United News of Bangladesh

Dr. Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad and Dr Md Aynul Islam have been elected the president and general secretary of Bangladesh Economic Association (BEA) for the next two years. The panel of Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad and Aynul Islam won 27 posts out of 29 in the BEA Executive Committee Election-2024. The election was held from 11 am to 5 pm on Saturday, the concluding day of the two-day biennial conference of the BEA, at the Institute of Engineers, Bangladesh (IEB) in Dhaka, said a media release. The newly elected executive committee will serve the BEA, a professional body of some 4,000 economists, for the 2024-2026 tenure. Other elected office bearers include Dr Jamaluddin Ahmed, AZM Saleh, Dr. Liaquat Hossain Moral, Syeda Najma Parveen Papri (independent) and Mostafizur Rahman Sardar as vice-presidents, Badrul Munir as treasurer, Sheikh Ali Ahmed Tutul and Mohammad Akbar Kabir as joint secretaries, Neshar Ahmed, Monsur MY Chowdhury, Jahangir Alam, Partha Sarthi Ghosh and Syed Esrarul Haque as assistant secretaries. The new members of BEA Executive Committee are: Dr Abul Barkat (as per the BEA’s charter), Prof Hannana Begum, Dr Moazzem Hossain Khan, Dr Zahirul Islam Sikder, Prof Shahanara Begum, Dr Nazmul Islam, Dr Shahed Ahmed, Prof Mohammad Sadekunnabi Chowdhury, Dr Alamgir Hossain Bhuiyan, Mozammel Haque, Dr Morshed Hossain, Prof Akhtaruzzaman Khan and Khorshedul Alam Quadri.

Speakers at a discussion meeting on Saturday said that until a national unity is established in the country, our demand for getting fair share of waters from common rivers flowing through India will not be achieved. Such remarks were made at the meeting, organised by the International Farakka Committee (IFC) organized at the Maulana Akram Khan Hall of National Press Club to commemorate the Farakka Long March. The speakers observed that the voice against Farakka Dam is being raised from within India itself but there is no strong voice from Bangladesh. They also recalled the Farakka Long March organised by Moulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhasani, a leader of the toiling masses of Bangladesh, and expressed their deep respect for him. On May 16, 1976, Moulana Bhasani organised this long march, 6 months before his death at the age of 96 in failing health, to demand an end to the unilateral withdrawal of Ganges water. Historic Farakka Long March Day Thursday In 1976, neighboring India was withdrawing water from the Ganges without an agreement after opening the Farakka Barrage for a trial period of 41 days the year before. As a result, the flow of water in the Bangladesh part of the Ganges came down, adversely affecting agriculture, fish production and water transport. The speakers said that the movement of Maulana Bhasani created national unity in Bangladesh. As a result, the world public opinion swung towards Bangladesh's demand and the first Ganga Water Treaty was concluded in 1977. Jatiya Party Chairman Mustafa Jamal Haider was the chief guest in the meeting. Writer and researcher Siraj Uddin Sathi, president of Bhasani Anusari Parishad Sheikh Rafiqul Islam Bablu, chairman of Bangladesh Labour Party Mostafizur Rahman Iran, former Chief Editor of BSS Gaziul Hasan Khan and JAGPA senior vice-president Rashed Prodhan among others took part in the discussion held under the chairmanship of International Farakka Committee Coordinator Mostafa Kamal Majumder. Mostafa Jamal Haider said that due to India's diplomacy, Bangladesh's rivers and water are facing destruction and a process of desertification has started in the country. Protect 54 common rivers taking lessons from Farakka Long March: IFC He called on everyone to unite to face this problem. He said that since the formation and existence of Bangladesh depended on rivers and water, now the rights of water and sovereignty are one and the same. Sheikh Rafiqul Islam Bablu said Bangladesh would not have been created if Maulana Bhasani was not born. Along with the long march for Ganga water, Bhasani had written to the Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi, and the Prime Minister of India also replied to that letter. Dr. Mostafizur Rahman mentioned the plight of Bangladesh due to the withdrawal of water from 54 rivers by India and said that if the country has a war with India in the future, it will be over water. Siraj Uddin Sathi said that the importance of the Farakka Long March is now greater than at any other time because water is being diverted upstream of all 54 of the 57 joint rivers that flow through Bangladesh. As a result, floodplains in Bangladesh, the land of rivers, are no longer go under water during monsoons. Int'l Farakka Committee urges Dhaka, Delhi to renew Ganges treaty, sign new treaty on Teesta The speakers said that lack of water during the dry season leads to ecological disasters, and during the monsoons, abnormal floods hit the basins of various rivers, including the Teesta. The crops on vast lands and homes of thousands of people are swept away. They said the Ganga agreement has to be renewed in 2026. On the other hand, signing of an Agreement on the Teesta has become urgent. In this situation, the government is called upon to take steps to sign sustainable basin-based agreements on all rivers with India by taking strength from the national consensus created in the country on river water.

Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) has predicted rain or thundershowers in different parts of the country, including Dhaka, over 24 hours — starting from 6pm on Saturday. “Rain or thundershowers accompanied by temporary gusty or squally wind is likely to occur at a few places over Dhaka, Khulna, Barishal, Chattogram and Sylhet divisions and at one or two places over Rajshahi, Rangpur and Mymensingh divisions with hails at isolated places," the Met Office said. Flash floods due to unusually heavy seasonal rains kill at least 68 people in Afghanistan The highest, 101 mm, rainfall was recorded in Sylhet district in the country in 24 hours till 6pm on Saturday. The country may witness more rain over the next 72 hours, BMD also said. Meanwhile, a mild heat wave is sweeping over the districts of Gopalgonj, Rajshahi, Noakhali, Cox’s Bazar, Khulna, Bagerhat, Jashore, Satkhira, Patuakhali & Bhola and it may abate. Severe heat wave continues to batter parts of Bangladesh; rains likely in Sylhet Day temperature may fall slightly and night temperature may remain nearly unchanged over the country, reads the MBD bulletin. The country’s highest temperature, 38.2 degree Celsius, was recorded in Khulna on Saturday.  

Bangladesh Bank (BB) lost its ability, to make independent decisions for the banking sector, and it’s now operating to implement decisions of outsiders, which is unable to resolve crisis of the banking sector. The executive director of the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) Dr. Fahmida Khatun said this on Saturday while speaking as the chief guest at the shadow parliament debate competition organised by the Debate for Democracy at the FDC Auditorium, in the capital. Journalists can frequent central bank for info, says deputy governor “The culture of transparency and accountability is being lost in various regulatory bodies, including the central bank. As a result, the institutions are not able to fulfill the responsibilities, that the state assigned to them," said Dr. Fahmida. Currently, the anarchy in the banking sector has reached such a level that the decision to merge banks has to be taken on the advice of the IMF, she pointed out. However, due to a lack of prior preparation, integration has been challenged. Forced bank mergers may not be sustainable. The banking sector has lost its ability to support the overall economy due to a lack of good governance, said Dr. Fahmida. She said that people have lost confidence in the banking sector. The central bank even cannot provide any guarantee to keep the deposits in the bank safe Journalists don’t need to enter central bank, every info on website: Quader As a result, there has been concern among depositors. Those responsible for the hemorrhaging of the banking sector remain untouchable. People are not able to know the correct information about defaulted loans in the banking sector from the BB, Dr. Fahmida opined. Referring to the Bangladesh Bank's recent decision to restrict the entry of journalists, Chairman of Debate for Democracy Hasan Ahmed Chowdhury Kiran said the central bank owes them (journalists) an explanation. “Journalists have played a major role in publishing news of major irregularities in the country's financial sector, it is not a crime, but their professional responsibility to highlight any irregularities [of the banking sector] in the media, including the heist in the BB's reserves,” he said.

There is no restriction on journalists entering Bangladesh Bank to get information, its Deputy Government Khurshid Alam said on Saturday. "If you need information, you can go to the bank a hundred times," he said. He came up with the remarks on the occasion of "Customer Awareness Week-2024" in Rangpur, held at the conference room of Panchagarh Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Saturday afternoon. "Each institution has a spokesperson. We have three. Go and talk to them for any kind of information." Journalists don’t need to enter central bank, every info on website: Quader "If you're not satisfied with the information, you can talk to the four deputy governors. We will give you the answer," he added. Regarding free access, Khurshid Alam posed a question: "What is free access?" Would any private company give anything freely to another company?  There is no country in the world that allows so much access to legally recalled products. "If you want to go alone, you can and the assigned officials will provide you with information, which is allowed under The Secrecy Act. However, it is not permitted if you want to get information about the secrecy of the state." He urged journalists not to be misguided with any kind of propaganda. Acknowledging the challenges of the emerging economy, he said we are moving forward with long strides. Journalists boycott Bangladesh Bank press conference over entry ban Addressing the bankers, the deputy governor said that we have to advance the country with the economy. The finance sector is the lifeblood of the economy. You have to collect taxes from the customers, and at the same time, you have to keep an eye on them so that they are not harassed or dissatisfied. "Bangladesh has now become a role model for many countries. The country is moving forward. There is no time to look back," he added. Bangladesh Bank Executive Directors Nurul Amin and Ruhul Amin, Bangladesh Bank Financial Integrity and Customer Services Department Directors Liza Fahmida and Shayema Islam, Bank Asia Managing Director Shafiuzzaman also spoke on the occasion. DUJ, DRU, TIB condemn ban on journalists entering Bangladesh Bank

Rail stations will be built in every district of Bangladesh under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to realise Bangabandhu's dream, Railway Minister Zillul Hakim said on Saturday. All stations and lines will be renovated to facilitate connectivity in the public interest, he said. He said this while visiting the site office of the broad gauge railway construction project from Madhukhali via Kamarkhali to Magura this afternoon and inspecting the progress of the project. Later, the minister visited the under- construction railway bridge on Madhumati River, broad gauge railway and Magura's Ramnagar Thakurbari railway station areas. Lawmaker Dr. Biren Shikder, Secretary of the Ministry of Railways Dr. Md Humayun Kabir, Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Abu Naser Baig, Superintendent of Police Mashiudullah Reza, Magura District Council Chairman and District Awami League General Secretary Pankaj Kumar Kundu, were also present.

Civil Society leaders on Saturday  said that unprecedented debt will surely derail the hope of sustainability after Bangladesh’s graduation as a middle-income country. They came up with the observation at a Human Chain programme in front of the National Press Club in the city jointly organized by  a group of civil society organizations led by EquityBD. Other organisations included BDCSO Process, Bangladesh Krishok Federation, CLEAN, CSRL, NDF, Online Knowledge Society, Sundarban Bachao Andolon, Young Change Makers, and Water Keepers Bangladesh. Mustafa Kamal Akanda of COAST Foundation moderated the event chaired by Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, the Chief Moderator of EquityBD. In his speech, Omour Faruk Bhuiya of BDCSO Process said that the total FY 2024-25 budget will be 8.05 trillion Taka including a debt of 2.75 trillion Taka. The per capita debt is now 580 USD. The repayment of this unprecedented amount of debt will cause reductions in the lifeline of people, he added. Ferdous Ara Rumee, the secretary general of the International Rural Women’s Day Observation Committee, said that 91% of people are involved in the informal sector employment where 95% are women. We must evaluate the progress of women through the yearly gender-budget reporting system, she added. ICMAB organises tribute to all its ex-presidents Mustafa Kamal Akanda of COAST Foundation said that the total budget for roads and highways is 875 billion Taka while there is no allocation for safety in the road. The number of deaths in road accidents in 2023 is 8,505. Mir Mohammad Ali, Assistant Prof of Shere Bangla Agricultural University said that fisheries and aquaculture employed nearly 1.4 million people but the budget hardly considers how would the poor fisherfolk survive during three to four fishing ban periods across the year. Pradip K Roy of Online Knowledge Centre said that the government must allocate enough budget for skilled human resources if we want to take advantage of the demographic dividend by 2040. Abul Hasan of EquityBD said that internal climate-induced migration is one of the biggest challenges for Bangladesh. Even after five years of migration strategy paper is developed, not enough investment is declared on it. Hasan Mehedi of CLEAN said in his speech that the government’s 8th FYP planned to achieve at least 10% renewable energy by 2025, which is now only 3%. The allocation for power in the upcoming budget is 450 billion Taka hardly has the allocation to achieve the target. Journalists don’t need to enter central bank, every info on website: Quader Rezaul K Chowdhury, the chief moderator of EquityBD said in the closing remarks that the entire process of budget in Bangladesh is undemocratic. Even the participation of the parliament members in the budget process is questionable.

Bangladeshi, Indian and Pakistani students have reportedly come under attack by violent mobs in Kyrgyzstan's capital, Bishkek. Pakistan's mission in Bishkek said a few hostels of medical universities in Bishkek, where students from India, Bangladesh and Pakistan reside, have been attacked amid the violence, which broke out on Friday night. The Kyrgyz government said four foreign citizens have been arrested following mob violence in Bishkek on the night of May 17-18 that injured at least 28 people, including several foreigners, and appeared to be directed against foreign students and migrants. The violence prompted diplomatic reactions from Pakistan and India, who have warned their students in Bishkek to remain indoors. The violence broke out after a video purportedly showing Kyrgyz students fighting medical students from Egypt on May 13 was widely shared online, according to Radio Free Europe. Mobs gathered in several spots in Bishkek on Friday night after users on social media claimed those who were beaten were Kyrgyz youths. On Saturday, a number of Bangladeshi students reached out to UNB seeking help for their safety. “We are here, five Bangladeshi girls. We are inside our apartment right now. Some people are gathering in front of our apartment. Please help us," Samia Kabir, one of the Bangladeshi students at International School of Medicine, Kyrgyzstan, told UNB on Saturday evening. "We have been asked by the authorities to stay inside. We hear some noises from other apartments nearby…some Pakistanis are likely to be there," Samia added. "Our mission in Uzbekistan is looking into the matter. So far, we have not received any reports of injuries of any Bangladeshis. We are in touch with our Mission. We will share a complete report soon," a senior official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Dhaka told UNB. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic in a statement said that at present the situation in Bishkek is "absolutely calm and fully under control". "All necessary measures have been taken to ensure security and maintain peace and stability," it said. It also asked representatives of the media, the blogging community and foreign colleagues to be guided only by official and verified information from the competent authorities of the Kyrgyz Republic. One of the students, named Mustafa, who is living a bit far from the main city, told UNB that the number of Bangladeshi students is now over 1000 in Kyrgyzstan. He said they are relatively safer where he is than those who are living in Bishkek. In some cases, students from Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan live in the same hostels, putting them at risk together. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said the situation was "calm" in Bishkek and advised students to stay in regular touch with the Indian Embassy. "The situation is presently calm, but students are advised to stay indoors for the moment," the Indian Consulate tweeted. Videos of the clashes have flooded social media since Friday night. Kyrgyzstan has long been a favoured destination for students from South Asian nations for top-notch medical training. As per the Migration Data Portal, Kyrgyzstan hosted the highest number of international students (61,418) in 2021 among the five Central Asian countries. There are multiple reasons why students flock to Kyrgyzstan, which has the best healthcare, education, and transportation facilities among Central Asian nations. Cheap cost of living, wide availability of Subcontinental cuisine, a good student-teacher ratio, and no entrance fees are some of the facilities that attract MBBS students.

The Institute of Cost and Management Accountants of Bangladesh (ICMAB) on Friday organised  an event to pay tributes to its esteemed past presidents from 1972 to 2023, recognizing their visionary leadership and steadfast commitment. The event took place at ICMAB Ruhul Quddus Auditorium, ICMA Bhaban in the capital, according to a press release. Professor Dr. Md. Salim Uddin FCMA, Current President of ICMAB said, “ Each president has made unique contributions to the progress and integrity of our organization, which has led to a legacy of excellence and ethical standards in the field of cost and management accounting.” Bangladesh showcases smart land service initiatives at World Bank Land Conference 2024 He also said the event aims to celebrate and reflect on the monumental contributions made by these distinguished individuals. ICMAB Council members and Branch Council Chairman joined the current ICMAB President in the reception ceremony. Family members of the former presidents and a large number of fellow & associate members witnessed the colorful ceremony.

Bangladesh has actively participated in the World Bank Land Conference 2024, held at the World Bank headquarters in Washington, D.C. from May 13 to 17. This marked Bangladesh’s inaugural participation in the conference, during which it showcased the ‘Smart Land Service’ program. The theme of the conference was “Securing Land Tenure and Access for Climate Action”. About 1500 representatives of government and non-government and international organizations, academia, civil society, and stakeholders from different countries discussed land ownership, land-related laws, land administration, and civil land services at the conference. They exchanged experiences, information, and knowledge at the conference. Land Minister Narayon Chandra Chanda nominated Dr. Md. Jahid Hossain, Joint Secretary, Digitization, Knowledge Management and Performance (DKMP) Wing of the Ministry of Land, to represent Bangladesh at the Regional Operational Workshop session of the conference. Under the direction of Land Ministry Secretary Md. Khalilur Rahman, it was decided to highlight the smart land management activities taken under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's special initiative 'Digital Bangladesh' at the conference. The conference provided an opportunity to learn about technical achievements, challenges, and innovations in individual management workshops for different countries and regions of the world. On the final day of the conference, May 17, a daylong workshop titled “Breaking Barriers: Access to Land and Poverty Reduction and Climate Resilience” was held at the World Bank Headquarters Main Complex C2 Hall. Bangladesh participated in the workshop, along with various countries from the East Asia, Pacific, and South Asia regions. Land Minister Narayon Chandra commented on Bangladesh's successful participation in the World Bank Land Conference 2024, saying, “Our presence at this conference reflects our unwavering commitment to land reforms through 'Smart Land Management' and the 'Bangladesh Digital Survey' under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. We will continue to work towards building a smart Bangladesh by providing citizens land services using smart innovations.” According to the plan, Joint Secretary Jahid Hossain highlighted the 'Smart Land Service' programs of Bangladesh in the workshop. Currently, more than 10 land-related services are provided online to the citizens through this program. He explained to the world how the digitization of land services has ensured the security and tenure of land ownership of millions of Bangladeshis. At the conference, the initiatives of the Ministry of Land regarding increasing citizen services and awareness in the land sector were highlighted. These initiatives include user-centric design, seamless integration with essential services, automation, efficient workflow management, critical analytics and reporting, robust digital security, and a commitment to an open data governance policy. The Ministry of Land also shared information about plans for the integrated automation of registration, mutation, Khaitan (record of rights), and map updating following the transfer of land. Additionally, theincrease in revenue in the land sector due to the digitization of land services was lauded at the conference. The positive impact of the digitization of land services in Bangladesh on climate resilience, green growth, and urbanization generated significant interest among delegates from different countries. Bangladesh also gained valuable insights from the best practices of land management in other countries. It is noteworthy that the Ministry of Land has already received international recognition by being awarded the United Nations Public Service Award in 2020 for the e-Mutation System and the ITU WSIS Prize in 2022 for the Digital Land Development Tax System. The World Bank organizes the Land Conference as an international forum to direct and inform investments in the land sector, facilitate and advance multi-stakeholder dialogues and collaboration, advocate for evidence-driven policymaking, and share knowledge on emerging best practices and innovative research. The 2024 conference aimed to highlight effective strategies for securing land tenure and access in support of climate change mitigation and adaptation.