kg at Tk 2,425; 16 kg at Tk 2,587; 18 kg at Tk 2,910; 20 kg at Tk 3,233; 22 kg at Tk 3,557; 25 kg at Tk 4,042; 30 kg at Tk 4,850; 33 kg at Tk 5,335; 35 kg at Tk 5,658; and 45 kg at Tk 7,275. The revised rates apply to both private-sector LPG and auto-gas (vehicular CNG alternative) at the consumer level.  

Poultry farmers in Bangladesh are currently incurring losses of at least Tk 2 on each egg sold due to falling market prices, State Minister for Fisheries and Livestock Sultan Salauddin Tuku said on Sunday.  “We must prioritise marginal farmers. If small-scale producers are affected, the entire sector will be at risk,” he said at a stakeholder dialogue with poultry trade bodies held at a city hotel. He said the small-scale producers—the backbone of the sector—could face collapse if the situation is not addressed urgently. The state minister said large businesses also have a responsibility to support smaller operators who are under pressure from selling below production cost while facing reduced access to credit for purchasing chicks. He urged major industry players to restore credit facilities for small farmers and stressed the need for integrity in vaccine supply chains. “Companies importing vaccines must ensure quality. Substandard vaccines should never be supplied to marginal farmers,” he said. Addressing concerns over loan complications and rising taxes, Tuku said poultry farmers would be brought under the Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s newly introduced Farmer Card scheme, which he said would help ease access to credit and resolve tax-related issues. Fisheries and Livestock Secretary Delwar Hossain assured stakeholders of possible tax relief for the sector and said policy concerns including regulatory and operational challenges would be resolved through continued dialogue. On vaccine production, he said Bangladesh currently manufactures about 12 percent of its required animal vaccines domestically but this capacity could be doubled with modest infrastructure improvements. “The government is working towards expanding local production,” he said. Director General of the Department of Livestock Shahzaman Khan said steps would be taken to gradually reduce small farmers’ dependence on moneylenders and middlemen. “Around 90 percent of poultry farmers are small operators who rely heavily on intermediaries for feed, chicks and finance. That dependency will be reduced,” he said. Industry representatives at the event said with the right policy support, Bangladesh could meet domestic poultry demand fully and potentially begin exporting poultry products by 2030.  

Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hassan Mahmood and State Minister Aninda Islam Amit met Prime Minister Tarique Rahman at the Secretariat on Sunday and briefed him on the country’s fuel situation. “They met the Prime Minister at his office at the Secretariat and informed him of the latest fuel situation,” said Prime Minister’s Additional Press Secretary Atikur Rahman Rumon. After the meeting, the Energy Minister told waiting journalists that the government had no alternative but to hike the prices as fuel imports require foreign currency, and the adjustment was necessary to keep the situation at a tolerable level. He said the country is going through a “wartime situation” amid global volatility in fuel prices. “Countries around the world have adjusted fuel prices. Even the United States has increased prices,” he said. The minister, however, said Bangladesh has fixed prices at a level that is still below the actual import cost. He said war always brings adverse impacts. “Not only Bangladesh, but the entire world has been affected, and we are also feeling that impact,” he said. Replying to a question, Iqbal Hassan said the government will need to provide subsidies even after raising fuel prices. Earlier, a meeting on water resources management was held at the Secretariat with the Prime Minister in the chair. Tarique Rahman arrived at his office at the Secretariat at 12:05pm. The first programme of the day was a meeting of the water management committee. Water Resources Minister Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Annie, State Minister Farhad Hossain Azad, water expert Ainun Nishat, and senior officials of the ministry attended the meeting. Later, Annie said discussions were held on preparations to face the monsoon, including possible floods and waterlogging. “We informed the Prime Minister of our plans and the measures needed in advance,” he said, adding that canal excavation programmes are ongoing, and the Prime Minister is expected to inaugurate such programmes in Jashore on April 27 and in Sylhet on May 2.  

The Indian government has reportedly decided to send 75-year-old veteran politician and former Union Minister Dinesh Trivedi as next India’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh. As a first political appointee in the neighbourhood after a long time, BJP leader Trivedi will replace career diplomat Pranay Verma, who will move to Brussels as the Indian Ambassador to the European Union (EU), reports Hindustan Times on Sunday, describing the move as a significant development. However, a diplomatic source in New Delhi told UNB that there has been no official announcement yet. Meanwhile, Amit Malviya, in-charge of BJP’s National Information and Technology Department and co-incharge West Bengal congratulated Dinesh Trivedi for being appointed as India's envoy to High Commissioner to Bangladesh. “Congratulations to Sri Dinesh Trivedi, senior BJP leader, former Union Minister and Barrackpore MP, for being appointed as India’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh,” Amit Malviya said in a post on X. Trivedi was a Union Minister for Railways and Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare during the UPA regime, as a member of the Trinamool Congress. He resigned from the TMC on February 12, 2021 and joined the BJP on March 6, 2021. Pranay Verma, current Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh, has recently been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Kingdom of Belgium and the European Union. On April 10, the Ministry of External Affairs of India announced his appointment, noting that he will be accredited as Ambassador of India to the European Union. Pranay Verma is expected to take up the assignment shortly. Diplomatic sources told UNB that High Commissioner Verma is likely to continue here for one or two months as the new Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh has yet to be announced. Pranay Verma, who served as Ambassador of India to Vietnam, arrived in Dhaka on September 21, 2022.  

Industries Minister Khandakar Abdul Muktadir on Sunday told Parliament that the allegations of corruption and money laundering against S Alam Group have not affected any project under his ministry. Responding to a tabled question from opposition MP Shahjahan Chowdhury, he said since the ministry is not linked to S Alam Group, it has no role in securing the arrears of salaries or the employment of the group's workers. The minister clarified that there are no plans to manage the group's seized assets or factories by appointing receivers. Regarding fertiliser production, he explained that the global crisis triggered by the Middle East conflict has made it impossible to supply gas to all urea factories. Currently, Muktadir said, only Ghorashal-Palash Fertilizer Public Limited Company is in production. To address the shortage, the government is importing an additional 7 lakh metric tons of urea – 2 lakh from Saudi Arabia’s SABIC, 1 lakh from the UAE’s Fertiglobe, and 4 lakh through international quotations – he said. The minister noted that if the gas supply is ensured, Shahjalal Fertiliser Company Limited is expected to resume production on May 1. Efforts are also underway to secure raw materials like rock phosphate and phosphoric acid for TSP and DAP factories through G2G agreements with countries, including Morocco, Jordan, Oman, China and Malaysia, he said.  

Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hassan Mahmood on Sunday told Parliament that the total outstanding bills of government and private power plants stand at around Tk 52,300 crore. “The outstanding bills of the country's government and private power plants including electricity imports stood at Tk 52,300 crore as of April 9, 2026,” he said while replying to a tabled question from BNP lawmaker SM Jahangir Hossain (Dhaka-18) in the House. Jahangir Hossain asked whether there are any outstanding bills of the government or private power plants in the country now. The Minister said of the total outstanding amount, Tk 11,634.06 crore is owed to Petrobangla for gas bill arrears from government and private companies while Tk 3,891.55 crore remains unpaid for electricity imports from India. He further said Tk 17,357.68 crore is due as capacity payments and fuel payments to gas- and fuel oil-based Independent Power Producer (IPP) plants and another Tk 15,452.91 crore remains outstanding for coal prices and capacity payments for joint venture and IPP coal-based power plants. Besides, Tk 5,623.03 crore is owed to government-owned power companies as capacity payments and fuel payment arrears while Tk 198.94 crore is pending as hauling charges. The power and energy minister also informed Parliament that the total amount of bank loans taken by power plants stands at Tk 1,49,311.26 crore.  

The Real Estate and Housing Association of Bangladesh (REHAB) has announced the results of its biennial election for the 2026-2028 term, with Ali Afzal elected as president and Abdur Razzaque as senior vice president. The Election Commission completed the manual vote count around 1:00am on Sunday, following a day of peaceful polling on Saturday. REHAB confirmed the results through an official press release. Ali Afzal secured the presidency with 232 votes, while Abdur Razzaque won the senior vice president post in a closely contested race with 216 votes. Among the vice presidents elected, Mohammed Akhtar Biswas won VP-1 with 250 votes, Abu Khalid Md Barkatullah took VP-2 with 255 votes, and AFM Ubaidullah claimed VP-3 with 234 votes. Dr Md Harun-or-Rashid won the finance vice presidency with 262 votes. Mohammad Morshedul Hasan topped the Chittagong regional VP race with the standout tally of 317 votes. In the directors' category, Mohammad Labib Billah led all candidates in the election with 338 votes, followed jointly by Umme Jahan Arzu and Habibur Rahman Habib, each polling 304. Three panels contested the election. The Progressive Housing Businessmen Council (Pragatishil Abasan Byabsayi Parishad) captured 15 seats, including the president, senior vice president, finance VP, VP-2, VP-3 and 10 director posts. The Housing Businessmen Unity Council (Abasan Byabsayi Oikya Parishad) won 14 seats, including VP-1, the Chittagong VP and 12 directors. The Jagaran Panel failed to win any seat. The newly elected leadership pledged to work with all stakeholders: developers, buyers, investors and relevant public and private institutions to address long-standing challenges facing the sector, including high registration costs, limited bank financing, slow approval processes and policy bottlenecks. REHAB expressed confidence that the new committee will take concrete steps to foster a business-friendly investment climate, promote modern urbanisation and expand affordable housing options for ordinary citizens, with a broader positive impact on the national economy.  

Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hassan Mahmood on Sunday said unscrupulous traders are hoarding and black marketing fuel in different parts of the country, creating an artificial fuel crisis. “An artificial crisis is being created due to panic buying and hoarding,” he said in response to a tabled question from opposition MP elected from Netrakona-5 Masum Mustafa in Parliament. The Minister said that there is no fuel crisis in the country and the statement made by State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam in Parliament is correct. The Minister said in order to maintain normal fuel supply, district, upazila administrations and Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) tag officers have been appointed across the country. Every day, he said that hoarders are being brought under law by magistrates and jail terms or fines are being imposed. “The law enforcement agencies are working to prevent hoarding and black marketing.” Besides, awareness activities have been taken by local administrations, he added. So far, the Minister said, 3,510 cases have been filed through mobile courts drives across the country, a fine of Tk 1.56 crore has been collected and 5.42 lakh liters of fuel have been seized. He said that in order to bring greater transparency in fuel marketing at the consumer level, the government has introduced fuel cards on an experimental basis at some filling stations in Dhaka city. “If the trials are successful, it will be implemented nationwide. The fuel card will store the information about the fuel oil collection of the customers.” In response to a question from government party MP elected from Pabna-5 Md. Shamsur Rahman Simul Biswas, Iqbal Hassan said the country's LPG market is about 98.67 percent import-dependent. “The LPG import situation is being monitored regularly to keep the supply of LPG normal in the country amid the ongoing war situation in the Middle East,” he added. To this end, he said, the LPG import situation in the country is being regularly reviewed from the National Board of Revenue's Asycuda World System and if any abnormality is found, importers are being contacted. Moreover, the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission is being informed for taking action.  

Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Iqbal Hassan Mahmood on Sunday said the government was compelled to raise fuel prices due to rising global costs and mounting import pressure. Speaking to reporters at the Secretariat, he said the government had no alternative but to hike the prices as fuel imports require foreign currency, and the adjustment was necessary to keep the economy at a manageable level. The minister, however, said they have fixed prices at a level that is still below the actual import cost. Addressing concerns over the impact on common people, he noted that countries worldwide, including the United States, have increased fuel prices following global market adjustments. “After the war situation, we built fuel stocks at higher costs, yet we had still been selling at a lower price,” he added. Asked about the subsidy needed after the price adjustment, Iqbal Hassan said the government support remains in place, though he did not provide specific figures. “If you want an accurate data, you can visit the ministry and collect those,” he added. On the broader economic impact, he acknowledged that higher fuel prices will inevitably affect the cost of living. “This war has affected not only Bangladesh but also the entire world and we are also feeling that impact,” he said. Referring to earlier assurances that fuel prices would not be increased in April, the minister said, “We have now been compelled to take this step.” The government on Saturday raised the prices of all types of fuel at the consumer level in line with the rise in global fuel prices, with effect from Sunday. Following the hike, the price of diesel rises to Tk 115 per litre from Tk 100, octane rises to Tk 140 from Tk 120, petrol to Tk 135 from Tk 116, and kerosene to Tk 130 per litre from Tk 112.