Police arrested two deer hunters with 6.5 kilograms of deer meat at Gilatola Bazar area of Rampal upazila under Bagerhat district on Monday morning. Man, daughter dies as truck collides with motorcycle in Bagerhat The arrestees were identified as Shawkat Sardar, 37, son of Hasan Sardar of Sonailtola village in Mongla upazila of Bagerhat district, and Sheikh Hekmat Ali, 39, son of Sheikh Ashraf Ali of Bri Chakshree village in Rampal upazila. Bagerhat road crash kills 3  Babul Akter, inspector of Bagerhat district police's media cell, said acting on tip-off, police arrested two deer hunters from Gilatola Bazar area. A motorcycle with 6.5 kg deer meat was seized from them at that time. 3 siblings held over killing mother, daughter in Bagerhat “A case has been filed against them with Rampal Police Station under the Wildlife Protection and Preservation Act. The two accused have been sent to Bagerhat Chief Judicial Magistrate's Court,” said the officer.

A man and his daughter died and his wife and son were injured after their motorcycle collided with a truck on the Bagerhat-Khulna highway in the Piljong area of Fakirhat upazila on Thursday night. Read : Natore road accident leaves one dead The deceased were Sohel Faraji (37) of Khontakata village of Sarankhola upazila and his daughter Nourin Akhter (5). Mizanur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Katakhali Highway Police Station, confirmed the matter on Friday. Read : 3 probe bodies formed, gateman suspended over death of 3 GRP police in Ctg accident The injured are Mimi Akhter (32) and her son, Nausheen Faraji (10). The incident happened when Sohel and his family were going to Khulna from Sarankhola on the motorcycle around 9 pm on Thursday. All four were rescued and taken to Khulna Medical College Hospital, where on-duty doctors declared Sohel and Nourin dead, said the police official. Read : Traffic police killed in Gaibandha road accident; 3 arrested Mimi and Nausheen are under treatment, though their conditions are critical, he added. Police seized the truck and arrested its driver, Shahjahan Sardar. The bodies were handed over to family members on Friday. Preparations are underway to file a case in this regard, he also said.

Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday (August 17, 2023) urged the people to keep their trust and confidence in her government as she wants to make the life of the country’s every citizen meaningful. “I want to make the life of everyone meaningful and thus improve their living standard by completing the unfinished tasks of my father,” she said while rolling out the much-anticipated Universal Pension Scheme. The premier opened the pension scheme, joining a virtual function from her official residence Ganabhaban. The participants and beneficiaries were connected from three districts –Gopalganj, Bagerhat and Rangpur-- and the Bangladesh Consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.  The universal pension scheme was introduced aiming to bring the country's all citizens aged above 18 under the pension coverage. Also read: PM Hasina rolls out long-awaited Universal Pension Scheme  Hasina said Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman made Bangladesh as a least developed country by building a war-ravaged country and now Bangladesh gained the status of a developing country following the footsteps of Bangabandhu. “Inshallah, Bangladesh will be transformed from a developing to a developed country,” she said. The PM said the people’s trust, confidence and affection are the sources of her strength. “So, keep this trust and confidence. I want it from you,” she said. She said Bangladesh had to face many blows --Covid-19 pandemic, the brunt of Ukraine war, economic sanctions and counter-sanctions and worldwide high inflation, as well as arson violence. “Since the people are with us, Bangladesh is moving forward facing everything –natural calamities, pandemic and manmade disasters,” she said. Also read: Universal Pension Scheme: How will it work? What's in it? Describing the universal pension scheme as an inclusive programme, she said her government has been able to bring even the grassroots and disadvantaged people under their development plans. The PM said the inaugural day of universal day is really a very significant day for Bangladesh. “The day will remain written in the golden letters in the history of Bangladesh,” she said. Under the universal pension scheme, four different packages– Pragati, Surokkha, Samata and Prabashi– out of a total of six planned ones were initially introduced under the universal pension scheme to ensure the lifetime pension facility for the participant citizens. The Pragati package will cover private job holders, while the Surokkha is designed for self-employed persons, the Samata for the low-income people and the Prabashi package for the expatriate Bangladeshis. The two remaining packages will be launched later. Also read: All citizens aged 18-50 can join universal pension scheme: Cabinet clears a draft law Any citizen aged above 18 can participate in the universal pension scheme to get the pension facility during the retirement life, by paying installments till the person reaches the age of 60. An individual aged even above 50 can join the scheme but the person will need to pay installments for 10 consecutive years. Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal and Bangladesh Bank Governor Abdur Rouf Talukder, also spoke on the occasion. PM’s Principal Secretary M Tofazzel Hossain Miah moderated the function, while Senior Secretary of the Finance Division Fatima Yasmin delivered the welcome speech. In the event, a video documentary on the Universal Pension Scheme was screened. Read more: Some foreign powers are taking interest in Bangladesh's election to hinder progress: PM Hasina

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday ( August 17, 2023) rolled out the much anticipated Universal Pension Scheme aiming to bring Bangladesh's all citizens aged above 18 under the pension coverage. She opened the pension scheme joining a virtual function from her official residence Ganabhaban. The participants and beneficiaries were connected from three districts –Gopalganj, Bagerhat and Rangpur-- and the Bangladesh Consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Four different packages– Pragati, Surokkha, Samata and Prabashi– out of a total of six planned ones were initially introduced under the universal pension scheme to ensure the lifetime pension facility for the participant citizens. Universal pension system to be rolled out from FY 2023-24 The Pragati package will cover private job holders, while the Surokkha is designed for self-employed persons, the Samata for the low-income people and the Prabashi package for the expatriate Bangladeshis. The two remaining packages will be launched later. Any citizen aged above 18 can participate in the universal pension scheme to get the pension facility during the retirement life, by paying installments till the person reaches the age of 60. An individual aged even above 50 can join the scheme but the person will need to pay installments for 10 consecutive years. Bill on the universal pension returns to the House after scrutiny Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal and Bangladesh Bank Governor Abdur Rouf Talukder, also spoke on the occasion. PM’s Principal Secretary M Tofazzel Hossain Miah moderated the function, while Senior Secretary of the Finance Division Fatima Yasmin delivered the welcome speech. In the event, a video documentary on the Universal Pension Scheme was screened. JS passes bill to introduce Universal Pension Scheme

A ship carrying 26,620 mts of coal for the Rampal Thermal Power Plant in Bagerhat arrived here from Indonesia. Chinese flag-carrying ‘MV Zhe Hai-526’ship arrived here at Harbaria of the Mongla port early Saturday (June 10, 2023). Also Read: Rampal electricity cost nearly doubles due to high coal price, increased dollar rate The unloading of the coal from the vessel started around 9:40 am and it is being deposited to the jetty of Rampal Power Plant through a lighterage vessel. Assistant manager of Shipping Agent Togi Shipping and Logistic Ltd, Khulna, Khandaker Riazul Haque, said the ship carrying the coal left for Mongla on May 27 and anchored at Harbaria-11 in Pashur Channel around 5 am. Also Read: Dollar crisis casts a shadow over operation of Rampal coal-fired power plant The coal will be taken to a coal shed through an automated belt, said Riazul. On May 16, a total of 30,000 metric tonnes and 30,500 metric tonnes of coal arrived at Mongla port by MV Bashundhara Impress and MV Basundhara Majesty, on May 16 and May 29, respectively. Also Read: Transmission from Adani’s Gadda power plant to national grid resumes

As the Cyclonic storm ‘Mocha’ is brewing over the Bay of Bengal, panic gripped the residents of coastal areas of Bagerhat district due to the vulnerable state of dyke at several points. Residents of Sharankhola, Baleshwar, Pashur in Mongla and Panguchhi in Morelganj upazilas are passing sleepless nights, worrying over when and where the storm and high tide will hit. According to Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD), Mocha is likely to make landfall on Cox’s Bazar coast by Sunday (May 14). If the water rises 5 feet above normal, a number of villages will be flooded as 11km of embankment is at risk while around 25,000 shrimp enclosures may be washed away, said locals. Read More: 409 shelters prepared in Khulna as depression intensifies into Cyclone Mocha At least 446 cyclone shelters have been prepared in the district to accommodate people while 98% of boro paddy has been harvested in the district. Around 11 km of embankment at different points is in vulnerable condition. Many villages in the district will be inundated if the tidal water rises.

Two people were killed as a pick-up van crashed into a stationary truck on Khulna-Dhaka highway at Kakdanga in Bagerhat’s Fakirhat upazila on Monday morning.  One of the deceased, Nur Hossain, 21, was the helper of the pick-up van and a resident of Khalishpur area of Khulna. Another person who died was the helper of the truck but his identity couldn’t be confirmed.  Also Read: Two family members dead, 4 injured in Munshiganj road accident Mehedi Hasan, officer-in-charge of Mollahat highway police station, said the accident occurred at around 4 am when the fish-laden pickup van hit the truck, leaving the two helpers dead on the spot.  The truck driver fled the scene after the accident.  The bodies have been kept at the upazila health complex.     

Police today detained some 25 BNP activists and leaders, including a central leader, on charges of attempts to carry out subversive activities and chaos following a road march in Bagerhat district. BNP, however, claimed that police held at least 40 leaders and activists from different areas after a “peaceful” road march in the district. The detainees included central assistant publicity secretary Shamimur Rahman Shamim, district unit BNP’s former president MA Salam, its incumbent convener ATM Akram Hossain Selim Talim, and another leader Ali Robi, among others. Also Read: Police prevented BNP’s road march in Patuakhali, local leaders say Protesting the detainment and obstruction to their programme, BNP central committee Education Affairs Secretary ABM Dr Obaidul Islam at an instant press conference at Bagerhat Press Club around 11am alleged that at least 40 BNP men were detained centring the road march over several demands including resignation of the government and controlling price hike of essentials.    The BNP leader also announced a programme to be observed at each police station in all metropolitan cities on March 4, protesting the obstruction and detention of their party members across the country today. Md Asaduzzaman, superintendent of police in the district, said they apprehended some 20 to 25 BNP men after receiving information that the party men were hatching plans to carry out subversive activities and disorder in the name of the road march. Verification was going on about the detainees and legal actions will be taken in this connection later, the SP added.    

Bangladesh’s shrimp export industry was already facing major declines, as 72 percent of the world’s shrimp market is occupied by vannamei shrimp, also known as white leg shrimp, while the country mainly exports black tiger shrimp, or ‘bagda’, and scampi shrimp, or ‘galda’. According to industry sources, Bangladesh's shrimp export business suffered another major setback as the current global economic slump also took a heavy toll on the world's food market. As a result, one of the major export items of Bangladesh, shrimp, has lost 80 percent of its previous demand on the world market. On top of that, export prices decreased by 40 percent. Read More: Exporters worry about losing markets as shrimp adulteration continues unabated Exporters and traders urged the government to approve commercial vannamei farming promptly. “Due to the high demand for vannamei shrimp in the world market, bagda and golda shrimp are gradually losing market share in the western market. Against the backdrop of the ongoing global economic recession, demand for bagda and galda shrimp from Bangladesh dropped by 80% in the previous year,” said S. Humayun Kabir, vice president of the Bangladesh Frozen Food Exporters’ Association.

Khulna division has been experiencing acute load shedding even in the winter due to suspension of power production at Rampal Power Plant amid shortage of coal caused by the dollar crisis. The production came to a halt on January 14, only after 27 days the coal-fired plant in Bagerhat started electricity generation by adding 660MW of electricity to the national grid produced from its first unit. Khulna West Zone Power Distribution Company (WZPDC), which distributes power in Khulna and Barishal region, authorities have been struggling to meet the electricity demand although the demand for electricity comes to half in the winter. Read more: Hasina, Modi jointly unveil Rampal Power Plant’s unit 1 On Thursday, the Khulna region experienced 24 MW load shedding in off-peak hours while during peak hours it was four MW. On Friday, the load shedding was 5 MW while the residents of different areas in the city experienced power outages, officials said. Anwarul Azim, deputy manager of Bangladesh-India Partnership Power Company Ltd (BCPCL), said import of coal was suspended due to the crisis of US dollar that cut production by half on January 14. BCPCL is a joint venture of the Chinese firm China National Machinery Import & Export Corporation (CMC) and Bangladeshi state-owned North-West Power Generation Company Bangladesh Limited (NWPGCL). Rampal Power plant’s Unit-1 has a capacity of producing  660MW of electricity . Before suspension of production, its Unit-1 used to produce 560-570 MW. Read more: Rampal Plant starts electricity production, 660MW from unit-1 added to nat’l grid Of this, 400MW was added to the national grid via Aminbazar-Gopalganj transmission line and 260MW was added to Khulna-Bagerhat. Around 5,000 tonnes of coal are needed for the operation of the power plant and all are imported from Indonesia but due to the dollar crisis the import of coal was suspended. Anwarul Azim said banks did not allow opening of Letter of Credit (LC) for importing coal due to the dollar crisis. “Already, a coal-carrying vessel from Indonesia is ready to leave for Bangladesh but we are trying our best to import coal. We hope the problem will be resolved soon,” he added.