United News of Bangladesh

At a press conference today, State Minister for Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology, Zunaid Ahmed Palak, announced strict directives to hold mobile phone operators accountable if they fail to deliver promised services. The press event marked the celebration of World Telecommunication and Information Society Day at the Secretariat. Addressing the ongoing issues of call drops that consumers frequently encounter, Palak highlighted the necessity for rigorous monitoring by the Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC). “To understand the call drop issue, BTRC needs to conduct external IT and financial audits. There is a technological error here that has become a regular problem,” he explained. During the discussion, Palak questioned the compensation mechanisms available to consumers affected by service disruptions, pondering the availability and transparency of BTRC records on these incidents. He further outlined the actions to be taken against non-compliant operators: “I have instructed that if such incidents occur, we will enforce the full extent of our licensing guidelines. This could range from financial penalties to restrictions on services. We have issued strong directives to BTRC to implement these measures.”

Under the directive of Bangladesh Bank, the Bangladesh Development Bank Limited (BDBL) signed a memorandum of understanding on Sunday, May 12, to merge with another state entity, Sonali Bank. The signing took place at the central bank's headquarters, amid mixed feelings from the stakeholders involved. Combating inflation: Bangladesh Bank raises policy interest rates, ends SMART rate system Md Afzal Karim, Managing Director of Sonali Bank, and his counterpart at BDBL, Habibur Rahman Gazi, were the signatories. The event was attended by high-ranking officials including Bangladesh Bank Governor Abdur Rouf Talukder, BB Adviser Abu Farah Md Nasser, and the chairpersons of both banks, Ziaul Hasan Siddiki and Shamima Nargis. BDBL has been hesitant about the merger due to its struggling non-performing loan (NPL) ratio, a key area of concern among its performance metrics. Shamima Nargis noted that this was the bank's primary weak point and suggested that more time might have allowed the bank to address this issue effectively. Bangladesh Bank introduces Crawling Peg System; dollar rate set at Tk 117 with immediate effect Despite these reservations, the merger has been endorsed as a step towards strengthening the bank's position in the market. Nargis stated that the merger is expected to fortify their operations and that the bank sees no reason for employee concern over the merger. While the central bank has committed to a fair and transparent merger process and has engaged an audit firm to oversee the integration, insiders convey a palpable sense of unease about future changes. New board of National Bank mirrors position of dissolved board against merger with UCBL As part of a broader consolidation strategy aimed at stabilizing the banking sector, Bangladesh Bank has identified several banks for potential mergers, including Padma Bank, RAKUB Bank, and BASIC Bank, although some have resisted the push towards consolidation. The merger of Sonali Bank with BDBL is touted to create a larger and more robust financial institution, yet the ramifications for employees and customers remain a topic of concern, hinting at broader challenges in the banking sector's ongoing restructuring efforts.

Chief of Air Staff of Bangladesh Air Force Air Chief Marshal Shaikh Abdul Hannan returned home on Saturday after an official visit to Australia. Chief of Air Staff of Bangladesh Air Force visited Australia from May 06-09 at the invitation of the Chief of Air Force, Royal Australian Air Force Air Marshal Robert Chipman, said an ISPR release on Sunday. During the visit, Chief of Air Staff attended the ‘Air and Space Power Conference-2024’ at Canberra, Australia. Mentionable that, respected Chief of Air Staff left Dhaka for Australia on May 5 for the said official visit along with his spouse and three entourages.

State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid said that Bangladesh needs cooperation from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to make area-based investment master plans in accordance with electricity demand. He made the remarks while meeting with a 12-member JICA delegation, led by the agency's internal advisory committee president Dr. Tatsufumi Yamagata at his ministry office in the Bangladesh Secretariat on Sunday. Seeking Jica's cooperation he also said industrialisation is taking place in the country on a regional -demand basis.  Demands of different areas are not the same and demand patterns vary by region, supply mechanisms also differ, he said adding planning is necessary to consider these aspects. The State Minister urged the JICA to study about the proper use of the phase-2 area under Moheshkhali-Matarbari Integrated Infrastructure Development Initiative (MIDI). Initially there was a plan to set up another coal-fired power plant in Matarbari but later that plan was cancelled. Nasrul Hamid said that it’s time to think about what kind of alternative energy based power plant should be set up there with more profitability and who will be the potential customers of it. He mentioned that there have been some proposals for solar power plants and discussions  on the construction of the LNG terminal are well advanced.  Energy demand is increasing continuously for continuous development and therefore, a land based LNG terminal is urgently needed to set up, said Nasrul adding discussions  are underway with the MIDI Authorities. JICA's internal advisory committee president said that there is development in different regions of Bangladesh, which is good for the overall development. He opined that electricity demands at the Korean EPZ Chittagong can be met by electricity of the Midi area. Member of the advisory committee and executive vice president of JETRO (Japan External Trade Organization) Mayumi Murayama said that he is fascinated by the brilliance of Dhaka. Different issues including the diversity in industrialisation, investment environment, energy hub, strategies for industrialisation, strategies to reduce carbon emissions in the MIDI area came for discussion in the meeting with the JICA. Additional Secretary of Power Department Tania Khan, Director General of Power Cell Mohammad Hossain, Deputy Director General of Economic Development Department of Headquarters JICA Jun Saotome, Chief Representative of JICA Bangladesh Office Tomohide Ichiguchi, member of Tokyo University and Assistant Professor Dr. Dr. Fumihiko Seta, and MIDI Policy Advisor Koji Takamatsu were present on the occasion.  

Discussion with the International Labour Organization (ILO) is underway regarding the amendment of Bangladesh’s Labour Act, Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anisul Huq said on Sunday. “We are holding discussion with ILO on 41 points to amend the Labour Act," he said. The minister was talking to journalists after a meeting with an ILO delegation at the ministry this afternoon.  “Of those 41 points, we discussed 17 points today during our around two-and- a-half-hour meeting. We will hold discussion on Monday on the remaining 24 points,” the minister said.  In today’s meeting, ILO placed some pieces of advice on the amendment of Bangladesh Labour Act, he said adding that they are holding discussion on how much that advices are logical for the country’. “Detailed discussion is going on regarding which one we can accept and which one can't.” Replying question on whether the discussion was satisfactory, Huq said that there were some topics, which were certainly satisfactory as the discussion was held in detail. He said the meeting will  be held tomorrow as well, starting from 11.30 am. A 6-member ILO delegation led by its country director Tuomo Poutiainen took part in the discussion. It was also attended by senior officials of various departments and organizations including the secretaries to the Law and Judiciary Department and the Ministry of Laboor and Employment.

Experts at a seminar on Sunday urged the government to remove discriminatory tax structure for the local companies to ensure level playing field for all domestic and foreign firms in the public procurement process. They made the call while speaking at the seminar titled “Public Procurement Act-Challenges and Opportunities’ organised by International Business Forum of Bangladesh (IBFB) at its conference room in the city. Speaking as the chief guest, State Minister for Planning Md Shahiduzzaman Sarker said the current government has introduced electronic government procurement to ensure transparency at the very primary level of procurement. “E-gp has turned the procurement process 180 degrees,” he said, adding that there are more ways to go in terms of transparency and accountability. The state minister said the country requires people of high morals to ensure transparency and accountability. He also pledged to extend all-out support to take into cognisance of the recommendations, complaints and demands that came up in the meeting from the stakeholders. Speaking as designated discussants, Bangladesh Public Procurement Authority (BPPA) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mohammed Shoheler Rahman Chowdhury said they want to bring 100 percent procurement system in the country into the E-gp system. He said BPPA has been identifying challenges of procurement and amending them continually. He also said they will bring down existing three-step complaints resolution to one step to make redressing simpler. In the programme, Former Lead Procurement Specialist of World Bank Dr Zafrul Islam presented a keynote paper titled ‘Governance and Competitiveness in Public Procurement Practices: Bangladesh Context’. He said conflict of interest is a major concern in procurement processing in Bangladesh. “COI arises out of possible informal or undisclosed relationships between public officials and the contracting or consulting industry,” he added. Zafrul Islam said there are instances of public officials or their family members operating business that participate in the same procurement process in the organisation. He called the BPPA to consult with stakeholders before formulating any laws or rules. Adviser to IBFB and former NBR Chairman Muammad Abdul Mazid recommended bringing reform in the financial year to reduce waste in resource and time in implementing the construction projects. He stressed the need of imposing equal tax to local and foreign companies instead of existing discriminatory tax structure to local firms. Vice President of IBFB MS Siddiqui urged the government to impose uniform tax at all level including public imports. He stressed the need of being competitiveness to sustain in the long run in procurement process. Professor of Economics at Dhaka University Muhammad Shahadat Hossain Siddiquee urged the authority to ensure equity in the awarding process of the work. Advisor to Bangladesh Association of Construction Industry (BACI) Engineer SM Khorshed Alam urged the government to abolish the clause of awarding the lowest bidder in the public procurement process. He said capacity of the prospective awardee of the procurement should be considered instead of the amount of bid. Former President of the Manufacturer's Association for Transformer and Switchgear (MATS) Engineer Rabiul Alam urged the government to remove discrepancies to local companies in the project award process. IBFB President Humayun Rashid delivered an address of welcome at the seminar.

No fresh death due to dengue was reported in Bangladesh in the past 24 hours till Sunday morning, according to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS). However, 46 patients were hospitalised with this viral fever during this period, according to the DGHS. Of them, five people were admitted at the hospitals in Dhaka city, while the rest were outside the capital. Currently, a total of 140 patients are receiving treatment at hospitals across the country. So far, 2,460  dengue cases have been reported since January 1, 2024, said DGHS. Last year, a total of 1,705 people lost their lives due to dengue, making it the deadliest year on record. The DGHS recorded 321,179 dengue cases and 3, 18,749 recoveries last year. Last year’s September was the deadliest month for the dengue outbreak, with 396 fatalities and 79,598 cases, according to DGHS data.

Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Saber Hossain Chowdhury said the urban afforestation project will be implemented in Dhaka to keep the temperature tolerable. “To keep the environment of a city good, certain amount of greenery is needed, so to keep the temperature bearable, the urban afforestation project will be implemented in Dhaka,” he said. The minister was addressing as the chief guest the launching ceremony of the Climate Action Plan of Dhaka North and South City Corporations held at the Nabab Nawab Ali Chowdhury Senate Bhaban at Dhaka University. Special satellite image is being prepared for Dhaka, through which it will be determined where trees are need to be planted, he said. “The Climate Action Plan will play an important role in building a clean, green and vibrant Dhaka.  Although Dhaka has two city corporations, this action plan will be implemented as one Dhaka,” he added. The announcement of One Dhaka by the two city corporations of Dhaka is timely to reduce the impact of climate change in the city of 20 million people, said the minister. Coordination between ministries will be increased to deal with climate change, he said. Saber said Dhaka embarks on its transformative journey towards environmental sustainability through the launching of the Climate Action Plan(CAP). Through collaborative efforts the CAP seeks to address the pressing challenges posed by climate change while fostering resilience and enhancing the quality of life for Dhaka's residents, he added. Meanwhile, the minister urged Bangladesh's development partner countries to stand by Bangladesh in dealing with climate change. The Launching Ceremony brought together key stakeholders, including government officials, environmental experts, academia, and representatives from civil society, to celebrate the unveiling of the CAP and chart a course for collaborative action towards a sustainable and climate-resilient Dhaka. The event also saw the deliberations of the distinguished guests, including Prof. Dr. ASM Maksud Kamal ,Vice Chancellor of Dhaka University; Matt Cannell, Deputy High Commissioner at the British High Commission, in Dhaka; Mark Watts, Executive Director, C40 Cities; Md. Atiqul Islam, Mayor, Dhaka North City Corporation and Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh, Mayor, Dhaka South City Corporation. Jayeda Khatun, Mayor, Gazipur City Corporation also present on the occasion.

Nagad, the country’s leading mobile financial service provider, has come up with a special arrangement on the occasion of Mother’s Day, declaring a half-day leave to all its employees to spend more time with their mothers on this day. Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Nagad Ltd Tanvir A. Mishuk came up with the declaration on Sunday, said a press release. Tanvir A. Mishuk said, “I personally witnessed how much sacrifice my mother made for herchildren. All mothers do the same. My request is, at least today, give some time to your mothers.For this reason, I have instructed all our Nagad family members to work half-day and then gohome to spend time with their mothers.” Nagad mega campaign: 21 winners receive gifts This initiative isn't just for their own employees. Nagad has also announced special offers for its customers on Mother’s Day. As part of a special campaign, Nagad is offering the opportunity for customers to do shopping worth Tk 20,000, have lunch or dinner and watch a movie with mothers at cinemas, by making an assisted recharge of Tk 100 or more to their mother’s phone numbers. Like most countries around the world, Mother’s Day is celebrated in Bangladesh on the second Sunday of May. It’s a day to recognize the immense role mothers play in shaping society and development. However, the problem is that in Bangladesh, Sunday is the first working day of the week. As a result, children often miss the opportunity to spend this day with their mothers.Nagad has now addressed this issue. Nagad ensures that employees who wish to spend time with their mothers can take half-day leave without any deduction from their annual leave quota. Nagad partners with Pran-RFL Group to foster greater operational efficiency Besides, the company has conveyed its heartfelt wishes to all employees' mothers on this occasion. This decision is not an isolated one for Nagad. As a company focused on employee well-being,Nagad celebrates each employee’s birthday with a cake. Furthermore, on birthdays, employees are given half-day leave to spend time with their families. A few days ago, amid a scorching heatwave, Nagad took a pioneering decision to ensure the safety of field workers. Nagad’s CEO Tanvir A. Mishuk instructed to prioritize both business goals and physical well-being simultaneously in April. Therefore, employees were allowed to wear casual attire to the office. Although Nagad, like all other companies, has a strict dress code policy, this time employees are allowed to wear casual clothes made of loose and breathable fabrics for office work. Mother’s Day special offers Nagad has come up with an exciting offer for its large customer base to honour a remarkablebond between mothers and their children on the occasion of Mother’s Day. Customers, who will make an assisted recharge of Tk 100 or more to their mother’s mobilenumbers of any operator through Nagad app or USSD *167#, will stand a chance to enjoy thedelightful experience of free shopping, a lunch or dinner date, a movie at Cineplex with theirbeloved mothers. Five winning customers will get the opportunity to buy their mothers any products up to Tk20,000 from Meena Bazar. Besides they will have lunch or dinner and watch movies at Cineplex. The campaign will run between 12 and 16 May 2024. A customer will be eligible for the gift only once during the whole campaign period.  

A patient of Gazipur Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmed Medical College Hospital has died after getting stuck in a lift for about 45 minutes on Sunday morning.  The deceased was identified as Momtaz Begum, 53, wife of Sharfuddin of Raniganj Barigaon village in Kapasia upazila of Gazipur. According to family members, Mumtaz was taken to the hospital as she had chest pain for two days.  9 to die for killing Cumilla Jubo League leader On Sunday morning, Momtaz Begum was being taken to the heart department on the fourth floor from the 11th floor at 9:30 am.  At one point, the elevator suddenly stopped.  There were three other people in the elevator who called the liftman but he was negligent and misbehaved with them.  After they called national emergency number 999, the fire service came and rescued them after 45 minutes.  But in the meantime, Momtaz Begum died. 5kg hemp seized in Kurigram; 2 arrested Deputy Director of Gazipur Tajuddin Ahmed Medical College Hospital MD.Jahangir Alam confirmed the death.  The matter is being investigated, he added.  The hospital authorities formed a six-member probe committee led by medicine department head Dr Rubina Yasmin. The committee has been asked to submit a report within three working days.