United News of Bangladesh

Bangladesh Navy personnel have rescued 15 fishermen and a trawler that had been adrift in the Bay of Bengal for four days after its engine failed. On the afternoon of March 31, during routine patrols, a Navy team spotted the trawler about six nautical miles west of St. Martin’s Lighthouse. The team immediately reached the vessel and rescued both the trawler and its crew, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said. The fishermen told rescuers that the trawler’s engine broke down on March 27, leaving them stranded at sea. They faced shortages of food and clean water and endured significant hardship before the Navy arrived. The rescued crew were taken to the Navy Forward Base in St. Martin, where they received food, clean water, and first aid. All are reported to be in good health and were handed over to their families on Wednesday. Bangladesh Navy continues to conduct regular maritime patrols to safeguard the country’s waters, protect fishermen, and support the development of the blue economy.

Bangladesh Bank (BB) on Wednesday released an updated list of Cost and Management Accountant (CMA) firms authorized to audit applications for export subsidies and cash incentives. The Foreign Exchange Policy Department (FEPD) of the central bank issued a circular to all authorized foreign exchange dealers detailing the eligibility and regulations for these audits. According to the directive, seven specific CMA firms have been enlisted as eligible for these assignments. These are Hannan & Co., Hossain & Co., Mujibur Rahman & Co., Podder & Associates, Safe-Q Associates & Co., Saifur Enayet & Associates and SAM & Associates. The central bank stipulated that a single CMA firm is permitted to undertake auditing assignments for a maximum of three banks within a particular financial year. This latest instruction supplements the guidelines previously established in Foreign Exchange Circular No. 20, dated December 03, 2023, which remains the primary regulatory framework for appointing CMA firms for export incentive audits. All other existing instructions regarding export subsidies and cash incentives remain unchanged, the circular added. Bangladesh Bank has instructed all authorized dealers to bring this new directive to the attention of their clients.

The government has set a target to re-excavate 318.639 kilometres of canals under the Bangladesh Water Development Board during the remaining period of the current fiscal year to improve irrigation and drainage in agricultural lands. Water Resources Minister Md Shahiduddin Chowdhury Anee disclosed this in Parliament on Wednesday while replying to a starred question from Jamaat-e-Islami lawmaker Shahjahan Chowdhury (Chattogram-15). The minister said the canal re-excavation programme is aimed at strengthening irrigation and drainage systems, boosting agricultural production and ensuring better water management across farming areas. He said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman inaugurated a nationwide canal excavation and re-excavation programme on March 16, 2026, at Balarampur in Kaharole upazila of Dinajpur district as part of the government’s election pledge to restore rivers, canals and other water bodies. He said under a 180-day programme, the Ministry of Water Resources, the Local Government Division and the Ministry of Agriculture will jointly excavate or re-excavate 1,204 kilometres of canals by June, 2026. Besides, the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief will re-excavate and renovate another 1,500 kilometres of canals within the same timeframe through Food for Work (Kabikha), Cash for Work (Kabita) and Test Relief (TR) programmes. He added that, in line with the government’s election manifesto, further canal excavation and re-excavation will be carried out under ongoing and new projects to achieve the nationwide target of 20,000 kilometres.

Ruling party lawmaker from Noakhali-2 Zainul Abdin Farroque on Wednesday brought an adjournment motion in Parliament to discuss the implementation process of the July National Charter. Speaker Hafiz Uddin Ahmad accepted his motion for discussion and set a two-hour time for the discussion on April 5. Announcing the acceptance of the motion, the Speaker told Parliament that a rare precedent has been set in the parliamentary history of Bangladesh. “This is the first time in 53 years that adjournment motion brought by a member of the Treasury Bench or the government party has been accepted for discussion,” he said. Earlier on March 30, independent MP Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Iqbal also brought an adjournment motion to discuss the implementation process of the July National Charter. A decision has not been made on that yet. Then, MP Zainul Abdin Faruk raised a new adjournment motion in the National Parliament session. Proposing the motion, ruling party MP Zainul Abdin said, "This 'July National Charter' is the fruit of the July-August Revolution led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party after 17 years of sacrifice and struggle. "This is the roadmap for our future. I am raising a deferred motion in accordance with Rule 62 of the Rules of Procedure. This charter is basically a document of political compromise, which contains specific proposals for the formulation, amendment and revision of various laws and regulations, including amendments to the constitution. It is very important to hold a detailed discussion on the actual implementation method of the 'July National Charter 2025' by adjourning the current parliament. I seek permission to raise this motion." The Speaker accepted the motion and said, "Honorable member, the deferred motion you raised is very important. “I am allowing it to be discussed in accordance with Rule 65 (2) of the Rules of Procedure. Considering the current state of affairs of Parliament, a discussion on this motion for a maximum of two hours has been scheduled for Sunday, April 5, 2026, as the last item of the day.”

Some 4.68 lakh out of 19.19 lakh posts in different government offices now remain vacant, according to the Statistics of Public Servants 2024 placed by State Minister for Public Administration Md. Abdul Bari, MP in Parliament on Wednesday. The number works out to more than a quarter (25%) of the designated posts. The latest statistics, prepared based on the information updated till December 31, 2023, he said while replying to a starred question from treasury bench lawmaker Sk. Md. Rejaul Islam (Naogaon-6) during the question-and-answer session in the House. The total number of working employees in all ministries and government offices is 1450,891 and the total number of vacant posts is 468,220 there, according to the Statistics of Public Servants 2024. As many as 68,884 posts remains vacant from 1st to 9th grade (first class), while 129,166 from 10th to 12th grade (second class), 146,799 from 13th to 16th grade (third class), 115,235 from 17th to 20th grade (fourth class), and 8,136 other posts are vacant. The number of working officers and employees in the all ministries and government offices is 190,773 from 1st to 9th grade (first class), while 233,726 from 10th to 12th grade (second class), 613,835 from 13th to 16th grade (third class) and 404,577 from 17th to 20th grade (fourth class). Besides, 7,980 employees are working in ministries and government offices.

Two children were killed after being hit by a train while crossing an unauthorised level crossing at Lakkhandia in Madhukhali upazila of Faridpur district on Wednesday. The identities of the deceased could not be known immediately. Azam Khan, assistant superintendent of police of Madhukhali Circle, said the accident occurred around 1:30 pm when a Bhatiapara-bound train from Rajbari hit the two children while they were crossing the railway line, leaving them dead on the spot. Both children were sons of Akash, a resident of the area. Angered by the accident, locals blocked the rail route, demanding the appointment of a gateman and installation of a proper railway gate at the crossing. They also stopped the same train when it was returning from Bhatiapara around 4:45 pm. On information, police rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control after officials of Bangladesh Railway assured necessary action.  

Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) Administrator Abdus Salam on Wednesday reaffirmed his commitment to protecting the natural environment of Dhanmondi Lake and preventing it from turning into a commercial zone. “Dhanmondi Lake is not a commercial area. Dhaka city already suffers from a severe shortage of open breathing spaces for people. We want to preserve this lake in its original natural form,” he said. The DSCC administrator made the remarks while speaking to journalists after visiting Dhanmondi Lake  on Wednesday afternoon. During the visit, he expressed dissatisfaction over the presence of numerous restaurants and commercial establishments around the lake. “Our main objective should be to preserve nature here. But it appears that the entire area has been taken over by restaurants, which is not desirable at all. We will soon restore a healthy and pleasant environment,” he said. Highlighting measures taken to ensure proper maintenance of the lake, the DSCC administrator said a monitoring committee comprising local residents and city corporation officials will be formed within the next week. The development and maintenance activities of the lake will be carried out based on the committee’s observations and recommendations.

The Annual Development Programme (ADP) implementation rate in February, while remaining at a low level, has almost doubled compared to the last fiscal when the interim government led by Professor Muhammad Yunus was in power. According to the latest progress report released by the Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED) under the Ministry of Planning, in February Tk 12771.23 crore has been disbursed which is 6.11 percent of the total amount while it was only Tk 7676.33 crore in the last year that represented 3.39 percent only. It also stated that the pace of spending and execution has slightly improved for the first eight months of the running 2025-26 fiscal than the previous year. The implementation progress during the July–February period showed spending reached Tk 63,327.53, representing 30.31 percent of the annual allocation. During the same period of FY2024–25, implementation stood at Tk 67,553.21 crore or 29.87 percent. In FY2023–24, the implementation rate for the July–February period was 33.65 percent with expenditure amounting to Tk 85,602.59 crore. The rate was 34.74 percent in FY2022–23 with spending of Tk 823,169.96 crore, while FY2021–22 recorded 38.60 percent implementation, with Tk 84,765.07 crore spent. However, for the current fiscal year 2025–26, the total ADP allocation stands at Tk 208935.53 crore. In comparison, allocations in recent years were Tk 226166.88 crore in 2024–25, Tk 254391.64 crore in 2023–24, Tk 236560.67 crore in 2022–23 and Tk 219601.91 crore in 2021–22. Officials said the current year’s rate of implementation indicates a continued slowdown in project execution. The persistent slowdown has been attributed to multiple factors, including administrative adjustments, cautious expenditure management and slower approval processes during the interim administration period. Project officials have also pointed to delays in procurement, land acquisition and fund release as key reasons behind the lower execution rate. As per the economists, the ADP plays a critical role in driving economic activity, employment and infrastructure development. A sustained slowdown in implementation may affect overall growth momentum, especially in sectors reliant on public investment. Despite the lower execution rate, planning ministry officials expressed hope that spending would accelerate in the remaining months of the fiscal year as ministries and agencies traditionally speed up project implementation towards the end of the budget cycle. The ADP is the government’s primary development budget, financing major infrastructure, social sector and regional development projects. A higher implementation rate is generally seen as a sign of strong administrative capacity and efficient project management, while slower spending often signals bottlenecks in execution. With less than half the fiscal year remaining, the pace of implementation in the coming months will be crucial in determining whether the government can narrow the gap with previous years or whether FY2025–26 will end with the lowest execution rate in recent times.

Seven people, including a schoolboy, were killed and four others injured in separate road accidents on Dhaka-Chattogram highway in different parts of Cumilla district on Wednesday. In Daudkandi upazila, two people were killed and four others injured when an unidentified vehicle hit a CNG-run auto-rickshaw carrying six passengers on the Dhaka-Chattogram highway in Kanra area early Wednesday, said Md Iqbal Bahar Majumdar, officer-in-charge of Daudkandi Highway Police Station. The deceased were identified as Barek, 42, son of Lutu Mia, and Mostafa, 40, son of Nur Islam, both from Sarkarpur village. The injured were taken to different hospitals. In Chandina upazila, a schoolboy was killed when a lorry knocked him down on the Dhaka-Chattogram highway around 9:30 am, said Abdul Momin, officer-in-charge of Mainamati Highway Police. The deceased was identified as Ibne Taim, 14, a Class IX student of a local school and son of Babul Mia of Rarirchar village in the upazila. In Burichong upaizla, two people were killed and another one was injured when a truck crashed into a covered van from behind on Dhaka-Chattogram Highway in Nimsar Bazar on Wednesday. The deceased were identified as Zahirul Islam Moin, 40, of Noakhali district and Sohel Rana, 35, of Meherpur district. In Chouddagram upazila, a woman identified as Hazera Begum, 70 of Ramchandrapur village, was killed when an unknown vehicle ran over her while crossing highway at Chouddagram Bazar around 12:30 pm, said Shab Uddin, officer-in-charge of Miarbazar Highway Police Station. In another incident, Omar Faruk, 39 of Noakhali district was killed as an unknown vehicles hit him while repairing a truck at Padua early in this Wednesday morning. Superintendent of Cumilla Highway Region, Md Shahinur Alam Khan said that there are several reasons behind highway accidents in Cumilla. The speed limit on the Dhaka–Chattogram highway is 80 km per hour, while in different areas of Cumilla it is set at 30, 40, 50, and 60 km per hour. However, many drivers do not comply with these limits. He also said that the movement of vehicles of different categories on the same roads creates another major problem. Besides, there is a low tendency to follow traffic rules in Cumilla, he added. “Our teams remain on the roads at all times and we are trying to ensure that everyone adheres to traffic laws,” he said.

The sixth batch of a three-month freelancing training programme was launched on Wednesday as part of a nationwide initiative to create employment opportunities for educated, job-seeking youth across all 64 districts of Bangladesh. State Minister for Youth and Sports Md Aminul Haque inaugurated the programme, which will simultaneously run across the country, at an event at the Ministry of Youth and Sports. The inauguration session was chaired by Youth and Sports Secretary Md Mahbub-ul-Alam. The sixth batch will run from 1 April to 30 June 2026 with 4,800 participants – 75 from each district. Applicants aged between 18 and 35 with a minimum higher secondary qualification are eligible to take part in training. Speaking on the occasion, Aminul said freelancing training had been prioritised in the electoral manifest of the ruling party – BNP – to create new employment opportunities for young people. He said the training programme reflects the implementation of commitments made by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman. In his speech, the secretary said employment remains a priority, with initiatives focused on developing modern skills, including freelancing, to create income opportunities for young people. Masud Alam, Managing Director of E-learning and Earning Ltd, said a central database of freelancers have been developed. Profiles are created for participants at the start of training to track income and professional progress. He also shared his experience of becoming a freelancer and entrepreneur. According to project data, the programme aims to train 36,000 individuals between January 2024 and December 2027 while activities began on 1 January 2025. Training is being conducted in all 64 districts. A committee comprising representatives of the district administration, the Department of Youth Development, and training providers selected participants through written and oral assessments. So far, 14,400 individuals have completed training across five phases. Of them, 60% or 8,640 individuals are working in local and international marketplaces. Total reported earnings stand at $1,845,645, equivalent to around Tk 227,014,416. Mentoring sessions have been arranged in each district to support income generation. A total of 97,229 individuals applied for the current batch. Of them, 61,581 were selected for examinations, and 4,800 were chosen for training following written and viva assessments. Participants will receive 600 hours of training over three months, with eight hours of instruction per day. The training includes computer office applications, freelancing, basic English, digital marketing, soft skills, mobile-based freelancing, graphic design and video editing. The participants are being provided with travel allowances, meals and training materials. Certificates will be issued upon completion of training.