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Audit reports presented for scrutiny in JS
A total of 690 audit objections amounting to a total potentially worth Tk 1. 06 lakh crore was placed in parliament on Tuesday.
Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal placed 53 audit and accounting reports of different ministries and government departments' 2019-20 accounts, in accordance with Article 132 of the Constitution.
“The reports of the Auditor General relating to the public accounts of the Republic shall be submitted to the President, who shall cause them to be laid before Parliament,” states the Constitution.
Read more: Atomic Energy Commission (amendment) Bill passed in JS
The report tabled in the Parliament showed that in the financial year 2019-20, there were 30 objections to the compliance audit on plot-flat allotment-expenditure, other matters related to under-implementation and some development projects under the National Housing Authority.
Another audit report was on Telecom Regulatory Commission's Compliance Audit Report for fiscal 2019-20. The amount of money involved in some 12 disputes in this regard is around Tk 14,392 crores.
Govt publishes 40th BCS gazette appointing 1,929 candidates
The government on Tuesday published the gazette of the 40th Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) appointing 1,929 candidates to government jobs.
Around 34 candidates have been dropped from the Public Service Commission (PSC) recommended list in the final appointments, said a gazette notification from the Public Administration Ministry.
Read more: 40th BCS non-cadre candidates form human chain in front of PSC
The appointed candidates have been urged to join their respective offices on December 4.
The final result of the 40th BCS was published on March 30 where PSC recommended the appointment of 1,963 candidates to different cadre posts.
Meanwhile, 8,166 successful candidates were kept for non-cadre posts subject to an appointment based on vacancy.
Read more: 44th BCS preliminary test results published
To fill 1,903 vacant posts in different cadres, the BPSC published a circular in 2018. Later, 316 vacant posts were also added to it.
Among 10,964 candidates, who faced the viva-voce, 10,254 came out successful.
Atomic Energy Commission (amendment) Bill passed in JS
A bill titled Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (amendment) Bill 2022 was passed in Parliament on Tuesday.
The Bill, which was moved by Science and Technology Minister Yeafesh Osman, landed in the Parliament aiming to change names of two posts in the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission.
Read more: BSCIC Bill placed in JS aimed at streamlining small and cottage industries
According to the Bill, there are two posts in the Commission named Finance Advisor and Secretary where the Public Administration Ministry posted deputy secretary ranked employees.
As per a Cabinet Division directive on October 23, 2019 if there is any post called assistant secretary, deputy secretary, additional secretary and secretary in any office under any ministry or division, the name of the post has to be changed.
Read more: Industry-Design Bill placed in JS to protect intellectual property rights
The Bill states that the post of secretary will be named as working executive (admin) while finance advisor will be named as working executive (finance).
Tk 1893 crore unpaid as electricity bill by govt ministries, departments, Nasrul Hamid tells JS
State minister for power Nasrul Hamid on Tuesday said the power department will get Tk 1893 crore as unpaid electricity bill from various ministries and departments of the government till September this year.
He also said that considering the average daily production of 2300 million cubic feet of gas, it will be possible to use the remaining gas for nearly 11 years (10.8 years).
Hamid said that the power division will get maximum amount Tk 905.21 crore from local government department and Tk 395.68 crore from the ministry of disaster management.
Read more: Nepal will export up to 50 MW electricity to Bangladesh for now, envoy tells PM
In response to a query from ruling Awami League MP Md. Mozaffar Hossain, he said by strengthening supervision and implementing various activities at the field level, it has been possible to reduce the amount of electricity bill in arrears in the past few years.
He said that the government has taken various initiatives including setting an annual target for reducing in the Annual Performance Agreement (APA), holding inter-ministerial meetings for collection of dues from different government organisations, preparing list of bill defaulters and taking steps to recover them and disconnecting electricity, if necessary, to collect the unpaid electricity bills.
He also said that all the customers are being brought under prepaid/smart meter to reduce the arrears in electricity bills.
In response to a query from AL MP Shahiduzzaman Sarker, the state minister said according to the latest (July 1, 2022) estimate, the amount of proven and potential recoverable gas reserves in the country is 28.59 trillion cubic feet.
From the beginning of gas production to till June 30, 2022, the cumulative amount of gas in the country is 19.53 trillion cubic feet.
Currently the remaining recoverable reserves are 9.06 trillion cubic feet. Considering the current average daily production of 2300 million cubic feet of gas from the gas field, it will be possible to use the remaining gas for 10.8 years (nearly 11 years).
The mentioned time may be increased or decreased if daily rate gas production is decreased and if gas production is increased following invention of new gas field, he added.
In response to another question, the state minister said that since Bangladesh needs to import LPG, if the price does not decrease in the international market, there is no opportunity to reduce the price of LPG in the domestic market without government subsidy.
Read more: Electricity price to remain unchanged for now
In response to Nizam Uddin Hazari's question, the state minister said that from the financial year 2009-10 to 2021-22, $28.3 billion have been invested in the electricity sector.
Of this, $9.73 billion have been invested in the private sector for electricity.
In response to Jatiya Party's Rustam Ali Farazi's question, Hamid said BPC is making a loss of Tk 21 per liter in selling diesel.
In response to AL MP M. Abdul Latif’s query on countrywide ongoing load shedding, Hamid said that due to the global energy crisis following the Russia-Ukraine war, Bangladesh is trying to overcome the energy crisis through economical use of electricity and planned load shedding.
He said, as per the plan, the new coal-based power plants will be connected to the grid and by ensuring the cost-effective use of electricity, it will be possible to overcome the crisis soon.
BNP MP Harunur Rashid came down heavily on the government for what he said widespread looting, corruption and mismanagement in power and energy sector.
Harun proposed that the Speaker arranges a discussion on this issue in Parliament.
In reply, Hamid blasted Harun for the past BNP-Jamaat government’s alleged involvement in corruption in the power sector.
BSCIC Bill placed in JS aimed at streamlining small and cottage industries
The Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC) Bill, 2022 was placed in Parliament keeping a provision of two years in prison and a maximum fine of TK50,000 for providing false information for borrowing money from the corporation.
Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun placed in the House and it was sent to the respective Parliamentary Standing Committee for further examination. The Committee was asked to submit its report within 30 days.
Read more: Industry-Design Bill placed in JS to protect intellectual property rights
The Bill says that if anyone damages or replaces any border wall the punishment will be maximum six months of imprisonment or maximum Tk one lakh as fine or both.
If anyone creates obstacles in any work of the BSCIC-appointed developer or contractor then the punishment will be the same.
For illegal land grabbing and construction of infrastructures the punishment will be the same also.
If anyone transfers any plot illegally then the punishment will be one year of imprisonment (maximum) or fine of Tk 50,000 (maximum) or both.
The Bill will make the industrial entities under the BSCIC more effective.
The proposed law will promote women entrepreneurs as the existing law, 1957 is outdated.
The Bill said that the Corporation can take necessary steps to create women entrepreneurs in industrial sector and give them protection.
Read more: Bill to replace law of military regimes placed in JS
As per the proposed law, the authorised capital of the Corporation will be Tk 3000 crore while the paid up will be Tk 2637.22 crore.
There will be a 16-member board of directors for the Corporation and chairman of the entity will be the president.
The Corporation will have 10 directors and the government will appoint all the directors.
Industry-Design Bill placed in JS to protect intellectual property rights
The Bangladesh Industry-Design Bill, 2022 was placed in Parliament in a bid to protect the intellectual property rights of industrial design.
Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun placed in the House and it was sent to the respective Parliamentary Standing Committee for further examination. The Committee was asked to submit its report within 30 days.
Read more: Bill withdrawn from JS in light of HC verdict on arrest of public servants
A registrar office will be there to issue or cancel patents of any single inventor or joint inventors of any technological innovation under the proposed law.
The Bill is enacting by splitting the Patents and Designs Act, 1911 as there is a huge number of diversified affairs under the century-old law.
There is also a provision in the draft law that the owners will get compensation, and such cases will be dealt with by civil courts.
Read more: Bill to replace law of military regimes placed in JS
The owners will be given the patent of any innovation for 20 years after receiving application, and then it will become public.
Jatiya Party MP Fakhrul Imam objected to the placement of the Bill, but was rejected by voice vote.
Bangladesh reports another Covid death, 94 cases
Bangladesh reported another Covid-19-linked death and 94 fresh cases in 24 hours till Tuesday morning.
With the new numbers, the country's total fatalities rose to 29,424 and caseload to 2,035,334, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
The daily case test positivity rate rose to 3.06 per cent from Monday’s 2.41 per cent as 3,074 samples were tested.
Read more: Covid-19: One death, 69 new cases reported
The latest deceased was a woman from Mymensingh division.
The mortality rate remained unchanged at 1.45 percent while the recovery rate rose to 97.34 per cent from Saturday's 97.30 percent.
In October, the country reported 60 Covid-linked deaths and 10,043 cases.
Bangladesh registered its highest daily caseload of 16,230 on July 28 last year and daily fatalities of 264 on August 10 the same year.
Padma Bridge Rail Project: Trial run of train begins
Test run of a train (an engine and an open boggy) has begun on the new railway line from the district under the Padma Bridge Rail Link Project.
The train engine and boggy departed the Bhanga station at 10:30 am and traveled 45 km to reach Mawa, said Md. Shahjahan, station master of Bhanga.
Read: Despite loss, Bangladesh Railway wants to repair DEMU trains
This is the first test run after the modern railway line was laid on this route. The train is built in a special shape known as "Gang-Car".
Tainted foods have flooded market, says health minister
Food adulteration has increased alarmingly across the country, said Health Minister Zahid Maleque on Tuesday.
"Almost all the foods we eat are adulterated", he said while addressing an opinion exchange meeting at the Directorate of Health Services in the capital's Mohakhali.
Basic food items, including rice, pulses, spices, fish and vegetables have toxic chemicals and other harmful additives, he said.
Read: Adequate measures taken for treatment of Dengue patients: Health Minister
As a result, ailments like cancer and Kidney diseases have doubled across the country.
"In developed countries, no compromises are made to poison food, no matter how powerful a company is. But adulterated food is being served everywhere in our country. So, where do people go? What will we eat? It won't be allowed anymore,” the minister warned.
"Creating awareness among people is a must to stop food adulteration. We’ve taken various steps in this regard,” the minister said.
"If we want to give a healthy life to our next generation, these adulterated businesses must be stopped now", he said.
Read: Misbehaving govt doctors drive patients for treatment abroad: Health Minister
"We are going to form some field level teams to prepare a specific report on this. Later, we will sit with the higher authorities and resolve it very soon,” the minister said.
Director General of the Department of Health Prof Dr ABM Khurshid Alam, Director (Administration) Prof Dr Md. Shamiul Islam Sadi and other Directorate of Health officials were present at the meeting.
Dengue death toll climbs to 148 as 7 more die
Seven more deaths from dengue in 24 hours till Tuesday morning raised this year’s fatalities from the mosquito-borne disease in Bangladesh to 148.
During the period, 983 patients were hospitalised with the viral fever, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
Read more: PM urges all to keep their houses clean to prevent dengue
Of the latest deaths, five were reported from Dhaka and one each from Chattogram and Barishal divisions.
With these, the Dengue death toll in Dhaka division rose to 91, in Chattogram division to 39 and in Barishal to six.
The death toll remained unchanged at six in Khulna, at four in Mymensingh, and two in Rajshahi division.
Of the new patients, 532 were admitted to different hospitals in Dhaka and 451 outside it, according to the DGHS.
A total of 3,598 dengue patients, including 2,322 in the capital, are now receiving treatment at hospitals across the country.
Read more: Healthcare system rocked by Corona struggles to cope with dengue
The directorate has recorded 39,007 dengue cases and 35,261 recoveries so far this year.
Dengue outbreaks in Bangladesh exceeded all previous records in 2019, mostly in the capital city of Dhaka. A total of 101,354 dengue cases with 179 dengue-related deaths were officially recorded.