Price of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)  will remain unchanged for the month of January. This is second consecutive month the price of LPG remains the same. According to Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC), the price of per kg LPG will remain at Tk 121.25 for the month of January as it was in November and December. The decision will be effective from 6 pm today (December 3, 2024). BERC announced the decision saying that a 12 kg LPG cylinder’s price will remain unchanged. Prices of other sizes of LPG cylinders – from 5.5 kg to 45 kg – will be the same, BERC said at a press briefing on Thursday at its Dhaka office. BERC officials said LPG price remains unaffected in the local market as Bangladeshi LPG operators normally import their products from the Middle-Eastern market on the basis of Saudi CP which did not change. Read: LPG prices remain unchanged for December: BERC As per the BERC decision, the price of “auto gas” (LPG used for motor vehicles) also remained at Tk 66.78 per litre (including VAT). The price of LPG, marketed by state-owned LP Gas Company, will also remain the same as it is locally produced with a market share of less than 5 percent. LPG witnessed the highest price at Tk 1,498 (per 12 kg cylinder) in the local market in February last year.

The prices of diesel and kerosene have been reduced by Tk 1 per litre with effect from January 1. According to new prices, set by the Energy and Mineral Resources Division for the month of January, per litre of diesel and kerosene will be sold at Tk 104 instead of earlier price of Tk 105 while prices of octane and petrol will remain unchanged at Tk 125 and Tk 121 per litre respectively. Read: Diesel, kerosene prices cut by 50p for November The new prices have been set under the automated pricing formula in light of the adjustment of prices in the global market, said the Energy and Mineral Resources of the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources.

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) members seized smuggled goods including drugs worth around Tk 211.67 crore in various drives across the country in January. According to BGB media release, 17,52,991 Yaba pills, 21.23 kgs of crystal meth, 32,194 bottles of phensedyl, 16,427 bottles of foreign liquor, 2,109 cans of beer, 2,126 kg cannabis, 7.13 kg heroin, 2,249 injections, 6,761 bottles Iskaf syrups and some other drugs were seized. Around 2.70 kg gold, 59.07 kg silver, 1,38,228 cosmetics, 13,429, imitation jewellery, 8,490 sarees, 1,625 readymade garments, 3,060 cubic feet of wood, 7,714 kg of tea leaves, 13,700 kg of coal, 12 trucks/covered vans, five private cars/microbuses, 18 pickups, 30 CNG/battery run auto rickshaws and 63 motorcycles were among the smuggled goods. READ: BGB recovers drugs worth Tk 48.9 crore in Cox’s Bazar Besides, three pistols, two different types of guns, five magazines, five mortar shells, 16 rounds of bullet, six detonators and six IED were also seized. Besides, legal action has also been taken against 267 people for their involvement in smuggling. Some 218 Bangladeshis and 13 Indians were held for illegal border crossing. READ: BGB seizes Yaba worth Tk 6 crore from Cox’s Bazar

Bangladesh will administer at least 12 crore doses of Covid-19 vaccines by next January, said Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque on Sunday. The minister said "There is no shortage of vaccines in the country. There are over one crore vaccines in stock. All the people of the country can be vaccinated as per the instructions of the prime minister." The minister made this remark while inaugurating DBL Pharmaceuticals at Gazipur on Sunday. READ: DU to collaborate with AFC Biotech to develop Covid-19 vaccine Zahid said the government has bought 21 crore doses of vaccine. From there, at least three crore doses of vaccine will arrive this month. Same number of doses are expected to next month. At least seven crore doses of the vaccine have already been administered. If this continues, it will be possible to administer at least 12 crore doses of vaccine by January next year. "If that is done, it will be possible to reduce the death rate from Covid-19 to zero," said the minister. The minister also claimed there has been no shortage of medicines throughout the Covid-19 pandemic across the country. These medicines were also sufficiently available at the village level. Bangladesh also exports medicines after meeting 98 per cent of the domestic demand, the minister added. "Pharmaceuticals are going to be one of the biggest sources of foreign exchange in the country, after the RMG sector. However, we are going to form a new drug policy to ensure that there are no adulterated drugs in the country," said the minister. He further said no one will be able to increase the drug price in the country's market unnecessarily because of the new policy. READ: No shortage of vaccines in Bangladesh: FM The minister also visited different parts of the drug company on the inaugural event accompanied by the member of the Parliament Dr Habib E Millat, Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA) Maj Gen Mahbubur Rahman and DBL Pharmaceuticals Chairman Abdul Wahed.