Bangladesh
Bangladesh economy suffered due to Covid pandemic: DCCI Webinar
Bangladesh’s economy suffered a setback with 2.26 million jobs lost due to the Covid pandemic battering the world for over one a half years, a webinar was told on Saturday.
Poverty rate rose by 9% to 29.5% while the country’s economy, trade and investment are going through a very challenging time. GDP value declined to USD364 billion against the target of USD 374 billion.
Speakers came up with the observation at a webinar on “Bi-annual economic state and future stance of Bangladesh economy: private sector perspective” organized by Dhaka Chamber of Commerce & Industry (DCCI) on Saturday.
Planning Minister M A Mannan joined the webinar as the chief guest while Professor Dr. Mohammed Farashuddin, former Governor of Bangladesh Bank was the guest of honour.
Read: Vaccination for all to help achieve GDP target: DCCI
The keynote paper was presented by the DCCI President Rizwan Rahman.
He said in terms of macroeconomic perspective over the last 6 months, the economy is being conducted more or less in the right direction despite manifold COVID-led challenges.
Both public and private sectors have to work hand in hand towards the road to recovery to achieve the game-changing economic transformation of Bangladesh targeted in 2026 and 2041.
Attracting FDI, expansion of trade, reforms of tax, vat, duty and tariff structure, policy reforms, skill development, improving backward linkage industry, facilitating ADR system, financial inclusion, utilizing capital market for long term financing, access to finance for small and cottage industry, strong negotiation skill and product diversification are key to economic recovery, said the speakers.
History has forgotten those who tried to erase Bangabandhu, says Quader
Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader on Saturday said that history has forgotten those who wanted to erase Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman from history after his assassination 46 years ago.
Quader was addressing virtually a seminar on 'Implementation of Bangabandhu’s Vocational and Technical Education Philosophy' at the IDEB auditorium from his official residence. The seminar was followed by distribution of relief among helpless people.
The programme was the Institute of Diploma Engineers Bangladesh on the occasion of National Mourning Day to be observed on Aug. 15.
Saying "Those who were involved in the conspiracy to assassinate Bangabandhu witnessed the same tragedy", He further said that murder brings murder and killing does not forgive anyone. History never bows to any dictator, he said.
Noting that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is working day and night to address the many challenges of coronavirus, the AL leader said that in such a crisis, all political parties should have only one politics, which is to save the people and stand by them.
Read: No irregularity in providing govt incentives to be tolerated, warns Quader
The minister for road transport and ridges said that a skilled manpower suitable for the digital revolution and the fourth industrial revolution should be developed under the leadership of Sajib Wazed Joy, grandson of Bangabandhu and ICT adviser of the prime minister.
"We need to think now so that Bangladesh can take maximum advantage of the demand for trained manpower that will be created in the international arena in the future," he said
Quader trashed BNP leaders’ allegation that that the government is destroying the education system through a conspiracy. The BNP has earlier smelt conspiracy with vaccines, he said.
He said the government has kept the educational institutions closed to protect the lives of students from surging corona infections.
Quader said it has been a habit for BNP to see conspiracy in everything.
Read: Mask more effective than Covid vaccine: Quader
He said BNP is suffering from delusions and forgets their responsibility to the people.
He called upon political parties as well as professional organizations to follow Covid health rules and also motivate the people to get vaccinated.
Awami League Relief and Social Welfare Secretary Sujit Roy Nandi, Office Secretary Barrister Biplob Barua and IDEB General Secretary Shamsur Rahman and other leaders also spoke at the seminar chaired by IDEB President Engineer AKM Hamid.
Later, the leaders distributed relief materials among the poor.
Bangladesh records second highest 261 Covid deaths in 24 hours
With Coronavirus and its new variant posing a real danger to the public health in Bangladesh, the country came up with another shocking figure of 261 fresh deaths on Thursday.
This is the second-highest single day deaths from the viral disease in Bangladesh as Covid-19, fueled by the deadly Delta variant, continues to wreak havoc in the country.
The country has been reporting over 200 single-day fatalities for the last two weeks as it races to head off a surge in Covid-19 cases driven by the unrelenting Delta variant.
After weathering the first wave of the virus, Bangladesh's hospitals are almost overwhelmed.
The country registered 8,136 new cases on Saturday after testing 31,714 samples. It reported the highest daily Covid-19 fatality of 264 on August 5 and 16,230 infections on July 28.
As more people are falling sick with Covid-19 and dying, hospitals in Dhaka and other cities are running out of beds.
There have been 1,343,396 infections and 22,411 coronavirus-related deaths here since the pandemic began, according to the Directorate General of Health Services.
Meanwhile, the daily test positivity rate fell to 25.65 % from 26.25% on Friday, while the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a 5% or below rate.
However, the recovery rate rose to 88.89 % from 87.81% with 16,383 patients recovering from Covid-19 during this time.
Also read: Covid vaccine seekers overwhelm Suhrawardy Hospital; chaos all around
Besides, the case fatality too increased to 1.67% in the last 24 hours.
Of the recent deaths, 101 people died in Dhaka alone, the highest ever in the division.
Deaths in Bangladesh’s capital on a single day crossed the grim landmark of 100 for the first time since the pandemic began.
Covid-19: Bangladesh sends medicines to Indonesia
The government has extended supply of medicines to Indonesia in its efforts to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
The consignment of the essential COVID-19 medicines has already reached Jakarta where the Coronavirus has taken a serious toll recently.
These medicines, sent in spirit of friendship, have been provided as per the directive of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday.
Also read: BNP sends medicines, medical equipment to Palestine
Covid vaccine seekers overwhelm Suhrawardy Hospital; chaos all around
A chaotic situation was created at the city’s Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College and Hospital on Saturday as thousands of jab-seekers turned up overwhelming its medical staff.
Nearly 4,000 vaccine seekers, including men and women, were seen waiting in queues in the corridors of its first and second floors with the vaccination going on at a snail’s pace.
Outraged by the “mismanagement”, the vaccine seekers said the situation turned worse as there was no arrangement for women to stand in any separate queue.
Also read: Mega Covid inoculation drive begins in Bangladesh
Tired of the long wait in the queue, the irate crowds got involved in quarrels with Ansar personnel and the hospital staff.
Some of them were seen trying to push each other to enter the vaccination rooms venting their anger amid chaos.
Inside the vaccination rooms, it was found that only two to three nurses were providing shots while another two or three medical staff checking vaccination registration papers. They had to struggle a lot to cope with the situation for lack of manpower.
About the situation, Prof Dr Md Shahadat Hossain, Vice Principal of the Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College and Hospital said the vaccine centre was originally designated for Bangladeshi expatriates before being selected for the mass vaccination, too. “As a result, the hospital had to face an extra pressure,” he said.
Also read: Bangladesh to procure 6 crore Sinopharm vaccine doses: Minister
He said the centre sent messages to 1,000 people inviting them to take vaccine shots. “But about 4,000 have come to receive that from this hospital. This hospital has also been dealing with 500 Covid-19 patients besides the vaccination. It’s a huge pressure”
He noted that the centre is providing different brands of vaccines like AstraZeneca, Sinovac, Moderna and Pfizer.
“So, we’ve to provide the shots very carefully choosing the right brands as some people are coming for the first dose while some are for the second ones,” he added.
Empowering youths: 5 lakh to get soft skills training in 5 years
The government is going to provide soft skills training to 500,000 jobseekers and employees within the next five years, aiming to improve their employability skills.
“The demand for soft skilled and trained people will substantially be increased over the next decades as huge jobs will be transformed by technology,” State Minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak said on Saturday.
He said the government in partnership with a reputed global organization will provide the quality soft skills training to students, jobseekers, employees, self-employed individuals and freelancers to enhance their personal ability to get and keep a job.
Also read: ICT division to digitize 73 libraries, says Palak
Bangladesh Computer Council (BCC) under ICT Division in partnership with Wadhani Operating Foundation (WoF), a US-based nonprofit public benefit corporation, will provide the training online under BCC’s training platform `www.bdskills.gov.bd’.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between BCC and WoF last week (1 August 2021) to complete the soft skills training programme by 2026.
Dengue surge in Bangladesh: 204 more hospitalized in 24 hrs
As the number of Dengue cases keep rising in Bangladesh, 204 new patients were hospitalized in 24 hours till Saturday morning.
Since August 1, the country has been seeing over 200 dengue cases every day adding worries to the already overburdened health sector with Covid-19 patients.
Of the new dengue cases, 194 were reported in Dhaka while the rest from outside the division, said the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Also read: Alarming Dengue surge: 264 more hospitalised in 24 hrs
According to the (DGHS), 997 patients are currently receiving treatment at different hospitals across the country. Of them, 958 patients were reported to be admitted to hospitals in Dhaka and the rests in other divisions.
Some 4,319 patients have been admitted to different hospitals with dengue since January and 3,312 of them have been released after they recovered.
So far, 10 suspected deaths caused by dengue were reported to the Institute of Epidemiology Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) but none of them has been reviewed and confirmed yet, said the DGHS.
Also read: 3 new dengue patients admitted to Khulna hospital
Dengue fever was first reported in Bangladesh in 2000, claiming 93 lives that year. In the years that followed, the country learned to deal with the disease much better.
The fatalities had almost fallen to zero at one stage, before surging again in 2018, leading to the severe outbreak the following year.
4 members of teen gang ‘Gazi group’ held in Dhaka
Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) members arrested four members of a teen gang named ‘Gazi Group’ along with sharp weapons in the city’s Mohammadpur area on Saturday.
The arrestees were identified as Md Rubel,18, Md Shakil Khan,19, Md Nayeem,20, and Md Khairul Islam,20, said a press release of Rab-2.
Tipped off, a team of Rab-2 conducted a drive at Basila Tin Rastar More area around 1:15 pm and arrested the four members of the gang along with four knives and a mobile phone set.
Also read: 7 ‘teen gang members’ held in city
According to the investigation of Rab, the group members were involved in mugging, extortion and many crimes in the area.
Rab sources said the arrestees have many injury marks on their bodies which they sustained during clashes with other teen gangs in different times.
Process is underway to take legal action against them, said the release.
Also read: Man killed in attack by ‘teen gang members’ in Chattogram
Bangladesh to procure 6 crore Sinopharm vaccine doses: Minister
The government will procure six crore more doses of Sinopharm vaccine from China to ramp up the inoculation drive across Bangladesh, said Health Minister Zahid Maleque on Saturday.
“We’ve signed a deal with China to receive 1.5 crore doses of Sinopharm vaccine. China has already started sending the vaccine doses. We’ll sign another agreement to collect six core more doses as the prime minister has approved it,” he said.
The health minister came up with the disclosure while inaugurating a covid field hospital at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU).
Also read: Mega Covid inoculation drive begins in Bangladesh
“Of the seven crore doses of Sinopharm vaccine, two crore doses will arrive in October and November each while some more vaccine jabs will come before the two months though those will be less in quantity,” he said.
Criminal wanted in robbery & murder case killed in Chattogram ‘gunfight’
A suspected robber wanted in a murder case was killed in a reported gunfight with the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) in the Salimpur area of Chattogram's Sitakunda upazila in the early hours of Saturday.
The deceased was identified as Kajal, 48, a resident of the Pahartoli area of the port city.
Acting on a tip-off about the presence of a gang of robbers, a Rab-7 team raided the Salimpur area around 1.30am, Mohammad Nurul Absar, senior assistant director of Rab-7, said.
Also read: ‘Rohingya robber’ killed in ‘gunfight’ with Rab in Cox's Bazar
"Sensing the presence of the elite force, the robbers opened fire on the RAB personnel, forcing the sleuths to retaliate. Kajal sustained bullet wounds in the gunfight and died on the spot," Absar said.
A pistol, two bullets, two guns, 15 cartridges, two machetes and a knife were recovered from the spot, the RAB said.
On information, police sent the body to the Chattogram Medical College and Hospital morgue for an autopsy, said Sumon Banik, officer-in-charge of the Sitakunda police station.
Also read: ‘Robber’ killed in ‘gunfight’ with Rab in Gazipur
On July 16, Abdur Rahman, 35, son of Mohammad Bashir Miah of Chanda village of Jashore district, was allegedly shot dead by Kajal and his men on Fauzdarhat-Bayezid Link Road in Salimpur union as the former didn't stop his truck despite being signalled to.
Abdur was transporting cattle in his truck to Bibir Hat in Chattogram from Magura when
the alleged crime occurred, police had said.