Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder on Wednesday urged all concerned to work for ensuring food safety for the consumers, not only during Ramadan but also throughout the year.    He instructed the officials concerned to take effective steps to raise mass awareness about safe food. “Please work to reach safe food to the consumers.” The minister was addressing a view-exchange meeting titled ‘Measures to Ensure Food Safety during Ramadan’ virtually at the Bangladesh Secretariat as the chief guest.  “Activities of the food offices at the grassroots level need to be visible. If consumers are not aware, then it will not be possible to become successful. That’s why awareness has to be raised among people. Food offices will have to work closely with the businessmen, people’s representatives, and administration to ensure adulteration-free food alongside raising awareness among people.” READ: Self-reliance in seed production essential for food security: FBCCI Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA) Chairman Abdul Kaiyum Sarker presided over the programme while food secretary Mosammat Nazmanara Khanum spoke as the special guest. Nazmanara Khanum said food officials have been working in the country with various limitations.  BFSA Chairman Abdul Kaiyum Sarker said a total of 2,560 food traders have been given training on safe sehri preparation and food marketing across the country.

People will be eligible for taking booster shot four months after receiving the second dose of Covid-19 vaccine, said Health Minister Zahid Maleque on Wednesday. “We are conducting the vaccination activities successfully and during the peak time of the pandemic we provided medical services to both Covid and non-Covid patients,” he said at a press briefing on the occasion of the National Deworming Week, held at the ministry. READ: Mass vaccination campaign to continue till Feb 28: Minister Besides, the government has taken an initiative to launch a special vaccination campaign aiming to bring 3.25 crore people under vaccination from March 17 to March 31, marking the birth anniversary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Deworming week The deworming week will start from March 20 and deworming tablets will be given for children aged between 5-16 at all primary and secondary level educational institutions across the country at free of cost. The week-long campaign will be held in all government, private schools, madrashas and orphanages. READ: Regular vaccination campaign to continue even after Feb 26: Minister Some 4 crore children will be brought under the deworming campaign and the dropped out students and street children will be brought under the campaign.