United News of Bangladesh

Prime Minister Tarique Rahman attended office at the Secretariat for the second consecutive day on Thursday, travelling from his Gulshan Avenue residence while complying with regular traffic signals. The journey took around 41 minutes, Prime Minister’s Additional Press Secretary Atikur Rahman Rumon said. He said the Prime Minister left his residence at 8:34am in his personal vehicle. The vehicle stopped at four traffic signals on the way from Gulshan to the Secretariat when the lights turned red, and he reached the Secretariat at 9:15am. Cabinet Secretary Dr Nasimul Ghani and Principal Secretary ABM Abdus Sattar received the Prime Minister on his arrival at his office. Rumon said pedestrians standing along the roadside applauded and welcomed the Prime Minister when his vehicle halted at traffic signals. The Prime Minister responded by waving at them. ‘Family Card’ to be launched on pilot basis before Eid: Minister Mintoo “In some cases, people came close to the vehicle to greet him, and some even took selfies on their mobile phones,” he said. After taking his seat, the Prime Minister enquired which ministers, secretaries and officials were present at their workplaces, Rumon added. The Prime Minister’s office is located in Building No. 1 of the Secretariat.

The government has planned to introduce ‘Family Card’ on a pilot basis before the upcoming Eid-ul-Fitr, said Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Abdul Awal Mintoo on Thursday. “As far as I know, the Prime Minister wants to begin it as a pilot project before Eid,” he told reporters responding to a question after a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman at the Secretariat. The minister said the Family Card issue was elaborately mentioned in the ruling party’s election manifesto and today’s discussion focused on how to implement the programme. Fake ‘family cards’ sold in Narayanganj, husband and wife held Asked how many families would initially receive the card, Mintoo said the programme is intended to be universal and will not have restrictions. “A committee has been formed. The programme may begin with the ultra-poor, then expand to the poor and later to the middle class in phases,” he said.  

A schoolboy was killed and five others were injured when a bus hit a school van carrying students at Amtali Bridge area in Chirirbandar upazila of Dinajpur district on Thursday. The deceased was identified as Junayed, 6, a KG student of Amtali Molla School and son of Md Jewel of Palashdangi village in the upazila. The accident occurred around 8 am when the bus of ‘Ahad Paribahan’ from Dhaka hit the van carrying school students while it was heading towards Dinajpur district town, leaving a schoolboy killed on the spot and five others injured, said sub-inspector of Chirirbandar Police Station, Md Mainul. The injured were taken to Dinajpur Medical College and Hospital.    

The chiefs of the three services paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Tarique Rahman at the Secretariat on Thursday. Chief of Army Staff General Waker-Uz-Zaman, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral M Nazmul Hassan and Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan met the Prime Minister at his office. The Prime Minister arrived at his Secretariat office in the morning for his second day of official work. First Day in Office: BNP pays tribute to martyrs, outlines policy plans After reaching the office, he held a meeting with the three service chiefs. Prime Minister’s Adviser Brig Gen (retd) Dr AKM Shamsul Islam was also present at the meeting. Earlier in the morning, Cabinet Secretary Dr Nasimul Ghani and Principal Secretary ABM Abdus Sattar received the Prime Minister at the Secretariat.

At least 57 children among 487 people were killed in 559 road accidents across Bangladesh in January this year, according to a report released by the Road Safety Foundation. The crashes also left 1,194 people injured during the month. Among the deceased were 68 women, the report said. Motorcycle crashes accounted for a significant share of the deaths, with 196 people killed in 208 incidents, representing 40.24 percent of the total fatalities and 37.20 percent of all accidents. Pedestrians made up 27.10 percent of the deaths, with 132 people killed, while 67 drivers and helpers died, accounting for 13.75 percent. During the same period, four waterway accidents killed six people and injured seven others, while 41 railway track accidents left 32 dead and 17 injured. The report was prepared based on information from nine national dailies, seven online news portals, electronic media reports and the foundation’s own data. Motorcycle riders and passengers were the worst affected, followed by passengers of three-wheelers such as easy bikes, CNG-run auto-rickshaws and auto-vans, who accounted for 77 deaths or 15.81 percent. Bus passengers died in 21 cases, while 28 deaths involved truck, covered van, pickup and tractor occupants. Nine people were killed in private car, microbus, ambulance and jeep crashes, and 13 died while travelling in locally made vehicles such as nosimon and votvoti. Besides, 11 cyclists were also killed. Road type and accident pattern The analysis showed that 27.90 percent of the crashes occurred on national highways, 37.03 percent on regional roads, 15.20 percent on rural roads and 18.42 percent on city streets. The remaining  accidents took place in other locations. In terms of accident type, 37.38 percent were caused by loss of control, 24.15 percent by head-on collisions, 24.50 percent by vehicles hitting pedestrians and 12.88 percent by rear-end collisions. Heavy vehicles, including trucks, covered vans and tankers, were involved in 28.58 percent of the crashes, followed by motorcycles at 24.51 percent and three-wheelers at 18.53 percent. Passenger buses accounted for 12.20 percent of the incidents. Division-wise data showed Dhaka Division recorded the highest number of accidents and fatalities, with 143 crashes killing 119 people. Sylhet Division had the lowest toll, with 18 deaths from 24 accidents. In the capital Dhaka, 26 accidents killed 18 people and injured 41 others. Based on media reports, the victims included police members, teachers, doctors, journalists, lawyers, bank and insurance employees, NGO workers, political activists, businesspeople, sales representatives, garment and construction workers, people with disabilities and 57 students. The foundation identified defective vehicles and roads, overspeeding, reckless and unfit driving, lack of fixed wages and working hours for drivers, slow-moving vehicles on highways, risky motorcycle riding by youths, poor knowledge and enforcement of traffic laws, weak traffic management, capacity constraints at Bangladesh Road Transport Authority, and extortion in the public transport sector as the main causes of road accidents.

The government will provide protein-rich food at subsidised prices to around 10 lakh low-income families across the country during the holy month of Ramadan, said State Minister for Fisheries and Livestock Sultan Salauddin Tuku on Thursday. He said the initiative, taken in line with the government’s commitment to public welfare under the leadership of Tarique Rahman, will ensure the supply of milk, eggs, meat and fish for low-income people at affordable prices. He made the remarks is morning while speaking as the chief guest at the inauguration of a programme to sell milk, eggs and meat at affordable prices at the conference room of the Livestock Research Institute at Mohakhali. He said all concerned must work with honesty and dedication to fulfil the commitments made by the Prime Minister to the nation. PM Tarique urges market restraint ahead of Ramadan Collective efforts are essential to move the country towards development and prosperity, he said . The state minister noted that during Ramadan some unscrupulous traders hike prices of essential commodities, increasing hardships for low-income people. He said such government initiatives would help ease their suffering and there are plans to expand the programme further in the future. The programme was chaired by Director General of the Department of Livestock Services Dr Md Abu Sufian.

Revised office hours for government offices, banks and financial institutions came into effect on Thursday as the holy month of Ramadan began. According to a notification issued by the Ministry of Public Administration, all government, semi-government, autonomous and semi-autonomous offices will operate from 9:00 am to 3:30 pm during Ramadan. A break for Zuhr prayers will be observed from 1:00 pm to 1:15 pm. The notification said banks, insurance companies, other financial institutions, postal services, railways, hospitals, state-owned industrial establishments, factories and other emergency service providers will determine and follow their own office schedules in line with their respective laws and regulations, considering public interest. It also said the office hours of the Bangladesh Supreme Court and all courts under its jurisdiction will be fixed by the apex court itself. Meanwhile, Bangladesh Bank has revised office timings for banks and finance companies during Ramadan. According to a circular issued by the Department of Financial Institutions and Markets (DFIM), banks and finance companies will operate from 9:30 am to 4:00 pm from Sunday to Thursday, with a 15-minute break from 1:15 pm to 1:30 pm for Zuhr prayers. The directive, signed by Bangladesh Bank Director Syed Mahbubul Alam, said the pre-Ramadan schedule will resume immediately after the holy month ends.

Newly-appointed Education Minister A N M Ehsanul Haque Milon has assured that question paper leaks and cheating will not return under his tenure. Speaking at a press conference at the Ministry of Education on Wednesday, the minister said, “During my previous tenure, effective steps were taken to stop cheating and question paper leaks. I firmly believe these issues will not resurface.” He outlined plans for comprehensive reforms aimed at modernizing the education system and bringing it up to global standards. “We will review curricula, emphasize digital literacy and English proficiency, and introduce subjects like nanotechnology, artificial intelligence, and robotics to meet the demands of the Fourth Industrial Revolution,” he said. He added that the main challenge is ensuring employment after education, and the system will be designed with this goal in mind. Addressing students, Milon said, “We cannot move forward with a backdated education system. The world has become a global village, and our education must align with international standards. Meeting people’s expectations is our sole mission: Labour Minister We will work on transforming the system through digital platforms, technology-driven skills, and modern knowledge-based curricula.” On allegations of irregularities and corruption in the ministry, the minister said, “We will not hold past governments accountable for what they did. However, there was no corruption during the previous tenure, and there will be none this time either. Regarding complaints about MPO inclusion and institutional recognition, necessary inquiries will be conducted and updates will follow.” When asked about increasing salaries and benefits for private teachers, he said the government is aware of the matter and decisions will be announced in due course. Education State Minister Bobby Hajjaj was also present. State Minister Hajjaj said textbooks will be prepared following global standards observed by developed countries. “Particularly for history books, opinions from multiple historians will be considered to ensure alignment with global standards. The government’s focus is on doing things correctly in the future rather than dwelling on past mistakes,” he said. Secondary and Higher Education Secretary Rehana Parvin, Technical and Madrasa Education Secretary Muhammad Rafiqul Islam, directors general of various departments under the ministry, and officials from different levels of the Education Ministry were present at the conference.

The government on Wednesday appointed Abu Abdullah M Saleh (Saleh Shibly) as Press Secretary to the Prime Minister with the status of secretary on a contractual basis. In a separate order, Atikur Rahman Rumon was appointed Additional Press Secretary on a contractual basis. The Ministry of Public Administration issued separate notifications in this regard. Earlier, on January 3, Shibly was appointed Press Secretary to Tarique Rahman, Chairman of Bangladesh Nationalist Party, while Rumon has long been working as a member of the BNP Media Cell. Shibly has long handled key press and administrative responsibilities under Tarique Rahman and was made chief of a BNP press coordination team formed on November 1 last year. He began his journalism career as a campus reporter for the Daily Banglabazar while studying Public Administration at the  University of Dhaka, where he later completed his Master’s degree. Over the years, he worked in different branches of the media, including the news agency United News of Bangladesh (UNB), the Daily Manab Zamin, Radio Today and Channel i During the tenure of the four-party alliance government, he served as First Secretary (Press) at the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Kolkata. Several of his articles on women’s empowerment were published in Asian Bridge, a magazine of the Kitakyushu Forum on Asian Women. While abroad, he worked as Executive Editor of London-based Bengali-language television channel Channel S and earned a PhD focusing on media and public administration. He also served as a Non-Resident Fellow at the Sydney Policy and Analysis Centre. Shibly returned to Bangladesh on December 25 on the same flight as Tarique Rahman did from the United Kingdom. He is also the author of the book Tarique Rahmaner Nishiddha Bhashan (The Forbidden Speeches of Tarique Rahman).

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Impact Investment Exchange (IIX) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Wednesday at the UNDP Bangladesh office to promote gender-inclusive sustainable finance in Bangladesh. The partnership will help develop new types of bonds, called Orange Bonds that raise funds for women-led businesses and underserved communities. The aim is to attract more private investment while ensuring transparency, accountability, and clear development results. Govt signs two project documents with UNDP Under this collaboration, UNDP and IIX will carry out studies, support policy discussions, engage with key stakeholders, and provide technical support and training to potential bond issuers. They will also help strengthen monitoring and reporting systems so that investments deliver real and measurable impact. “Mobilizing capital for gender equality and climate resilience requires strong market infrastructure, informed policy dialogue, and trusted partnerships,” said Stefan Liller, Resident Representative at UNDP Bangladesh. “This collaboration with IIX allows us to combine UNDP’s policy expertise and country presence with global innovations in sustainable finance.” IIX, the creator of the Orange Bond Principles, brings experience in gender-focused investing, bond design, independent verification, and impact measurement. The Orange Bond Initiative, inspired by Sustainable Development Goal 5 on Gender Equality, aims to direct investment toward projects that advance women’s empowerment and climate action, while building investor confidence through clear standards. "UNDP has been playing an instrumental role in shaping Bangladesh's impact and sustainable finance ecosystem,” said Prof Durreen Shahnaz, Founder and CEO of IIX. UNDP to support Bangladesh’s capital market with thematic bond development “Our partnership with UNDP reflects our shared commitment to engage with key public, private, civil society, and development sector stakeholders toward strengthening the impact investment and Orange capital markets in the country. The partnership will enable the institutional adoption of inclusive finance, creating pathways for meaningful and measurable change for women and underserved communities to help achieve the country's SDG agenda." As Bangladesh prepares to graduate from Least Developed Country (LDC), access to concessional finance and trade benefits is expected to decrease,” said UNDP. Strengthening capital markets and introducing innovative financial tools will be key to sustaining growth and ensuring development remains inclusive and resilient. The UNDP-IIX partnership reflects a shared commitment to building a transparent, inclusive, and forward-looking sustainable finance ecosystem that supports Bangladesh’s long-term development goals.